First, let me tell you a story.
It was January 2011. Mid January, that is. And a Sunday. My good friend Alex and I were in line waiting to get food at the potluck after church. We were discussing how we hadn't made any New Year's resolutions yet. And how we should have. I don't remember exactly how the conversation went down, she might remember better, but I probably said something smart like, "you should give up french fries", which then caused her to give me a death glare that would scare anyone. Because she is serious about her french fries. Especially if they are from McDonald's and you are dipping them in ranch. And don't EVEN get her started on those waffle fries from Chic-fil-a. I can even attest that those are "slap yo mama good!!!" With some Chic-fil-a sauce.........................
.............................yeah...i may have just drooled.
Moving on.
So she came back at me with, "well you should give up soda" to which i probably gasped. Because, I am addicted to soda. All kinds. But especially diet coke. Shut up it is so good! haha. (I know I shouldn't be addicted to anything...but the first step is admitting it, right?) So we laughed for a minute and then we joked back and forth that the other couldn't do it.
And then a bet was made.
And the prize. $100
$100!!!!!!! Yeah, i said one hundred dollars!
(Which we probably shouldn't be betting either. And certainly not in church. But Alex and I are a little unruly. And you are getting me off topic. lol)
We shook on it. I remember thinking that this was the dumbest thing I could be doing. How the heck was I going to stop drinking soda cold turkey??? So we decided to start like 2 days later. You better believe I drank as much soda as I could get my hands on that next day. I was probably drinking it until 11:59. For real. I am kind of surprised I didn't go into sugar shock or something.
Tuesday it began. And it was hard but every time I wanted to get a soda from the gas station or when I was in line at a fast food place, I thought about giving Alex a hundred dollar bill, and that Hi-C orange crap started to look better and better. haha
Just so you know Alex and I made it until June or July which is pretty good for us. We never exchanged money because by the time we told the other it was well past the time we had both caved.
My point in telling this story is that sometimes it really hard to give up food or drink things that we loooooooove so much. And are (maybe) addicted to. So, you could make a deal with your friends for a hundred bucks. Or I have come up with some other handy ways to trick yourself out of indulging. (And when I say that "I" came up with them, I really mean that I came up with some of them and stole the others)
1. Eat baby carrots. I know that sounds really random, but it works for me. I don't mind carrots. It's not my vegetable of choice though. And i find that if i am eating them plain, I just get so bored with eating. Like, it just takes so long to chew each carrot. I wouldn't mind so much if they tasted like cake, but they don't. And it can just get tiresome. And then I get full on carrots and I tired of eating. Problem solved (for the next few hours).
2. Drink water. I know everyone says that but it does help. And its so good for you.
3. Herbal Tea. I like to sip tea because it is something that I get to put in my mouth and it tastes pretty good, but also my belly feels satisfied because it is hot and it takes so long to drink the whole thing, that i have distracted myself for quite some time. (That was the worst run-on sentence. I'm not fixing it. Get over it.)
4. Crystal Light. I freaking love that stuff. And only 5 calories. Done. I actually prefer it watered down too, i end up drinking a lot of water but it tastes great. Awesome!
5. Chew gum. At least my mouth is moving. That sometimes helps.
6. Eat lean protein. It fills you up, keeps you full longer, and is good for you. :)
7. Seltzer Water. I learned this from Bob Harper. As in the trainer from The Biggest Loser. Not that he came over and personally told me this. Although, I wouldn't mind. He is pretty :). I am reading his book "The Skinny Rules." I usually add lemon to my water at restaurants. So I tried his suggestion and bought some carbonized water (seltzer water) and squeezed some fresh lemon into it. It doesn't taste amazing, but its not bad, and it gives me the satisfaction of drinking soda. And there is nothing in it besides water and lemon. No aspartame, no sugar, no carbs. Nothing.
There are tons more suggestions out there. Google it. Try it. Let me know what you think!
Love ya!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
It's Really The Little Things That I dream About...
Like a small six pack.
A little thigh here, a little thigh there...
Little boobs.
It's whatever.
Today was abit stressful for me. I am going to school full time now (to be a theatre teacher! yay me!), and have been spending my days applying for financial aid - which should explain everything about my stressful day. But the little things made my day today!
I have Musical Theatre on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are in a children's musical right now - the story of Scrooge! Which has been fun so far. I am the Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Cratchet, and Mrs. Dilber. The stress of memorizing lines and songs never ever outweigh the stress of having to fit into 3 costumes. THREE DIFFERENT COSTUMES!?! Good gracious me...
[Today was fitting day.]
Extra sit ups this morning - check.
Don't breathe when she's measuring you - check.
Exhale when she measures my rib cage - check (I have large ribs to hold up my large... lungs?)
Don't chuckle when she measures the "nip to nip" - half check...
Definitely don't chuckle when she measures from inner thigh to floor - whoops....
She proceeds to hand me a dress. "If this fits your... if this fits you we'll just use this for both your characters. Oh and this is for the Ghost part - I can let it out if you need me to... just try it on okay?" She meant to say boobs. If this fits your boobs... My arms are quite large as well for this time period. So I begrudgingly drag myself to the dressing room... prepared for the worst. I slip out of my comfy oversized sweater and jeans and into the cold silky Ghost costume...
IT ZIPPED.
I am almost brought to tears... I walk out and show the costume designer. She looks at me.
"Oh my gosh, Alex! That looks so beautiful on you!" blush blush blush gush gush gush blush blush some more! Okay one down... one to go. I put on the other dress.... flat boob. FLAT. BOOB. It looks like Alison's butt (my apologies love) on my chest. Well, it's just going to have to work... There isn't enough material to let the dress out. It's just going to have to work...
This is the start to not ever having to have it "just work". I have started a new diet and exercise plan just to get me started. I don't need to be Jillian, but I need to start somewhere! So here it is:
Morning:
6am - Take Godiva on a 1 mile walk.
7am- Breakfast: Eggs, slice of whole wheat toast with sliced 1/4 of an avocado on it
10am - Piece of fruit to keep me going!
Afternoon:
12pm - Lunch: two lettuce wraps! Lettuce, three pieces of lean turkey, slice of 1/3 less fat provolone cheese, sliced tomatoes, and mustard. Some raw veggies as a side.
3pm- snack time. I haven't decided what to have for a snack here - if you have suggestions that would be easy for me to take to school that would be AWESOME.
Evening:
5pm- Dinner: I am so spoiled, Michael (my sweet sweet boyfriend) makes me dinner. He makes such a delicious tilapia dish with veggies and salad for sides! If he cheats and makes pasta (our go-to quick dish) we use whole wheat noodles! And he's always really great about divvying out my portion for me (personal portion control!) because lets be real, I am Italian and will eat the whole darn thing if you let me.
6pm- Take Godiva on a 1 mile walk
7pm: Dessert. But only 3 times a week. So it better be UH-mazing. I think it's important to spoil myself every once in a while. A diet is not a punishment. Food is not a punishment/reward. But it's suppose to be something I enjoy doing! I want to make sure that my body is on the same page...
So that's my start guys! Let me know what you think. If you have any favorite meals for dinners or good portable healthy lunches I am so game for suggestions! I know walking the dog isn't good enough to consider it as "exercise", but it's a start ya know? I am going to start incorporating some swim time on Tuesday and Thursday mornings pre Musical Theatre. Soooooooon....
A big thanks to my little helper!
Hope you enjoyed my small adventures of zippers and little starts to big changes.
(And just FYI: 8 inches "nip to nip")
A little thigh here, a little thigh there...
Little boobs.
It's whatever.
Today was a
I have Musical Theatre on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are in a children's musical right now - the story of Scrooge! Which has been fun so far. I am the Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Cratchet, and Mrs. Dilber. The stress of memorizing lines and songs never ever outweigh the stress of having to fit into 3 costumes. THREE DIFFERENT COSTUMES!?! Good gracious me...
[Today was fitting day.]
Extra sit ups this morning - check.
Don't breathe when she's measuring you - check.
Exhale when she measures my rib cage - check (I have large ribs to hold up my large... lungs?)
Don't chuckle when she measures the "nip to nip" - half check...
Definitely don't chuckle when she measures from inner thigh to floor - whoops....
She proceeds to hand me a dress. "If this fits your... if this fits you we'll just use this for both your characters. Oh and this is for the Ghost part - I can let it out if you need me to... just try it on okay?" She meant to say boobs. If this fits your boobs... My arms are quite large as well for this time period. So I begrudgingly drag myself to the dressing room... prepared for the worst. I slip out of my comfy oversized sweater and jeans and into the cold silky Ghost costume...
IT ZIPPED.
I am almost brought to tears... I walk out and show the costume designer. She looks at me.
"Oh my gosh, Alex! That looks so beautiful on you!" blush blush blush gush gush gush blush blush some more! Okay one down... one to go. I put on the other dress.... flat boob. FLAT. BOOB. It looks like Alison's butt (my apologies love) on my chest. Well, it's just going to have to work... There isn't enough material to let the dress out. It's just going to have to work...
This is the start to not ever having to have it "just work". I have started a new diet and exercise plan just to get me started. I don't need to be Jillian, but I need to start somewhere! So here it is:
Morning:
6am - Take Godiva on a 1 mile walk.
7am- Breakfast: Eggs, slice of whole wheat toast with sliced 1/4 of an avocado on it
10am - Piece of fruit to keep me going!
Afternoon:
12pm - Lunch: two lettuce wraps! Lettuce, three pieces of lean turkey, slice of 1/3 less fat provolone cheese, sliced tomatoes, and mustard. Some raw veggies as a side.
3pm- snack time. I haven't decided what to have for a snack here - if you have suggestions that would be easy for me to take to school that would be AWESOME.
Evening:
5pm- Dinner: I am so spoiled, Michael (my sweet sweet boyfriend) makes me dinner. He makes such a delicious tilapia dish with veggies and salad for sides! If he cheats and makes pasta (our go-to quick dish) we use whole wheat noodles! And he's always really great about divvying out my portion for me (personal portion control!) because lets be real, I am Italian and will eat the whole darn thing if you let me.
6pm- Take Godiva on a 1 mile walk
7pm: Dessert. But only 3 times a week. So it better be UH-mazing. I think it's important to spoil myself every once in a while. A diet is not a punishment. Food is not a punishment/reward. But it's suppose to be something I enjoy doing! I want to make sure that my body is on the same page...
So that's my start guys! Let me know what you think. If you have any favorite meals for dinners or good portable healthy lunches I am so game for suggestions! I know walking the dog isn't good enough to consider it as "exercise", but it's a start ya know? I am going to start incorporating some swim time on Tuesday and Thursday mornings pre Musical Theatre. Soooooooon....
A big thanks to my little helper!
Hope you enjoyed my small adventures of zippers and little starts to big changes.
(And just FYI: 8 inches "nip to nip")
Sugar, anyone?
There are lots of things that you need, nutrition wise, to keep your body going. You need some fat. Carbs. Protein. But do you really need sugar? Sure it tastes great. It is in almost everything, but do we need it to survive?
Here is what i found out:
"Sugar is the body's preferred nutrient for the production of energy. Glucose, a basic form of sugar, is the only nutrient that nourishes the brain. When we don't get enough glucose, we feel light headed, jittery, faint, tired, and we crave carbohydrates. Though we can also make energy out of fat and protein, sugar has its place in the diet and carbohydrates should not be avoided completely under most circumstances."
"A healthy diet would contain a significant amount of naturally occurring sugar (in fruits and grains, for example), the problem is that we’re chronically consuming much more added sugar in processed foods. That’s an important clarification because our brains need sugar every day to function. Brain cells require two times the energy needed by all the other cells in the body; roughly 10% of our total daily energy requirements. This energy is derived from glucose (blood sugar), the gasoline of our brains. Sugar is not the brain’s enemy — added sugar is."
As a person with PCOS I am somewhat insulin resistant, which in a general term means that when i spike my blood with carbs and sugar, it is harder for my body's insulin to even out my blood sugar. It also means I crave sugar more regularly and my body stores the fat and sugar more easily.
All not good things. So cutting out sugar would be so so beneficial. I am working on it. But it is so hard.
Here are some tips I found:
1. "If you're going to cut out one item from your diet, it should be sugary drinks. This is sodas and sports drinks, but I would add to that fruit juices."
2. "A lot comes down to reading labels. There are a lot of places sugar hides."
3."Eat your fruits and vegetables. Your parents did not tell you "no desserts until you eat your fruits and vegetables" for their health, but your health. While fructose, a natural fruit sugar, is found in your fruits this is okay for you to eat. This is a type of sugar that your body does need and offers your taste palette a sweet treat which is actually healthy."
4."Get a cookbook. Plenty of people know how damaging sugar is for them have figured ways to rid their bodies of this poison. Cookbooks and internet sites have a plethora of information on how to cook sugar free. It may surprise you how easy it is to cook treats including cookies and cakes sugar free."
Food for thought, I suppose.
~Alison
Here is what i found out:
"Sugar is the body's preferred nutrient for the production of energy. Glucose, a basic form of sugar, is the only nutrient that nourishes the brain. When we don't get enough glucose, we feel light headed, jittery, faint, tired, and we crave carbohydrates. Though we can also make energy out of fat and protein, sugar has its place in the diet and carbohydrates should not be avoided completely under most circumstances."
"A healthy diet would contain a significant amount of naturally occurring sugar (in fruits and grains, for example), the problem is that we’re chronically consuming much more added sugar in processed foods. That’s an important clarification because our brains need sugar every day to function. Brain cells require two times the energy needed by all the other cells in the body; roughly 10% of our total daily energy requirements. This energy is derived from glucose (blood sugar), the gasoline of our brains. Sugar is not the brain’s enemy — added sugar is."
As a person with PCOS I am somewhat insulin resistant, which in a general term means that when i spike my blood with carbs and sugar, it is harder for my body's insulin to even out my blood sugar. It also means I crave sugar more regularly and my body stores the fat and sugar more easily.
All not good things. So cutting out sugar would be so so beneficial. I am working on it. But it is so hard.
Here are some tips I found:
1. "If you're going to cut out one item from your diet, it should be sugary drinks. This is sodas and sports drinks, but I would add to that fruit juices."
2. "A lot comes down to reading labels. There are a lot of places sugar hides."
3."Eat your fruits and vegetables. Your parents did not tell you "no desserts until you eat your fruits and vegetables" for their health, but your health. While fructose, a natural fruit sugar, is found in your fruits this is okay for you to eat. This is a type of sugar that your body does need and offers your taste palette a sweet treat which is actually healthy."
4."Get a cookbook. Plenty of people know how damaging sugar is for them have figured ways to rid their bodies of this poison. Cookbooks and internet sites have a plethora of information on how to cook sugar free. It may surprise you how easy it is to cook treats including cookies and cakes sugar free."
Food for thought, I suppose.
~Alison
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Hello! And welcome to our blog!
I'm Alison!
I am 28 years old, Mormon, fat, and single. That combination is almost like a death sentence to my love life, but I have managed to survive. And still find love every now and then. I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which seems to control my life a lot. Being overweight sucks to say the least. Not that I cant do anything about it. It is certainly in my control but I would say that losing weight and sticking on a weight loss plan is harder for me than probably most. It can be confusing, and frustrating, and a seemingly never ending battle. But that is why I am here, right? To share my journey, provide a little accountability for myself, and hopefully help others along the way. I have so much life to still live and so much awesomeness to put out there in the world. Get excited!
And I'm Alex. I am 23 years old and absolutely love life. I am super weird and awkward, as most describe me. But I like to think I am just cool and hilarious. My whole life has been a crazy up and down rollercoaster ride full of laughs and tears. I am obsessed with fashion and music and theatre... and food (which has only recently become a problem). My food obsession is now making my fashion obsession cry; due to the fact that I can only wear certain attire to cover up my "tire". I am now on the road to being a better me. The best me. I want to be healthy and fit! Skinny would be a great side affect, but my goal is to live a better lifestyle that gives me the freedom to express who I am on the inside.
We would love to hear your comments and thoughts on our posts. And hopefully we don't get too boring.
I'm Alison!
I am 28 years old, Mormon, fat, and single. That combination is almost like a death sentence to my love life, but I have managed to survive. And still find love every now and then. I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which seems to control my life a lot. Being overweight sucks to say the least. Not that I cant do anything about it. It is certainly in my control but I would say that losing weight and sticking on a weight loss plan is harder for me than probably most. It can be confusing, and frustrating, and a seemingly never ending battle. But that is why I am here, right? To share my journey, provide a little accountability for myself, and hopefully help others along the way. I have so much life to still live and so much awesomeness to put out there in the world. Get excited!
And I'm Alex. I am 23 years old and absolutely love life. I am super weird and awkward, as most describe me. But I like to think I am just cool and hilarious. My whole life has been a crazy up and down rollercoaster ride full of laughs and tears. I am obsessed with fashion and music and theatre... and food (which has only recently become a problem). My food obsession is now making my fashion obsession cry; due to the fact that I can only wear certain attire to cover up my "tire". I am now on the road to being a better me. The best me. I want to be healthy and fit! Skinny would be a great side affect, but my goal is to live a better lifestyle that gives me the freedom to express who I am on the inside.
We would love to hear your comments and thoughts on our posts. And hopefully we don't get too boring.
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