Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Americans!

149 today. I knew that crazy low number wouldn't stick, but I'm still down a pound from Saturday and that's fantastic!

I think I'm going to make one more small tweak to my eating plan. Instead of having an extra glass of milk with breakfast, I'm going to have a glass of cranberry juice cocktail. Ocean Spray makes one with calcium so I can try and get at least some of the calcium I would be getting from the milk, and they also make a light one that I think is only 40 calories. Plus, it helps to ward off urinary tract infections, of which I have had plenty in my day, so anything to help keep them away is good in my book.

Not much else to report today... Oh, upping the cardio again this week. Usual warm up and cool down, and then 4 sets of: 1 minute at 3.5, 4 minutes at 3.7. Next week I'll be up to a full 20 minutes at 3.7, and I think the week after that I'll be starting my first short bursts of running!

Oh yeah, and I wanted to let you all know about the Kashi pizza I had last night! It was delicious and SO filling, I ended up not wanting anything else after dinner! I'll definitely be getting those more often! I highly recommend everyone try it! I think next week I'm going to get the Five Cheese Tomato one.

Oh! One more thing! I totally forgot yesterday marked the 6 month point since I started this weight loss endeavor for the 5th (and last) time! Happy half anniversary to me!

Am I Really Pursuing "Healthyness"?

The more I learn about whole grains and just healthy eating in general, the more I realize that in the past, all I've really pursued is weight loss. But the name of this blog is the Pursuit of Healthyness, not the Pursuit of Weight Loss. I am going to start making a conscious effort to make truly healthy choices with the foods I eat. I want to become one of those health nut freaks who only eat whole grains and organic foods and stuff like that. Well, maybe not organic foods because they're expensive, but I want to start making the healthiest choices I can. It will probably be hard at first, but if you do something enough, it becomes a habit. Besides, the more you learn about the evils of processed food, the harder it is to eat those foods in good conscience. I'm on a mission to a truly healthier me.

Nice and Relaxing Sunday

148 today. How did I manage to lose 2 pounds overnight? Your guess is as good as mine. I even stepped on the scale 2 times, to make sure my scale wasn't just freaking out, and it said "148.0" both times, so go figure. I'm not complaining!

We went to the Jinja Bistro for my aunt's birthday yesterday, and it was really good! I think my meal choice was pretty healthy too, I had the Shaking Beef, which is "a Vietnamese specialty of savory wok-seared beef tenderloin, fresh spinach and caramelized onions in a tangy lime chili sauce served with fried rice." I ate all of the beef (except a couple pieces Scott wanted to taste), all of the delicious caramelized onions, and all of the spinach. The fried rice wasn't very good, to me, so I only had a forkful of that, and then it also came with this cucumber stuff on the side, it was sliced cucumbers with what tasted like white wine vinegar, so I had some of that, not much though. It was such good a good meal, and I was pretty full so I didn't even have a snack when we went to watch a movie at my aunt's house. I did manage to polish off half a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream when I got home, but other than that and my dinner, the only other thing I ate yesterday was my breakfast of a bowl of my Kashi cereal and half a cup of fat free milk. I did sneak a couple noodles and bean sprouts from Scott's pad thai, but that was it. I think yesterday was definitely a success, and the scale proved it! I don't expect this low number to stick, but I at know I should at least lose a pound this week.

Today, I had my new usual breakfast (that cereal is so delicious), and for lunch I had some apple pie oatmeal made with Quaker's Weight Control cinnamon oatmeal (I might switch to Kashi's brand once I finish this box). At the grocery store I found a Kashi frozen pizza that looked really good, it's a Mediterranean pizza, with "spinach, fire-roasted red onions & sweet red peppers, four signature cheeses including feta with roasted red pepper sauce on a stone-fired Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame with flax seed crust". It's a fairly large pizza, definitely enough to fill me up, and the whole thing has 870 calories, 27 grams of fat, 15 grams of fiber and 45 grams of protein. I'd say that's pretty good, considering just one of those little DiGiorno For One pizzas have 840 calories, 44 grams of fat, only 4 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein. I can't wait for dinner tonight, it's going to be so good! So total today I'll be having 1,325 calories, which is within my range of 1,200-1,550 calories. If I'm still hungry after dinner, I'll probably have a 100 calorie bag of Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop popcorn. Pretty successful weekend, don't you think?

Weigh In Day... 40 Pounds Gone!

I did it! I lost half a pound this week, officially putting me at the 40 pound mark! This is the most weight I've ever lost in my life. Of course it's the most weight I've ever had to lose, but still. And I actually see it when I look in the mirror every day now. I love turning sideways in the mirror and seeing my stomach getting smaller and smaller! And I just feel so much better about myself! I'm so close to being a healthy weight, according to SparkPeople I'm 9.5 pounds away from a BMI of 24.9, and I'm so excited because I haven't been at a healthy weight since before Scott and I got engaged, which was nearly 2 years ago! And I can't believe I managed to do it this week even with the meal out just 2 nights ago! I'm so thrilled!

Ok, enough boring you all. I'm off to see Indiana Jones with my dad and my cousin.

11-25-07: 190
12-2-07: 185.5
12-9-07: 182
12-16-07: 180
12-23-07: 179.5
12-30-07: 178.5
1-6-08: 174
1-13-08: 176.5
1-20-08: 173.5
1-27-08: 176
2-3-08: 175
2-10-08: 172.5
2-17-08: 170
2-24-08: 169
3-2-08: 166
3-9-08: 164.5
3-16-08: 163
3-23-08: 162
3-30-08: 159.5
4-6-08: 158
4-13-08: 156.5
4-20-08: 156
4-27-08: 153.5
5-3-08: 154.5
5-10-08: 151
5-17-08: 150.5
5-24-08: 150

Song of the Day: Blue October - Quiet Mind (live)

Dear Shonda

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could not have asked for more. Thank you.

The Morning After

150.5 today. There's hope for this week yet!

So last night was the big steakhouse dinner... it was delicious! Best meal I've ever had in my life! I had the salmon as I planned, but they've changed their menu so instead of the pipérade and aioli, it came with this warm sweet corn puree stuff (can't remember what it was called), and it was topped with a mixture of crumbled bacon and these little white vegetables that were a little starchy, but I'm not sure what they were. They were really good though! And then the salmon was served on a bed of wilted arugula. I didn't eat all of that because arugula is a little bitter for me. And we ordered 2 plates of asparagus for the table to share, it had some kind of sauce on it, and it was really good too. They also ordered crab cakes as appetizers, and I know I was going to stay away from the appetizers but I figured crab isn't that bad so I had about a third of the crab cake. I did stay away from the bread, Scott had about 3 pieces with butter so I just took a bite of one of his pieces. And I didn't have dessert, nobody did, we were all too full! I did have a glass of sparkling white wine, but even with that, I don't think my meal was all that bad. And then I came home and got on the treadmill! All in all, I think yesterday was a success!

I had my annual physical this morning, and for the first time ever my doctor said something about my weight. She noticed that I've lost 16 pounds since I was there in March with my horrible sinus infection, and I told her I've actually lost almost 40 pounds. She said good job, and asked what I've been doing, so I told her just basically counting calories. There's more too it than that, of course, but that seemed to be a good answer to her. Then she asked me what my goal weight was, and I said 130, and she told me that's a good goal, and not to go any lower than that. She seemed to be proud of me, so it made me feel really good! And I just loved the fact that she said my goal was a good one.

I am ready for my first 3 day weekend since last Labor Day! And, only 1 week 2 days until I'm 22!

Song of the Day: Regina Spektor - Fidelity

The Big Day

150.5 today. Back down to last Saturday's weight. Maybe tonight's big dinner won't affect me too much and I'll be the same, or maybe even less, this Saturday?

This is what I'm planning on having tonight: Grilled Salmon with Pipérade and a Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli. I looked up pipérade, and I guess it is a dish made with onions, sweet peppers and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil. Sounds pretty healthy, right? And I know that aioli is a mayonnaise sauce, so I will try to use as little as possible of that. And as I've said before, no bread basket, no appetizers, and no dessert. I had my (for now) usual breakfast this morning (Special K with half a cup of fat free milk, and a Slim-Fast), but I don't plan on eating any of my other usual meals. I usually don't get hungry until around 5, and we're eating at 6, so I should be able to tide myself over by drinking water. And I'm sure the meal will fill me up for the rest of the evening. I think it might not be so bad after all. I might just get this whole healthy eating thing down!

Song of the Day: Regina Spektor - Us

Crazy Day

151 today. Keepin' on keepin' on.

Today the president of our company was in, and Will and Karen were worried I wasn't going to have anything to do. Well, today turned out to be the busiest day in the 2 and a half weeks I've been there. I barely had a spare minute! It was good though, because I was able to keep myself occupied while Will was working with Tom all day. And tomorrow is going to be our fancy schmancy dinner... I have to admit, I am looking forward to some delicious food. And yes, I'm going to get the healthiest thing on the menu, and avoid pre-meal bread baskets, appetizers, and dessert. I am going to be a good girl tomorrow night.

I just started taking One A Day WeightSmart Advanced, because it has pretty much all the vitamins and minerals that I need, and the vitamin I'd been taking was missing several. It had a weird after taste that I figure comes from all the metals, but other than that it wasn't that bad to take. I was reading some reviews about it online, and people were like, "This doesn't work, I haven't lost any weight since I started taking it, blah blah blah..." and I laughed because who honestly expects to lose weight just by taking a vitamin and not changing anything else about their lives? The only reason I chose this one over the regular women's vitamin was because it just had more vitamins. I don't expect it to help me lose weight any faster. It even says on the website that it is not a weight control product. Although I'm sure if I'm getting all the vitamins and minerals I need, my body will be able to function more efficiently, and I'll probably start feeling better. Not that I feel bad, but you can always feel better.

Making Some Changes

151.5 today. Getting better.

I'm going to change up my routine just a little bit. This is what a normal day looks like, as of now:

Breakfast - Bowl of Special K with half a cup of fat free milk, Slim-Fast
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hummus pocket (pita, hummus, Laughing Cow wedge, cucumbers, tomatoes), banana
Snack: Yoplait Light yogurt
Dinner: Varies, usually about 300-350 cal., always contains 1 veg. serving

I'm going to change it to this:

Breakfast - Bowl of Kashi GoLean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax with half a cup of fat free milk, cup of fat free milk, banana
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hummus pocket (same), baby carrots
Snack: Yoplait Light yogurt
Dinner: Same as usual, about 300-350 cal., always contains 1 veg. serving

So I'm switching my cereal, because the Kashi is so much better, I'm adding a cup of milk, I'm adding another vegetable serving, and I'm getting rid of the Slim-Fast. The only reason I've been drinking those is because they have a lot of vitamins. Same with the Special K. But I'm going to start taking a daily vitamin so that I don't have to worry about that. The only thing I'm a little worried about is the carrots, because my vitamin has vitamin A, and carrots have a ton, so I don't want to end up getting too much. I'll need to do a little more research. I'll have to start all this next week because we don't go to the store until Sunday, and I already have a supply of Special K and Slim-Fast for the week, but it'll be interesting to see if changing things up a little makes me feel any different.

I also need to get my weekends under control. No more of this Cheat Weekend crap - I need to stay in my calorie range on Sundays. I think it's still ok for Saturday to be a Cheat Day, but I need to get it under control too. I need to eat breakfast before I leave the house so that I don't get hungry around 3 and eat whatever I can reach. And, when/if I end up going out to dinner with my family (which has been happening frequently now that I have my weekends off), I need to eat the healthiest meal I can. No more of this "it doesn't matter how many calories are in that, it's Cheat Day." Just because I'm not going to count the calories doesn't mean I have license to lose all control. And, I need to not snack, even on Cheat Day. I've noticed that my mom and my aunts are usually quite satisfied after their meal when we eat out. They'll sometimes go to Wendy's and get a frosty, but come on, even that can't have the same amount of calories in an entire bag of Pirate Booty or pita chips. If I'm going to have a snack say after dinner or during a movie, it needs to be a sensibly portioned one. I need to learn how to make healthy choices even when I'm not officially tracking anything. That's the only way I'm going to be able to keep this weight off once it's gone.

Song of the Day: Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good

Here, Piggy Piggy

153 today. I ate like a PIG this weekend. So I guess that's what I get.

I'm starting to get lazy about this whole thing. The other day I was thinking, "Maybe 150 is good enough. Maybe I should just try to maintain where I am." But then yesterday I was looking at myself in the mirror after my hogfest, and I realized that even with my bulging, full belly, I didn't look half as bad as I would have looked after an incident like that 40 pounds ago. And it made me realize I want to look even better, I really do want to lose all of this weight.

I have been shopping in my closet lately, finding all these tops that I haven't worn in forever that actually fit me again! It's really exciting! I used to wear the same outfits every single week, so last week I decided I'm not going to wear the same shirt two weeks in a row, and today I decided I'm going to try to go for three weeks. I have to wear the same pants because I only have so many pairs that fit without falling off, but the shirts are different. It's fun to look through my closet, find something cute and then realize it does fit!

Oh, and upping the cardio a little again this week. Usual warm up and cool down, and then 4 sets of: 2 minutes at 3.5, and 3 minutes at 3.7. I'm getting there.

So anyway. I'm still doing this. I weigh less now than my lowest weight for the whole year last year. I will weigh 130. I will.

P.S. They had apricots at the grocery store yesterday, so I got some, and then I looked them up when I got home. Only 17 calories in one apricot! And they're adorable!

Song of the Day: Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby

Just Blah.

We went to an Italian buffet for dinner yesterday, and needless to say, I ate too much. I wasn't uncomfortable, I just know I shouldn't have gone back for that second plate. Then, we went to my aunt's house to watch Untraceable (really good, btw) and I ate a bag of Pirate Booty (I'm allowed a snack on Cheat Day!). When I got home I was full, not uncomfortable still, but definitely full. But I was really craving something sweet, so I took a taste of Scott's leftover pint of Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream, which turned into eating half of what was left. Then he had some cheeseburger Pringles in the pantry, and I just wanted to see if it really tasted like a cheeseburger, and I ended up finishing off the can. Oof. Oh, and I ended up having a Cheat Weekend, instead of just a Cheat Day. Why do I always seem to do so badly this time of year? Oh well. I'll make it. I will reach my goal, I don't care how long it takes. This time, I WILL NOT GIVE UP.

Weigh In Day... Stupid Body.

I ended up only losing half a pound this week. Which isn't so bad except for the fact that I know I'm probably going to end up gaining a little next week because we have that stupid dinner on Thursday. Not that I'm not looking forward to it, I just wish it was on a weekend! This is my 8th week in the 150's. It feels like I'm trapped forever! I'm just being dramatic, I know, but I'm sure you all know how it feels.

I'm going to go because there's a dog who thinks she and my computer can both fit in my lap at the same time. Later, lovies.

11-25-07: 190
12-2-07: 185.5
12-9-07: 182
12-16-07: 180
12-23-07: 179.5
12-30-07: 178.5
1-6-08: 174
1-13-08: 176.5
1-20-08: 173.5
1-27-08: 176
2-3-08: 175
2-10-08: 172.5
2-17-08: 170
2-24-08: 169
3-2-08: 166
3-9-08: 164.5
3-16-08: 163
3-23-08: 162
3-30-08: 159.5
4-6-08: 158
4-13-08: 156.5
4-20-08: 156
4-27-08: 153.5
5-3-08: 154.5
5-10-08: 151
5-17-08: 150.5

Song of the Day: CSS - Music Is My Hot Hot Sex

It's Friday Again, WooHoo!

I love this whole regular work week thing!

The scale FINALLY moved a little today, it was at 150.5. I've been known to lose quite a lot of weight overnight, so it is entirely possible that I will still lose a pound this week and make it to 150. Only 1 day to go!

I'm rereading Jemima J by Jane Green, she's one of my favorite authors and I think this was her first book. I love it! It's about a fat girl who loses all her weight and gets everything she ever wanted (with some twists and turns in the way), it's totally unrealistic, but I just love to lose myself in the fantasy sometimes! I'd definitely recommend it! Unless you don't like British novels, I love them, but some people just can't tolerate them.

I think that's it for today, I'm battling a headache, so I'm just going to go get caught up on my blogs. Check y'all later!

Song of the Day: Regina Spektor - Consequence of Sounds

Stuck.

STILL 151 today. Maybe the weight loss gods decided they gave me too much last week, so they're holding me up this week. I'm doing everything the same as I've been doing it, and I've lost 25 pounds since I started with SparkPeople, so why all of a sudden is it not working? Maybe my body's gotten used to my routine. Maybe I need to shake it up a little. But how? I don't know. I guess the important thing to remember is that even if I am going through a little plateau, it's not permanent, and I will lose these last 21 pounds, no matter how long it takes. If it takes me until the end of the year, that's ok, because I'm changing my lifestyle and I have to do something that I can do for the rest of my life. It's not a sprint to the finish line!

I finished Half-Assed: a weight-loss memoir last night. It was really good, and I was sad to finish it, it's like when a really good TV show ends! If I can get my brain together enough, I'll write a review sometime soon.

ANTM!!

Does anyone watch America's Next Top Model? Well, if you don't, let me fill you in: This year's winner was a plus size model (although she looked more normal sized to me)! I was so thrilled I screamed and clapped and scared the crap out of the dog. I am so happy for Whitney! You go girl!

Restaurant Angst

Still 151 today. What's going on, Body? Come on, work with me here! Gotta hit the 40 pound mark this week!

I don't know what to blog about today. I'm really sad because on the way to work I saw a cat in the middle of the road that had been hit. I just drove by, but now I wish I had stopped and checked it or moved it or called a vet or something. I feel really bad :(

I'm about halfway through Half-Assed, and so far I'm really liking it! I think Jennette is a really good writer, and she's really funny. And I love that it's a true story! I think I've said this before, but she just makes me realize that if she could lose 200 pounds, 60 is nothing.

So I guess we're going to dinner with the Pres on Thursday of next week, to the Gruet Steakhouse, which is a VERY nice restaurant here in Albuquerque. I'm looking forward to the good food, but I'm a little concerned because that will only give me 1 day before weigh in to make up for the meal. I'm planning on having the salmon, which shouldn't be too bad except for the fact that it comes with a pipérade and a sun-dried tomato aioli. And I'm sure there will be bread. And probably wine, because Gruet makes really good sparkling white wine. It might turn out very bad. But, I guess if the weigh in that week doesn't turn out so good, I'll just have to say oh well, and be good the next week. I almost don't even want to go, but Scott is all excited and I wouldn't know what to tell Will about why we weren't going. Sorry, can't go, I'm trying to lose 60 pounds, already lost 40, can't stop now! No. I'll just have to go and enjoy myself. Maybe it won't even turn out too bad. Maybe I'll just eat half the food on my plate and save the rest for Saturday. I'll figure it out.

Song of the Day: Evans Blue - Cold (But I'm Still Here)

Seeing Old Friends

151 today... and 4 days to get down to 150. I think I can do it.

Not much going on today, life is pretty quiet lately. Which is good, don't get me wrong! Just doesn't give me much to blog about.

Oh yeah, exercise. I upped my cardio again this week, usual warm up and then 4 sets of: 3 minutes at 3.5, 2 minutes at 3.7, and then usual cool down. I'm thinking once I'm actually running, I'm going to warm up and cool down for 5 minutes, but the middle part where I work the hardest I might start doing 30 minutes instead of 20, making my total workout 40 minutes.

I've been thinking a lot about people noticing weight loss. There are always times when you look forward to seeing someone you haven't seen in a while because you know you look better than the last time they saw you. Recently we went to dinner for Mother's Day and I got to see some family members whom I haven't seen since Thanksgiving. Of course everyone commented on how good I look and how much weight I've lost, and it felt good to get the compliments. Before we even got there, I was excited to see everyone because I couldn't wait for them to see my progress. It was all around a good experience. But then there are times when you're not quite looking forward to seeing someone, because the last time you saw them, you looked fantastic, and you don't look quite as good now. I have a friend who moved to a different state a couple years ago, and she might be coming to visit this summer. The last time I saw this friend, I think I weighed about 137 pounds. I know I only weigh 14 pounds more now, and by the time I see her it will probably be less, but I'm still a little worried about what she'll think. She knows I've been trying to lose weight, and she's seen my progress pictures, but it's different in person. So this is an instance where I'm not exactly thrilled this person is going to see me looking different, because it's not exactly different in a good way.

Anyone else think about things like this?

Song of the day: The Sounds - Tony the Beat

New Job - Week 2

So begins my 2nd week at the new job. I'll let y'all know if anything exciting happens.

Back down to 151 today! On track to lose another pound this week!

Did anyone catch the Today show yesterday? PastaQueen was on, and I thought she did a really good job! Sounded all professional and whatnot. It made me really want to write a book! But I don't know what I'd write about if I wrote a novel, and my life isn't interesting enough to write a memoir. Oh well, maybe someday.

Not much else to report today, so I'm off to catch up on my blogging buddies!

P.S. Only 2 weeks 6 days till my birthday!

Happy Mother's Day!

152 today. Not bad after a Cheat Day, I think.

Not much going on today, just going to go grocery shopping, go see my parents to pick up the dog and tell my mom Happy Mother's Day, and that's about it. Don't even have to exercise today, nothing scheduled until tomorrow, yay! Not really much to blog about today, so I'll catch you all later!

My Cheat Day

Yesterday's Cheat Day consisted of:

1. half a cup of Kashi Mountain Medley granola
2. a pink frosted cookie
3. a 1/2 pound bacon cheeseburger
4. a few fries with my burger
5. 3 or 4 glasses of Dr. Pepper
6. 1 bag of Trader Joe's garlic Parmesan pita chips
7. a chocolate birthday thing Scott got from work (he told me I could have it)
8. 1 gallon+ of water

I don't think I did bad at all today. The only thing I wish I hadn't had is the Dr. Pepper, because it's just empty calories. I should have just had water at dinner. Oh well.

P.S. No, I didn't get up early. I just haven't gone to sleep yet.