I Need Fast Food

Don't panic. It's a play on words. (Though I do miss McDoubles). I need fast or easy made and portable foods for lunches on campus. Especially on Mondays and Wednesdays. I already feel into running behind and grabbing a bagel at Dunkin along with my coffee (which follows healthier parameters). However, this is a money sink and it won't help me lose weight.

What ideas do you have? I've ended up taking a Special K bar and some Soup at Hand to work with me this week. By the time I get to class I'm starving! Then I run the risk of totally gorging myself when I get home.

So any ideas or possible solutions would be fantastic! ;)

On the recommendation of my good friend Cora, I have purchased the book "French Women Don't Get Fat." It should be arriving any day and I'm excited to check it out! :)

In the meantime, I'll probably get some good exercise in from shoveling all the snow we got last night. That was ridiculous!

Best,
~ M

Articles Like This Give Me Hope

... and cravings!

I love myYahoo!. It gives me tons of different news stories and editorials to scroll through. Naturally I read the news and entertainment crap for... well... entertainment. And then I also check out all health articles and recipes! For all you ladies (and gentlemen) who share a sweet tooth, here is our saving grace:

10 Smart Cures for Your Sweet Tooth

I'm a salty and sweet fiend. You know... the best of both worlds. I crave both usually around the same time. Tonight I was good. A small cup of pistachios and a Special K snack bar (Chocolate Chip). Tomorrow I'll have to fill you all in on Kristen (roomie) and my epic grocery shopping journey to find healthy food on a budget. Some things were great and some we really had to sink money in.

Cheers!

~ M

Special K Challenge Done!

Hello all!

Sorry for my long hiatus! I've been out of town and trying to prep for the new semester of classes which is looming in front of me. Yesterday was my last day of the Special K Two Week Challenge. I'm bittersweet on this. I'm sure I lost a jeans size (yay!!) so that is a benefit. I'm cinching my belts a bit tighter as well. However, I don't look like I'm any smaller and the scale registers me at an amazing 169... one pound lighter. LoL.

So I didn't lost the 6lbs I could have, but I attribute that to me cheating a few days and having babyish workout routines. I'm not trying to overdo it, but perhaps I need to focus a little more all the same. So now I need to try something new. Not a diet per say, but just a way to track myself so I'm not overeating or under-eating, and still have a regular workout schedule. Ideas? I can use all the help in the world!

I need to cut out sodas. Or at least cut down. But I do need a caffeine fix every day or you'll get a grumpy Meg. :) The other thing I want to try is Acai berries in some form. I saw pills of them and drink mixes, as well as foods. Does anyone know a lot about it? I got this off WebMD:


Acai Berries

So yes, we'll see. I still need motivation for all this. My goal remains the same: 30lbs. But it's soo easy to go back to bad habits. Just keep pushing me and I'll feel the need to not let you all down! :)

Best,

~ M

Tips for De-Cluttering

^^^^ No, that's not my bedroom. I just wish it was. I got this photo from yahoo.com.

So today, I'm gonna branch away from the dieting stuff to give you some tips on reorganizing and de-cluttering. I am copying the following from a Yahoo! article I found this morning. This is NOT my original writings. The link is here:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/10-steps-to-a-clutter-free-life-2435859/

10 Steps to a Clutter Free Life

* by HybridMom, on Mon Jan 3, 2011 10:39am PST

Ours is a culture of abundance. Even in this time of economic recession - most of us have more ‘stuff’ than we really, truly, need. Clutter, whether it be too many tasks on our agenda, too many thoughts pulsing through our minds, or too many belongings in our homes, seems to be a societal epidemic. When we slow down a bit and take notice, however, we find that more stuff actually creates more stress. Additionally, the state of having too much stuff to care for, clean, and manage means less time for connecting with family and friends, taking care of yourself, and nurturing your soul and creative spirit.

Reducing physical clutter in the home creates a sense of calm, and allows energy to flow freely throughout. New possibilities emerge and creative solutions to old problems seem to appear from nowhere. Here are some things you can start doing now to make it happen:

1. Designate one spot for all incoming mail/paperwork and go through it daily.

2. Unsubscribe from email newsletters, blogs, and retail email lists that no longer interest you. Its YOUR inbox, after all.

3. Before purchasing anything, from new socks to a new smartphone, ask yourself: “Do I love it?” and “Will I use it?” Think twice unless the answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!”
7 Proven Ways to Add Balance to Your Life

4. Commit to clearing clutter from one area of your home each day for a week and schedule ten minutes daily to do it. Start with something totally feasible, like your coat rack or medicine chest.

5. Meditate for five minutes each day. This will help de-clutter your mind and give you the clarity to keep what’s essential and part with the rest.
52 Simple Ways to Be Healthier

6. Eliminate clothing from your closet and dresser that hasn’t been worn in the last calendar year.

7. Find a home for clutter-prone items, you know, the things that wind up on the kitchen table, living room floor, and bedroom dresser. Designate a place for them and make a habit of putting them there, every single day.

8. Create clutter-free zones in your home. The entryway is a great place to start. If there is clutter in the entrance, 98% of the time there is clutter throughout the house. The kitchen table is another good choice. Keep what you love and use, recycle, donate or toss everything else. Be ruthless!

9. Use “maybe” boxes. If, in the course of de-cluttering, you’re not sure what to do with an item, put it in the maybe box. Note the date on the box and store it out of sight. If you don’t go looking for those items within six months to a year, it’s time to get rid of those things.

10. Evaluate your commitments. Most of us are over-scheduled, which is it’s own form of clutter. Make sure your commitments are reflective of your values and your priorities. Say no to new commitments without guilt and drop whatever commitments no longer serve you. Your life needs space for free flowing energy, just like your home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there you have it. Some things to consider for the day. I've already been working on a "corner" of something every day or so, but it is daunting when you think about it. My room is a mess at the moment and I'm not sure where to start, but I think this is some solid advice, so we'll see.

Happy Cleaning!

~ M

Woah I'm Halfway There!

And definitely living on a prayer lol. I am done with the first week of the Special K Challenge, and I'm feeling bittersweet. I like the plan and the support system they have in place, but I wasn't always good this week. So this weekend has put a kink in the diet and the blogging. My roomie is back in town and brought some of her family with her to visit and for us all to go to a NHL game in D.C. It was a TON of fun, but I know I wasn't as good as I should have been on the diet. It's hard to find health food in a sports arena. I also gave myself two days in a row to let my muscles rest. So this week I need to stay on track!

I was going to weigh myself today, but honestly I'm too scared to! I am pretty sure I haven't lost any weight. :( Now I do get that part of that may be muscle gain, but all the same, I'm not seeing too much of a difference yet. But I'm not discouraged. I did notice that I can run up two flights of stairs without feeling like someone just punched me in the gut... which is progress. :)

Tomorrow I'm back on track and hoping for a more steady week 2. I'm starting to research other diet plans for after the Special K challenge. I was considering Slim Fast, but they are sort of expensive and the food is more limited. I could continue Special K, but I don't want to get sick of the food and steer away from the goal. I figure I'll try something else for a while then do another 2 week challenge further down the road. But again, I'm up for ideas!

Goodnight all!

~ M

Day Five: Temptation Abound!

Cold weather makes me lethargic. It looks a bit like snow outside so I had a hard time getting up this morning. That has kind of put a kink in the whole day and messed with my lunch schedule. So I'm going to get scolded here and that's okay, but I am being incredibly truthful on this blog so you have a right to know. I went to Dunkin Donuts today. *Winces!*

BUT in my defense I tested out a few new things to make this less of a painful experience. I did NOT get a doughnut even though they were staring at me and making suggestive gestures (as only doughnuts can). However, I DID get a bagel. :( With reduced fat cream cheese though! And I know what happened. I had every intention of only getting a coffee, but I had a late breakfast and no lunch at that point so my stomach was screaming at me! Still it's no excuse. That was not part of the diet plan so I'm going to have to really watch calories for dinner tonight. And even though I planned to take an exercise break tomorrow, I think I'll get up early and do some more yoga to help ease the broken rules of today.

So according to the Dunkin Donuts website, the bagel with reduced fat cream cheese was 450 calories and 12 grams of fat. Shame on you Meg!

But back to the point of the trip. Like I mentioned before, I always get a medium iced caramel latte with skim, no whip and no sugar. So today I was testing the waters by getting a small latte light with no flavoring. It was a jolt of bitterness and I've never been a bitter coffee drinker. So I did put two Splenda in. Drum roll please!!!!

According to www.dunkindonuts.com it was only 80 calories (plus about 10 more for the Splenda) and 0grams of fat! WOOOOOOOT! With the Splenda it wasn't that bad, so at very least I can manage that if I need a coffee fix. I do miss my caramel though. :(

But for future reference for my own taste there is a DD Smart menu which is aimed at lower calories, higher fiber and less fat. They have egg white sammies and wake up wraps that are low cal. So that might be a replacement for bagels on days when I just don't have time (after the Special K challenge is done of course). Which on the same token I think I've lost... maybe... a pound. Whoopdy do. I'm not expecting miracles, but with the massively lower calorie intake I'm surprised. A lot of people go through an early purge of pounds and then level off. Apparently my body doesn't roll like that.

But anyway, that is my confession. I need to get back to the routine. Off to organize classwork until Kristen and her family arrive! <3
~ M

Day Four Diet: Namaste

On the request of a few different people, I am taking it easy today exercise-wise. I planned on using the little elliptical here, but when I woke up I could barely move! Thus, I've upped my water intake and decided on some Yoga to relax and stretch. Let me just say this... as someone who really has never done Yoga, that shit is NOT easy. It is yet one more reminder that I have been out of the game for a while! I used to be incredibly flexible and agile. Today I kept grunting and groaning and scolding the woman on the DVD that people's bodies just don't bend that way! :) But I do feel looser which is nice. And I would like to keep up with the Yoga. I felt better, not exhausted, when I was done. Tomorrow I'll do some small exercises in the morning and then take a break from it on Saturday. I'm going to a hockey game anyway so I don't think doing the downward facing dog in the middle of the Verizon Center is uber appropriate! :)

Food-wise I'm a little hungry, but it's still better than before. I got a Subway sub yesterday which was a nice treat. I do believe some coffee may be in the works though. I'm starting to get caffeine headaches since I haven't had much of it lately. I haven't had a soda in well over a week which is massive for someone like me!

The last good thing I've found out with this diet is the Facebook link that Special K has. They offer a discussion board for other women and men who are doing the challenge. It's good to see that others have the same questions as me and sooo many are willing to offer up advice! :) Not sure what I'm going to cook up for dinner tonight, but it's gonna get chilly, so some Progresso Light soup may be nice, as well as a toasted roast beef and provolone sammy. :)

Namaste!

~ M

Cardio Kills!

Hey guess what? I'm out of shape! Who knew? So as mentioned before, I'm changing my workout routine every other day so I don't get bored or too frustrated. I started out with 200 reps on my mini elliptical machine I have in my apartment with a 3lb weight in each hand for punches. That hurt. Then the next day I did a Denise Austin cardio routine DvD and that hurt. Plus she smiles wayyyy too much for the pain she was putting me in. If I heard her say "Doin great! Lookin Good!" one more time I was gonna cardio kick a hole in my TV. So to change it up again today I popped in a Special K 10 Minute Solutions DVD I got for Christmas. It's great because its designed with the Special K Challenge in mind. You can order it from Special K for "free" with Special K Stamps which I assume is something you get when you buy their food. Here's the link:

http://www.specialk.com/Promotions/Dvd

So this girl was less chipper about how great I was doing which was very refreshing. Her encouragement came in the form of explaining why I was doing each lunge or kick. "Imagine yourself in those short shorts. That's what this is for." That I can commit to. However, there will be no short shorts for me... maybe form fitting capris... but that's about it. :) Regardless, I like the cardio kickboxing routine. I feel silly dancing to hip hop whilst working out, so at least this is more like something I would train for. I still flail but it's a start.

So anyway, now I'm in pain. But at least I know it's doing something. I'll go back to the elliptical tomorrow I think, but this DVD will be helpful as well. I'll have to move my DVD player to my room though. I can't imagine working out to this in front of the roomie! lol. I'm sure I look like a hippo doing jumping jacks. :)

The diet is fine. I had my fruit and yogurt cereal this morning along with a One a Day Vita-crave vitamin. So far I'm not starving myself which is nice and different for me from diets in the past. My only concern now is where to go after these two weeks are up. What diet to try. I can't eat Special K for the rest of the year! Ideas? Something that won't make me revolt?

Time to go clean out my room and trek to Goodwill to donate our old china.

~ M

Out with the Old... Revamping the Home

Day Two of the diet is going well thus far. Although, I am craving some Dunkin Donuts munchkins right about now. :( My body is in full revolt of this new "physical activity" idea. I did a cardio DVD today for... wait for it... 15 whole minutes, and I thought I was dying. Way to go Meg. You are officially a lazy ass. :) But at least I kept up with the workout routine. Although, I'll bet my neighbors got a good laugh as I did it in front of our huge living room window! It will be worth it in the end though, right?

Special K diet and exercise aside, I'm slowly redoing my universe... i.e. the apartment. My roomie and I are both pack rats and sloppy ones at that. It's sad because I used to be fairly neat. Not anal, OCD neat, but much more organized than this current version of myself. That has GOT to change. I'd say that the only tension I carry around in my home is the lack of beauty and organization that is surrounding me. I'm sure Kristen, the roomie, would agree. This space is NOT currently conducive to doing efficient work. I just hope she won't flip out with my new "I wanna redo my life!" attitude.

So I'm starting small. I'm surprising roomie with new dishware. When I was celebrating the New Year in Pennsylvania I visited the Wilton Armetale store my sister masterfully works at. I proceeded to buy a Jeep-full of stainless cookware and a new 32 piece set of china (see above photo for the design). There are both black and white pieces, all with the "Reggae" design. I'm simply in love with them. So today I packed up our old mismatched dishware and will ship them off to our thrift store in the morning. The new stuff has been washed and put away. I went ahead and reorganized our kitchen counters while I was at it. So the kitchen looks better! YAY! Now... my room and desk need overhauling. The sad part is that I'm so anxious to do all of this I just want it done quickly. The sooner I realize that is NOT going to happen, probably the better off I will be. I need to pace myself.

In the meantime I'm looking for a new planner for 2011. I've been looking at Covey planners on my friend Christine's recommendation, but I'm having a hard time finding one! Any ideas? I'd love a GMU planner like I had last year but they don't have them listed on the website. *Sadface*

By the way if you all are interested in Wilton Armetale (which you should be cause it is AMAZING) you should go to their website. Support my sister's store!

www.armetale.com

Tomorrow lets see how much I can get done to my room before Kristen returns from her family's home. :) Plus a new workout DVD to try!!!

Cheers,

~ M

Day One Diet: The Beginning of the End

So to start the year off right I've decided to ease into the whole diet idea instead of totally changing my lifestyle cold turkey. I see dieting like quitting smoking (even though I have never been a smoker). I feel that easing into the change is better than just jumping into it. So to start the diet plan I am using the Special K Challenge which has been promoted all over the TV as of late.

The idea behind this is to eat Special K products throughout the day and have a solid and healthy dinner in the evenings. The nice part of this is they track your progress and have you choose a plan that suits your taste. It's a two week process where you can lose up to about 6lbs which is a start. Ultimately I'd like to be around 30lbs lighter by the Fall, but lets do baby steps so it's not overwhelming.

www.specialk.com

The other thing I'm starting is a fitness routine. My roomie and I bought a portable elliptical machine recently and I've resolved to start with 200 reps every other day. With a workout DVD I bought for each day I don't use the elliptical. It has stretches, kickboxing, yoga and cardio for 10 minute sessions. This works for me because I HATE working out. It has never been something that has appealed to me. When I was younger I loved sports and swimming. However, college and grad school has made me rather lethargic when it comes to working out. Thus my dilemma. I SHOULD weigh around 140 and be toned. HA! So again, baby steps for me. After this two week session of working out and the Special K Challenge, I'll find a similar plan that works for me that allows me to eat foods I still enjoy as well as diet foods. And I'll enhance the workout routine so that it hopefully will become second nature to me.

Now I should note again that I am an incoming PhD student. I work as a professor 5 days a week and will be taking two evening classes. So the challenge will be to manage my studies and the lack of being home to make full meals every day. No fast food! I might allow a sweet tea from McDs here and there but otherwise I can't allow myself to cheat! Now my big dilemma is that I am a Dunkin Donuts junkie. I get an iced caramel latte with skim, no whip a few times a week, as well as a bagel. It's not horribly unhealthy but it certainly doesn't help me LOSE weight. Plus it's a money sink. So I do have coffee I'll make here, but I don't want to totally lose my treats. So I'll allow (to start) two lattes a week. That's IT. When I get further along I'll lower that to once a week. My biggest issue with diets in the past was that I couldn't eat the foods I enjoyed. Weight Watchers worked a bit but I was still always hungry so it was easy to "fall off the wagon."

So far today I did the 200 reps while watching CSI: NY (yay Gary Sinese!). I've also had my "breakfast" ... but I had to go grocery shopping so it was closer to lunch. Chocolatey Delight Special K cereal. I'm jonesin for some baby carrots and OJ so that might have to happen soon. Right now I'm optimistic for this. I took a photo of myself this morning in a bathing suit (which I'm NOT open enough to want to post on here so, my apologies, you'll have to imagine my 170lb glory). That was motivation in and of itself. I'll take sporadic photos to post on here for you all to see progress and I'll take bikini photos for myself to see where I want to be.

Here goes nothin!

~ M

Intro to "Losing It"

Hi there. It's the 3rd day of 2011 and I need to make a change. I'm starting this blog for my own personal benefit. I doubt anyone else will read it and that's fine. I have a blog for my friends to read about my day to day life. This one is different. This is my weight-loss and fitness blog. This will also be where I vent about cleaning up and cleaning out the mess in my life and home.

My New Year's Resolution was to "trim the fat" from my life. That consists of losing weight, toning up, simplifying my living space and streamlining my schedule so life is a bit easier to manage. My issue with resolutions is that I rarely keep them for more than a week. Thus, this is my kick in the ass to stay on track.

For background here is what we are working with:
- I am 25 years old and an incoming PhD student in Higher Education. I teach college Communication classes at a public university and community college.
- I am 5'6" and currently weigh around 170 lbs which is the largest I have EVER been.
- I am out of shape. I'm not fat and not skinny, but I'm displeased with the reflection in the mirror. I am also a chronic pack rat. I need to clean up and clean out!

If anyone wants to read this blog they are open to do so. And if you have any tips along the way please feel free to share. This is just one young woman sharing her journey in finding balance and simplicity.

~ M