Two Posts in a Day... Ambitious!

Lucky you... I'm not done talking!  Shocking, I know...

So as I last reported about a month ago (worst blogger ev!) I'm on the weight loss train.. and since then have, woohooo, lost 15 lbs!!

... and have now been the SAME WEIGHT for the past six days... I'm talking within two tenths of a pound every single day for the past week.  I don't know why that is considering I have been so freaking good.  It's a bit frustrating, but I know something has got to give sooner or later.

All I have wanted was something sweet today...from the moment my feet hit the floor I longed for something rich and decadent and filled with chocolate goodness.

Could have gone for a Bubblecake death by chocolate cupcake if I ruled the world... but alas, I settled for these Emerald Cocoa Roast almonds I bought for these very moments..  OMG they were awesome when you don't get to eat anything like this and they come in portioned 100 cal. bags which is somewhat a necessity for me...I ate each almond individually and savored the flavor.  FML. What a desperate nerd I have become.



XOXO,

Aud

4 Ps: Plateau, Portions, Pumpin' It Up + Playlist

Hey y'allll!  I'm checking in tonight as I passively absorb some of the first plays of college football this season.  What a wonderful time of year...really wanting it to be Monday night.

The purpose of tonight's post is this: I had a not-so-great weigh in earlier this week with a 2lb. gain.  Ugh.  I have been faithful gyming it up, but had started straying on the whole no drinking thing and no eating when you get stressed out thing.  Honestly, straying.. but not that much.  Not two pounds much. So I am speculating that I might be hitting my first plateau in my loss.  Or maybe it just feels better to call my lapses in progress a plateau.

And what a better time to hit a plateau than when I am about to kick my life into the highest gear (sarcasm)?  Student teaching officially starts Tuesday.  What does that mean for me and my fluffy badonkadonk?  My thoughts are this:  the routine of school will help the diet portion.  I control my packed lunch and do not have spare time in which to inhale too many whole grain crackers dunked in hummus as a "snack".  That's my thing.. it's not that I don't eat what I should, but if I have too much time of my hands, portions become the issue.  I know I am not alone in this struggle.  I think portion control is one of the hardest aspects of healthy eating.  Now,  I am taking a moment to remind myself that this is an area I need to focus on.  And although this sounds insane, but just typing that out does something special to keep me accountable to myself.


Secondly,  I cannot let myself pass over Brambleton on my way back from Salem in the afternoons without next taking the next left to roll into Gold's.  I plan to pack my gym bag every night in order to make this happen.  If I go home, it's over and my ass is on facebook and scheming over some trial run recipe for dinner, likely pantless and lifeless.  This is the perfect time to pump it up!  It's time to up the ante of my exercise routine.  Typically, I do 50-60 minutes of cardio + 10-20 minutes of weights/abs, depending on my time...  I think the cardio times are okay.  I can't see any sense in more than an hour of cardio.  My attention span could not hang and my cardio is ass-bustin' cardio and sometimes most efficient kept to 50 minutes, if I have pushed myself hard enough.  It's the weight routine I plan to keep extended.  I have been trying to focus on abs more, incorporating the ab machine into each workout.  However, I have been neglecting my lower abs.  This area has plagued me, possibly more than any other body part, pretty much since I can remember being pubescent and probably before that if I had any thought of body image.  It's not that that I don't work the lower abdominals, but that I am not doing it every time I go. That is about to change.  On a lighter note, I have fallen back in <3 with the hip adduction/abduction machine.

What's pumpin' it up without a positively perfect playlist?!


Bossy by Kelis
Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls
Naughty Girl by Beyonce
Girlfight by Brooke Valentine
Enter Sandman by Metallica
My Prerogative by Bobby Brown
Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
Get Low by Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz
Like a G6 by Far East Movement
Break My Bank by New Boyz
Back that Ass Up by Juvenile, etc.
Another Night by Real McCoy
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson
Shake me Like a Monkey by Dave Matthews Band
Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul


XOXO,

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

I dropped the ball on my typical all-across-the-board Monday AM post.  I had several little errands to run yesterday morning and just didn't get it done. Not to mention we had a killer weekend at the restaurant and I have been stowing myself away in recovery.

1.  Fab Fall Findings
I went back to school shopping Friday with my Mom and bro.  That was way too fun.  We got Lance hooked up with nearly everything he is going to need for his freshman year of college and first run-in with dorm living.  I ended up coming away with 5 button down shirts (of different styles and varieties), 3 cardigans, 2 tops, 2 pairs of slacks and a pair of flats to jump start my professional wardrobe.  It was a great day and I didn't feel flustered trying things on because I wasn't fixating on size numbers, just the progress I've made.  I do need to get my pants tailored, but that shouldn't be too big of a deal.  I feel ready to start.

2. Reason #451928 Matt Osborne Rocks
Last night, we went bowling with Matt's work friends.  Typically, I lack skill in a big way in the bowling department.  Then my performance anxieties soared when my husband's colleagues were whipping out their own personal bowling shoes and their own balls, I thought for sure I was going to be making a huge a out of myself in front of his friends. And I did, but not at first. 
We had a few beers and lo and behold, the first game, I kicked Matt's ass!  I got several 9s (victories) and even a spare or two.  I beat some of the other owners of balls and shoes with which we were playing.  I was unashamedly overly excited about my mediocre play.  However, game two was not as fruitful, friends.  Consistency is not a strong point for me.  I went up to bowl bound and determined to get a strike and powerfully released the ball...into the gutter... and THEN... it spun out of the gutter and into the neighboring lane.  Then it proceeded to roll down that gutter, affecting one of the hardcores we were with's score (which was not easily fixed, btw).  Mortified doesn't begin to cover the emotion I felt.  Completely and totally.  Thank God my husband loves to laugh at me!  Reason #451928 Matt Osborne rocks?  His laughing at my idiocy, giving others permission to laugh as well, thus alleviating the competitive nature of it all.  If he hadn't laughed at me, I'm pretty sure some people would be pissed his lush wife gave that guy a 0, which his awesome bowling skills would NOT have afforded him.

3.  Time to Re-focus
I have two and a half weeks until I weigh in next, and I need to recapture my hardcoreness.  I feel like I am in the same place as I was last time when I went to weigh in.  I may have spent too much time being overly confident about that last weigh-in, that I let myself lose focus.  The workouts haven't been a problem in the least.  I am still hooked on how working out makes me feel and I have remained consistent and faithful.  However in my dieting life, I am starting to let myself do a few forbidden things here and there, which is a huge red flag for me.  For example, I had a Diet Coke yesterday.  I had lots of beer last night, which at the time, I rationalized was okay because I didn't have dinner (which is a stupid, novice way of rationalizing that, given that the lack of dinner hugely impacted my already record-low tolerance).  I need to re-focus.  Okay now that I have typed it out, I think I can!

4. Dentist Dilemmas
I hate the dentist.  So much in fact, that I haven't been in...wellllll, let's just say a little longer than the recommended time.  I now am the proud owner of  Delta Dental individual dental insurance policy... meaning I am running out of excuses to put off going to the dentist.  But guys this anxiety is way worse than I can illustrate to you.  Thinking about the sounds in the dentist office make me nauseous.  I could literally vom right now.  The drill... I hate.  That suck-all-the-water-out-of-your-mouth thingy is awful.  I wish I could be completely sedated during a dentist visit, even a check-up.  One of the waitresses at the restaurant recommended this place in Salem. http://www.carolinewallacedds.com/services.html (See below as to why)



5. "Emotional Hoarding"
The Today Show is currently talking about something called "emotional hoarding" which is a psyched out term for professional grudge holder.  I think I probably am one.


XOXO,

A good report

I am excited to report that yesterday's weigh-in with the doc went really well.  As in, much better than I could have hoped for.  I lost another 10 pounds last month, bringing my total loss from my heaviest weight a pound and eight tenths shy of 40 total pounds lost. Yay!

As I lose weight I think I am kind of losing sight of what my body looks like at all.  Basically I have no idea what size I am.  Dr. Floyd says this is normal, especially for where I am in the overall journey and that as I get closer to my goal, those feelings will likely go away.

She also challenged me to lose ten more this month.. which is going to be work, but I know I can do it because I just did it. I am especially motivated knowing that ten more pounds puts me very close to 50 pounds lost.

New playlist coming soon!

XOXO,

That's Right, Put in Work, Move Your Ass, Go Berserk...

I had another mini weight loss victory yesterday as I was getting ready for work.  It was one of those days where I sigh to myself and say " I have absolutely nothing to wear."  I was struggling to clothe myself and on a whim decided to try an old (but worn maybe three times) pair of cute summer dress pants (3 sizes smaller than my wedding dress) I bought a couple years ago.  And, to my pleasant surprise, they fit!  Truthfully, I am pretty sure these pants never fit me well until now.  I think I snagged them up in a sale without trying them (disastrous idea, I know). I can remember that the pockets used to kind of bow out (annoying to anyone else with hips?) and they don't anymore!

These little celebrations are incredibly motivating to me as I continue down this path.  It's a better measure to me of how far I have come than weighing in.  Although I will say I am verrrrryyy curious to know my current weight.  Like seriously, the suspense is almost killing me.  I don't check in with the doc until the 26th.  I might cave and have to check before then to see where I am...at least my home scale is calibrated the same as my doctor's scale.. but I have to promise myself only to weigh at home one time.

With all this in mind, I'm getting ready to go have a serious work out.  A couple additional gems entering onto the July playlist maybe only for the day:

Kanye's Workout Plan Kanye West (see blog subject line)

Bulletproof- La Roux

I Believe in a Thing Called Love  The Darkness

Happy weekend!!

XOXO,

July Cardio Playlist

I need a change of pace in my ears...  Here's my July list.

1. Pretty Boy Swag Soulja Boy Tell'em- This song cracks me the hell up.  And it's good to warm up to.

2. Hello Good Morning Diddy-Dirty Money feat. T.I.- It's only appropriate I hear Good Morning since my workouts are typically always AM workouts!


3. Round and Round Selena Gomez and The Scene-  Great beat.  Very poppy, but I eat it up.


4. Teach Me How to Dougie Cali Swag District-  Who knew my playlist would have the word "swag" on it twice?


5.  Misery Maroon 5-  I like this song a lot.  I've always enjoyed Maroon 5's distinct sound.


6.  OMG  Usher feat will.i.am- Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Myyy Goshhh.. This one is overdue to make the cardio cut.


7.  My Own Worst Enemy  Lit-  Blast from the past.  You know you love it.


8.  Rude Boy Rihanna-  Even though the rest of the world is tired of this one,   I'm not ready to take it off yet.


9.  Uprising Muse-  Lance got me into Muse.  Their stuff is good for the gym because it's such a progression from kind of chill to intense.


10.  Great White Buffalo Ted Nugent-  Heck yes!  Guitar is OOC.


11. Graduate Third Eye Blind-  Another 90s gem!


12. Carried Away Elisa Schwartz-  Heard this for the first time on The Hills.  Like it a lot.


13.  Try Again (Mash-up)  Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, DMX-  This remix has a great beat and also throws a couple other songs in there, too.


14.  Day Tripper The Beatles- Classic. Maybe the least cardio of my cardio songs, but I like it.


15.  Crazy in Love Beyonce-  To help pick up the pace again


16.  Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand-  Love it.


17.  Bodyrock  Moby-  Very repetitive, but at the end so I can call it quits whenevs I want to.

XOXO,

Weighty Thoughts

Good morning!  The sun is shining and it's going to be a hot one.

Procrastinating getting dressed and heading to the gym for my morning routine, I have been sitting here thinking about weight loss.  I'm certainly not at a loss for motivation, but I just started thinking about the way people process their weight and weight loss goals.

Recently I have found all kinds of weight loss blogs that I like to read and follow.  It's nice to read about the journeys of others.  Some of them are where I am, in the middle somewhere moving towards their goal.  Some of them have lost insane amounts of weight and are already sitting pretty at their goal weights.  Reading these make me think that maybe I need to better define my goals and reward myself for reaching them.

People like to throw this statement around, but I want to be clear:  Losing weight is not an easy thing.  However, it really isn't an easy thing to have to lose more than 50 pounds.  People who only have ten or so pounds to lose have never grappled with what I grapple with.  When your goal is a lofty one, even when you are succeeding and losing weight, you wish you could do it more quickly.

So far, I have been succeeding.  Working my ass off, but succeeding.  I will be reaching the 30lb. mark sometime in the next week or two.  I just decided this morning rather than getting overwhelmed by long-term goal, I want to set up marked incentives for myself.  My blog seems like a good place to record these.  When I have lost 70 more pounds, I will be entirely happy.  So for all you mathematicians out there, 30 lost + 70 to lose = 100 total pounds lost by the time I reach my goal weight.  Holy shit!  See how it might be easy to get overwhelmed by that?!

Aud's Reasons to Lose 100 Pounds
1. Less risk of developing health issues
2. Healthier pregnancies
3. More energy
4. Cuter body for clothes
5. Be better than just "a pretty face"
6. Smaller boobs (YES!)

Here is my Rewards Plan, just devised.

30lbs= New bathing suit This is mostly out of necessity, but I will be happy to hit this mark.  Most of my current swim bottoms look like I shit my pants because the butt is too big.  This summer's suit will need to be a cheap one because I don't think it will work for next summer.
50lbs=  Mani/Pedi/Facial or Massage Pampertown!  I used to do mani/pedis for myself a lot more often, but we have been cutting back a lot this year.  A couple of spa treatments would truly be a treat.
75lbs= Expensive Handbag Enough said.
90lbs= Some personal training sessions I think I might need these as I get closer to goal to increase the effectiveness of my workouts to shed those last ten.
100lbs= New wardrobe My Dad promised me a new wardrobe on him when I hit my goal.  Buttttt, I imagine my idea of a full wardrobe and his idea of a full wardrobe might be different.  I am going to save up as I approach this marker to make sure I get a good variety of pieces in addition to my staples.

Okay.  Time to go make it happen!

XOXO,

May Cardio Playlist

1. Hard by Rihanna and Jeezy

2. My Chick Bad by Ludacris and Nicki Minaj

3. Winner by Jamie Foxx, JT and TI

4. Eenie Meenie by Sean Kingston and Justin Beiber (trust me, it's not because he's in it.)

5. Rude Boy by Rihanna

6. Telephone by Lady Gaga and Beyonce

7. Your Love is my Drug by Kesha

8. Say Aah by Trey Songz and Fabolous

9. Fergalicious by Fergie

10. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

11. Shake It by Metro Station

12. Diva by Beyonce

The playlist is a little on the short side for time, but luckily I love most of these and am willing to have repeats.

XOXO,

Aud

March 2010 Issue of Elle Magazine Tidbit...

Get ready for this because you're not gonna like it...

According to an author of some diet book on NPR, 3 ounces of alcohol may possibly reduce your fat burning by a third.

Three ounces? Really?

Skeptical?  So is the author of this column.

http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Health-Fitness/Alcohol-and-Calories-Does-Drinking-Cause-Weight-Gain

I found it interesting.

XOXO,

Aud

New SM Playlist 3-31

Because I am absolutely restless with the current one...

1. Black Dog, Led Zeppelin


2.  Motownphilly, Boyz II Men


3. Baby It's You, Jo Jo


4. Monster, Lady GaGa


5. Little Secrets, Passion Pit


6. Butterfly, Crazy Town


7. Want It, Danity Kane


8. P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing), Michael Jackson


9.  Chop Me Up, Justin Timberlake


10. Jumpin' Jumpin', Destiny's Child


11. Fergalicious, Fergie


12. How We Do, The Game


13. Anna Molly, Incubus


14. Rompe, Daddy Yankee


15. Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand


Total Time: 1 Hour 29 Seconds


Have a beautiful day, friends.

XOXO,

Aud

StairMaster 60 Minute Playlist

Yesterday I reached a goal.  I can now stay on the Masta for an hour.  I needed some new tunes.  Here's what I am thinking:

1.  I'm in Miami Bitch  LMFAO


2. American Boy  Estelle Feat. Kanye West


3. Around the World   Red Hot Chili Peppers


4. Skinny Little Bitch  Hole


5. Love You Madly  Cake


6. Poison  Bell Biv DeVoe


7. She Wolf  Shakira


8.  Resistance  Muse


9. Control  Janet Jackson


10. Seniorita Justin Timberlake


11. Little Lies Fleetwood Mac


12. Waiting for Tonight Jennifer Lopez


13. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs  Fall Out Boy


14. Don't Stop Believin'  Journey


15.  Take Me Home Tonight Eddie Money


Playlist Total Time 1 hour, 2 minutes, 13 seconds.


What do y'all think?

XOXO,

Aud

New SM Playlist 3-13

Okay so, I don't know how the hell it happened, but I need a new playlist for 40 minutes on the Masta.  Here it goes:

1.  The Sign, Ace of Base, 3:09

2.  Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Jet, 3:37

3. Take It Off, The Donnas, 2:42

4.  Rehab, Amy Winehouse, 3:33

5. Desperately Wanting, Better Than Ezra, 4:37

6. Crazy Bitch, Buckcherry, 3:23

7. Damaged, Danity Kane, 4:07

8. Beat It, Fall Out Boy (ft. John Mayer), 3:53

9. What Are You Waiting For?, Gwen Stefani, 3:43

10. Gotta Get Through This, Daniel Bedingfield, 2:45

11. I'm Real, JLO+JaRule, 4:19

For a grand total of 39 minutes and 42 seconds.  I won't start the playlist until 20 seconds in.

XOXO,

Aud

The Tall Mythical Creature in the Corner of the Gym..

And no... I'm not trying to pick up a second boyfriend at Gold's.

I'm talking about the StairMaster.  For years I have yearned to incorporate this calorie burning profesh into my workout routine only to feel downtrodden as it rejected me five minutes in.  Or did I think I might die if I continued on?  It still kicks my ass daily.  Look how scary it is!

No machine in the gym is as intimidating.  The treadmill, bike and elliptical are pie.  Yesterday I saw a man on the Masta with a drenched shirt.  He looked like he had been roaming in the Sahara for 6 months.  I did it for ten minutes and it looked like I met him 3 months into his journey.

My doctor who is helping me in my weight loss suggests doing the Masta every time I set foot in the gym, gradually adding time to it... adding 5 minutes/day is her suggestion.  This sounds hard to me.

So, I decided that I will create a specific playlist for this machine so I won't be watching that time like drying paint.

What's more disheartening than trying to push yourself to stay on the machine and then hearing some lame N*SYNC song that you can't recall adding to your gym mix in the first place... what was it doing in the gym mix?!  Shouldn't it have been on the guilty pleasures playlist?

So today I should be doing the Stair Masta for 15 minutes according to plan.  Here is my debut Stair Master playlist that I hope will keep me motivated:

Song One:
Forever
Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kanye and Drake 5 minutes 57 seconds

Song Two:
Misery Business
Paramore, 3 minutes 32 seconds


Song Three:
Get On Top
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 3 minutes 19 seconds


Song Four:
Four Minutes
Madonna and Justin Timberlake, 3 minutes, 12 seconds


TOTAL TIME OF PLAYLIST: 16 minutes
(and I will be getting down at fifteen...)


XOXO,

Aud