I'm fortunate in that I generally only have to get dressed up for school 2 or 3 times a week-- when I work on Mondays and Wednesdays, and then occasionally for meetings with our clients at the Zoo or presentations for our Marketing Field Studies class. Since I've been mostly wearing gym clothes, jeans and t-shirts lately (and my favorite jeans always fit-- think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-- no matter how my body shape changes, they still fit like a glove), I haven't paid much attention to how my dress clothes have been fitting.
I tried on a pair of pants this past week and they were pretty darn loose. I just figured it was because they had stretched out last time I wore them, so I washed them, put them in the dryer, and tried them back on. Still too loose. So I tried on another pair... same thing. I made it through the three days I had to dress up this week-- almost put on a belt one day, but it wasn't dressy enough-- and just wore longer shirts that would hide any gap in the pants. But today, I decided I needed to go shopping.
NY&Company is having their annual 50% off everything sale, so I made my way over. When I trained with Amanda this morning, I told her about my shopping plans, and she said she thought I would be a size 4. I told her that for most of my adult life, I'd been an 8 or a 10, so a 4 seemed unlikely. She told me to just try a pair of size-4 pants on, just to see where I was. I did so, and while I can wear them, I still probably have a few pounds and an inch or so to lose before they're 100% comfortable. I ended up buying a couple pairs in a 6, and I figure if they too become too large, I can certainly find a belt that will make them work until I have time to get them tailored. And who knows, by then, maybe NY&C will have an even better sale going on! I hate to buy clothes when I think my shape will continue to change, but I definitely couldn't wear the 8s anymore... and that's pretty exciting!
One more session with Amanda tomorrow morning with weigh-in (and hopefully body fat measurement). I'll be excited to see where I am!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Changed forever?
I had dinner with my girlfriends on Thursday night. These girls also started working with a personal trainer around the same time that I started working with Amanda, so we've had a good time talking about our different experiences. At one point during the evening, I told Melissa that "it will be so nice to eat normally again," and I expected her to say "I know what you mean," but her response was interesting. She asked "Do you think you'll ever be able to go back to eating the way you used to?" And the honest answer is, probably not.
I've put a lot of effort into changing my diet over the last month so far, and I'm definitely seeing results, so it would be a shame to just go right back to my old habits and have all this hard work go to waste. The work-outs with Amanda are certainly making a difference too, but even she told me that keeping up with the diet will be the most important thing for me to do to maintain my figure once I move to Cincinnati.
I think the main difference once I'm done working with Amanda is that I will allow myself to cheat a bit more often. If I'm out to dinner with girlfriends, I will most likely still eat a healthy, protein-filled dinner. But I may allow myself to splurge on a yummy dessert once in a while. Right now, I have not been cheating at all unless Amanda actually tells me to (apparently, I need to cheat once in a while to get my metabolism to kick into high gear). I also know that I will have a lot of food catered in once I start working at dunnhumby, and I just have to be smart about which sandwich options I eat. I think the key is just going to be enjoy the foods that I really enjoy, but in moderation. That's the key to healthy eating in general, but since I started working with Amanda, there's been no "moderation" in things like desserts... there's just been none of it.
5 more weeks til Put-In-Bay!
I've put a lot of effort into changing my diet over the last month so far, and I'm definitely seeing results, so it would be a shame to just go right back to my old habits and have all this hard work go to waste. The work-outs with Amanda are certainly making a difference too, but even she told me that keeping up with the diet will be the most important thing for me to do to maintain my figure once I move to Cincinnati.
I think the main difference once I'm done working with Amanda is that I will allow myself to cheat a bit more often. If I'm out to dinner with girlfriends, I will most likely still eat a healthy, protein-filled dinner. But I may allow myself to splurge on a yummy dessert once in a while. Right now, I have not been cheating at all unless Amanda actually tells me to (apparently, I need to cheat once in a while to get my metabolism to kick into high gear). I also know that I will have a lot of food catered in once I start working at dunnhumby, and I just have to be smart about which sandwich options I eat. I think the key is just going to be enjoy the foods that I really enjoy, but in moderation. That's the key to healthy eating in general, but since I started working with Amanda, there's been no "moderation" in things like desserts... there's just been none of it.
5 more weeks til Put-In-Bay!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
3 weeks stronger!
Today is exactly 3 weeks since I first started training with Amanda, and I'm still going strong! I had a couple days earlier this week when I was feeling a little heavier than usual, but I think that was because I didn't have any training sessions Saturday, Sunday or Monday... just a couple cardio days. Since I did some really hard-core workouts with Amanda on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I'm feeling much better today.
She was absolutely right when she told me I'd laugh about the day when I couldn't do a push-up. It's not like they've become easy now, but they're definitely doable, and I can even change them up a little to make them more challenging. I've also gotten beyond the point of telling Amanda "I can't." I didn't like saying it, she didn't like hearing it, so I've just stopped. She pushes my muscles to the limits every session, but I'm eating much better now and that helps my body to recover much more quickly.
My core is still not as strong as I would like it to be, but again, I'm only 3 weeks into my training, and I have another 5 to go before Put-In-Bay. I know I'm going to get there. I can tell that I'm getting more toned, so I just have to keep up the hard work.
Tonight the girls and I are going out for sushi to celebrate Annie's upcoming wedding and Melissa's engagement. I've had sushi the last two weeks, and I'm getting a little bored with sashimi (rolls are pretty much a no-no), but I found a dish at Haiku with seared tuna over fresh mixed greens with a ginger vinegarette that sounds amazing, so I think I'm going to go with that tonight. The diet has become much less of an issue lately. I've figured out what's ok to eat and what's not, and I just don't eat what's not. I still occasionally crave sweets, but it hasn't broken me yet. I just have some sugar free pudding instead and I'm good to go!
She was absolutely right when she told me I'd laugh about the day when I couldn't do a push-up. It's not like they've become easy now, but they're definitely doable, and I can even change them up a little to make them more challenging. I've also gotten beyond the point of telling Amanda "I can't." I didn't like saying it, she didn't like hearing it, so I've just stopped. She pushes my muscles to the limits every session, but I'm eating much better now and that helps my body to recover much more quickly.
My core is still not as strong as I would like it to be, but again, I'm only 3 weeks into my training, and I have another 5 to go before Put-In-Bay. I know I'm going to get there. I can tell that I'm getting more toned, so I just have to keep up the hard work.
Tonight the girls and I are going out for sushi to celebrate Annie's upcoming wedding and Melissa's engagement. I've had sushi the last two weeks, and I'm getting a little bored with sashimi (rolls are pretty much a no-no), but I found a dish at Haiku with seared tuna over fresh mixed greens with a ginger vinegarette that sounds amazing, so I think I'm going to go with that tonight. The diet has become much less of an issue lately. I've figured out what's ok to eat and what's not, and I just don't eat what's not. I still occasionally crave sweets, but it hasn't broken me yet. I just have some sugar free pudding instead and I'm good to go!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Seeing results
Another week of training is almost over! I have one more session today at 4, at which we'll also do another weigh-in/body fat measurement. I'm not supposed to be weighing myself everyday, but I have checked a couple times during the last week, and the weight keeps going down, even if only a little. I'm feeling lighter and healthier... but the real proof is in my body shape.
I took a picture of myself on my first day of training, and I decided that I would take a picture of myself each week thereafter to help me visually track my progress. I didn't really notice a big change between weeks one and two, nor did there seem to be a big change between weeks two and three. However, when I line them all up together, I can see just how much of a difference this training is making! I still have about 6 weeks go to until Put-In-Bay, and I hope the last picture in the series will be a photo of me posing proudly in my bathing suit!
I'm not going to post these photos to the blog each week (it's more of an internal motivation for me), but I will definitely post a before and after at the end of this journey.
I took a picture of myself on my first day of training, and I decided that I would take a picture of myself each week thereafter to help me visually track my progress. I didn't really notice a big change between weeks one and two, nor did there seem to be a big change between weeks two and three. However, when I line them all up together, I can see just how much of a difference this training is making! I still have about 6 weeks go to until Put-In-Bay, and I hope the last picture in the series will be a photo of me posing proudly in my bathing suit!
I'm not going to post these photos to the blog each week (it's more of an internal motivation for me), but I will definitely post a before and after at the end of this journey.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Strength in Numbers
I have been writing quite a bit about my own training lately, but rather than bore you with more details about my killer shoulder workout today, I thought I'd write a bit about what's truly helping to keep me motivated... my wonderful friends :)
Several weeks ago during a (fairly healthy) lunch at Northstar Cafe, I mentioned to Melissa, Sam, Annie and Celina that I was going to start working with a personal trainer. Since all of us will be going to Put-In-Bay at the end of May, we want to look our best in our bathing suits. So now they have also started training with a trainer at the RPAC.
It has been so nice to be able to talk to them about my successes, and to laugh with them about my failures (as in, the first day when I couldn't do even one push-up). Our trainers seem to have slightly different training philosophies (i.e.-- Amanda is crazy about my diet and makes sure I'm sweating like mad by the end of my workout, whereas their trainer seems to be a bit more laid back), but the point is, we're all working on making ourselves healthier.
I also learned over the weekend that my friend Lindsey is going to start working toward her certification to teach kick-boxing, so she has also started working with a personal trainer to get her in even better shape than she already is. Also, my friend Kelly in Pittsburgh has started working on her own "get healthy" plan, so we're following each other's journeys through our blogs.
It just makes me feel really good to know that I have such a large group of people that I can turn to when my muscles are just a little more sore than I'd like, or when I need someone to remind me that I really don't need that extra large chocolate chip cookie that is tempting me :)
I'm definitely noticing positive changes in my body and that's certainly a motivating factor, but even more importantly, my friends are helping to keep me on track!
Several weeks ago during a (fairly healthy) lunch at Northstar Cafe, I mentioned to Melissa, Sam, Annie and Celina that I was going to start working with a personal trainer. Since all of us will be going to Put-In-Bay at the end of May, we want to look our best in our bathing suits. So now they have also started training with a trainer at the RPAC.
It has been so nice to be able to talk to them about my successes, and to laugh with them about my failures (as in, the first day when I couldn't do even one push-up). Our trainers seem to have slightly different training philosophies (i.e.-- Amanda is crazy about my diet and makes sure I'm sweating like mad by the end of my workout, whereas their trainer seems to be a bit more laid back), but the point is, we're all working on making ourselves healthier.
I also learned over the weekend that my friend Lindsey is going to start working toward her certification to teach kick-boxing, so she has also started working with a personal trainer to get her in even better shape than she already is. Also, my friend Kelly in Pittsburgh has started working on her own "get healthy" plan, so we're following each other's journeys through our blogs.
It just makes me feel really good to know that I have such a large group of people that I can turn to when my muscles are just a little more sore than I'd like, or when I need someone to remind me that I really don't need that extra large chocolate chip cookie that is tempting me :)
I'm definitely noticing positive changes in my body and that's certainly a motivating factor, but even more importantly, my friends are helping to keep me on track!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Weekend success!
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I was in North Canton for my friend Megan's wedding this past weekend. I haven't been to a lot of weddings, but the one thing that I've noticed about them is that there is never a lack of food and alcohol to be consumed at these events. This weekend's was no different.
I had ordered my entree before I started working with Amanda, so I chose the vegetarian platter instead of the chicken or steak option. If I'd known what an important role protein would be playing in my diet, I would have certainly ordered the chicken, but c'est la vie. I made sure to get plenty of protein in during the day before heading to the reception so that I'd still make my 120-gram daily goal. No big deal. As it turns out, the vegetarian platter was really delicious! One of my friends ordered the steak, and said it was a little tough. The chicken was parmesan crusted, and it looked like it had been fried, so probably not the healthiest choice (though friends who ordered it said the taste was good). The other problem with those entrees is that they only came with potatoes. The table got a bowl each of roasted green peppers and rigatoni, but the pasta definitely isn't part of my diet, and I'm not a huge fan of peppers in large doses. My platter was full of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and a stuffed tomato... delicious!! I'd also had a few celery sticks before dinner was actually served, so I definitely got my fill of veggies for the day!
I had a couple bites of chocolate wedding cake, which was also pretty tasty, but I was pleased that I wasn't craving more sweets afterward. There was an entire room full of desserts after dinner, and I wasn't even tempted. Knowing that Amanda is going to check over every little thing I eat makes it a lot easier to stay away from the "bad" stuff.
Even though there was a full bar at the reception, I just drank water all night. Worked out well, as I really needed it to keep me hydrated while dancing with my friends for 2-3 hours. It was a great workout though!
Today, my friend Sam asked me to get dinner with her at Ted's Montana Grill. Ted's has great bison burgers, but I decided to check the nutrition facts on their web site before heading out, and it looked like the brick chicken would be a better choice for me and my diet. I only ate half of it (no bun) and brought the other half home to put on a salad sometime later this week. I asked for roasted asparagus instead of the french fries, and it was a filling and tasty meal. I was also pleased to see that MyDailyPlate has Ted's menu items already in the system, making it much easier for me to track!
Overall, a weekend that could have really tested my willpower when it comes to my diet, but I'd say I passed that test pretty easily!
I had ordered my entree before I started working with Amanda, so I chose the vegetarian platter instead of the chicken or steak option. If I'd known what an important role protein would be playing in my diet, I would have certainly ordered the chicken, but c'est la vie. I made sure to get plenty of protein in during the day before heading to the reception so that I'd still make my 120-gram daily goal. No big deal. As it turns out, the vegetarian platter was really delicious! One of my friends ordered the steak, and said it was a little tough. The chicken was parmesan crusted, and it looked like it had been fried, so probably not the healthiest choice (though friends who ordered it said the taste was good). The other problem with those entrees is that they only came with potatoes. The table got a bowl each of roasted green peppers and rigatoni, but the pasta definitely isn't part of my diet, and I'm not a huge fan of peppers in large doses. My platter was full of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and a stuffed tomato... delicious!! I'd also had a few celery sticks before dinner was actually served, so I definitely got my fill of veggies for the day!
I had a couple bites of chocolate wedding cake, which was also pretty tasty, but I was pleased that I wasn't craving more sweets afterward. There was an entire room full of desserts after dinner, and I wasn't even tempted. Knowing that Amanda is going to check over every little thing I eat makes it a lot easier to stay away from the "bad" stuff.
Even though there was a full bar at the reception, I just drank water all night. Worked out well, as I really needed it to keep me hydrated while dancing with my friends for 2-3 hours. It was a great workout though!
Today, my friend Sam asked me to get dinner with her at Ted's Montana Grill. Ted's has great bison burgers, but I decided to check the nutrition facts on their web site before heading out, and it looked like the brick chicken would be a better choice for me and my diet. I only ate half of it (no bun) and brought the other half home to put on a salad sometime later this week. I asked for roasted asparagus instead of the french fries, and it was a filling and tasty meal. I was also pleased to see that MyDailyPlate has Ted's menu items already in the system, making it much easier for me to track!
Overall, a weekend that could have really tested my willpower when it comes to my diet, but I'd say I passed that test pretty easily!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cheat Meal
As I mentioned in my last post, my Dad took me out to dinner tonight. Since I'd done so well with my diet and training the last few weeks, I had earned a "cheat meal" that could be anything except a big dessert or pasta. Should have been easy... right?
Funny thing was, I still scoured the menu for something that would still sorta fit the diet basics that I've been following. It's now stuck in my head that I want to go for maximum protein and minimum carbs while keeping an eye on fat content and making sure it's not too high.
We started off with friend calamari, which is a hit or miss at most restaurants. Luckily at this one, it was a miss. I ate a few (probably 5) pieces, but it really wasn't all that satisfying, so I didn't feel the need to eat any more. Dad and I left half of them on the plate, and it wasn't a huge plate to begin with.
For my entree, I ordered chicken bernaise, which was a grilled chicken breast covered with lump crab meat and bernaise sauce. It was served with steamed broccoli and green beans, as well as a side salad and warm dinner rolls (which I didn't touch because of the carbs). The side salad was covered in cheese, but I managed to just pick out the lettuce and eat that. Dipped my fork in a tiny bit of ranch dressing for a few bites, but that didn't do much for me either. The chicken bernaise was very, very good, but with every bite that had sauce on it, I couldn't help but wonder how much fat I was consuming. I guessed that there was about 3 tbsp of sauce on the chicken, and MyDailyPlate estimated that that's about 18.5 g of fat... glad I didn't know it at the time. I probably wouldn't have ordered it. On the other hand, at least I got a lot of protein with the chicken and the crab, the carbs for the meal were still fairly low and I got some nutrients out of the steamed veggies.
I guess the main point of this post is just that my cheat meal wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it should have been. I've gotten so used to this diet, and it's helped me to make so much progress so far, that this cheat meal just made me feel guilty afterward. Maybe other people really need a cheat meal or they would just go crazy, but it certainly didn't have that effect on me.
Funny thing was, I still scoured the menu for something that would still sorta fit the diet basics that I've been following. It's now stuck in my head that I want to go for maximum protein and minimum carbs while keeping an eye on fat content and making sure it's not too high.
We started off with friend calamari, which is a hit or miss at most restaurants. Luckily at this one, it was a miss. I ate a few (probably 5) pieces, but it really wasn't all that satisfying, so I didn't feel the need to eat any more. Dad and I left half of them on the plate, and it wasn't a huge plate to begin with.
For my entree, I ordered chicken bernaise, which was a grilled chicken breast covered with lump crab meat and bernaise sauce. It was served with steamed broccoli and green beans, as well as a side salad and warm dinner rolls (which I didn't touch because of the carbs). The side salad was covered in cheese, but I managed to just pick out the lettuce and eat that. Dipped my fork in a tiny bit of ranch dressing for a few bites, but that didn't do much for me either. The chicken bernaise was very, very good, but with every bite that had sauce on it, I couldn't help but wonder how much fat I was consuming. I guessed that there was about 3 tbsp of sauce on the chicken, and MyDailyPlate estimated that that's about 18.5 g of fat... glad I didn't know it at the time. I probably wouldn't have ordered it. On the other hand, at least I got a lot of protein with the chicken and the crab, the carbs for the meal were still fairly low and I got some nutrients out of the steamed veggies.
I guess the main point of this post is just that my cheat meal wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it should have been. I've gotten so used to this diet, and it's helped me to make so much progress so far, that this cheat meal just made me feel guilty afterward. Maybe other people really need a cheat meal or they would just go crazy, but it certainly didn't have that effect on me.
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