10 Little Secrets

We all hear tons of advice on how to lose weight, exercise, get healthier, and what not, but what really works??? I'm somewhat inspired today to write about little everyday things that I've done, swapped out or cut out that have added up to a lot of weight loss. And... finally breaking the maintenance plateau! (as I'm calling it, since it was a bit of both). And I really think a few of these tricks helped.


1.) Avoid eating out when it's possible to eat your own food. I've started bringing my lunch to work every day (except Friday, my treat day and I get lunch with the guys). I know exactly what's in my food, and best of all it's low in sodium! I really think that's contributed the scale moving again. I go for a roast beef and cheese sandwich with hummus on a pita, greek yogurt, and some sort of fresh fruit. I have a fridge at work and I can buy groceries. There is NO reason other than my own laziness not to bring lunch.


2.) Protein doesn't have to come from a chicken breast. I'm a HUGE fan of non-meat proteins. So I've been eating lots of greek yogurt, peanut butter, protein bars (Zone taste the best) and protein smoothies (I like Designer Whey and Optimum Nutrition). Some people might not agree that getting protein from bars and shakes and yogurt is preferable, but for someone like me that doesn't like to cook a giant chicken breast every night to get my protein count up, it's a good alternative.


3.) Sneak in exercise. I don't spent 5 minutes trolling for parking spaces. I'll take an extra lap around the mall when I'm done shopping. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. I've been known to do chair dips at my desk at work... haha. It's great to get that 30 minutes of a workout in, but your body benefits from even a little extra movement for the day.


4.) Don't drink your calories. This is a pretty basic one, but I only ever drink my calories when there's alcohol involved... haha. Otherwise it's water for me (aside from my morning coffee). Or diet iced tea is another favorite of mine.


5.) Carbs aren't a horrible thing. Especially when the carbs are simple carbs from things like fruit. I love eating fruit, but I balance it out with the protein that I get. No need to cut them out entirely, fruit is delicious! When was the last time you heard someone say they gained back weight from eating more fruit? haha


6.)  You don't need to do cardio allll the time. I think the best thing I've done in the last few weeks is cut back on my cardio... but replace those workouts with either circuit training or strength training. I'm still getting a calorie burn from it, but it seems to be helping my metabolism more than all cardio was.


7.) Trade out indulgences for healthier ones. I love a treat every now and then, but I tend to go overboard. So instead of ice cream at night, I have a greek yogurt or a protein smoothie. Instead of cookies I have hummus and crackers. Instead of a chocolate bar I have a little pack of Skinny Cow chocolate dream thingies. And then when I do have a treat, it's even more of a special occasion and I enjoy it. And i don't feel the need to overindulge.


8.) Your MFP app is your best friend. I spent a solid 10 minutes (probably more) at the Cheesecake Factory on Saturday looking for something to eat. And ya know what, I didn't gain a single ounce this weekend instead of the usual pound or two.


9.) Take a rest day, or two. I don't work out 7 days a week. I'm not saying my rest days are entirely restful, I'll go to the pool or mall or do something with the boyfriend so I'm moving. But my body feels so much better afterwards and I have more energy to give on my workout days. Right now, I seem to be averaging 4 days a week with a dedicated workout, sometimes 5 depending on my kickball game being canceled or not.


10.) Measure your progress in any way possible. Given the scale was a putz until this week, I had to have SOMETHING to keep me going. So I had my 5K personal best goals, and my goals for fitting into smaller clothes or looking better in existing clothes. I measure myself once a month. And I've been lifting heavier and heavier weights and kettlebells at the gym. So, numbers do matter... but the scale isn't the only one.


Feel free to contribute tips and tricks of your own in the comments below!

The Secret To Weekend Success

This weekend I ate out at restaurants twice, had a 32 oz beer, and only worked out once. And I managed to stay the exact same weight from Friday morning until this morning (including Sat. and Sun!).


So, how is that possible!? Drinking, eating out, not getting several workouts in... it should be a recipe for disaster! But I think I've figured things out. It just took a bit of planning and some will power.


First off: restaurants. I had lunch at the deliciously horrible for you Cheesecake Factory. And I spent a good 10 minutes with my MFP app scouring the menu for something I could eat. I settled on a Chinese Chicken salad lunch sized portion, and I didn't even eat it all (HUGE salad). And I drank water. So that was one meal/temptation out of the way. I passed on the cheesecake. And I skipped getting gelato at the mall like I usually do. Plus we walked around after lunch for a while in the mall.


Then dinner, Randy and I went to a seafood place for dinner and I got grilled rockfish with potatoes, green beans and a small hush puppy (yummy treat!). And 32 oz of beer! Hahaha... yep... I went for the beer, but balanced it out with a yummy and really healthy dinner. I'd say my plate was around 400-500 calories at most. No oil or anything on the fish, veggies weren't covered in butter. And no dessert... haha


As for exercise, I really wanted to go to the pool, so I went on Sunday morning and tanned (and burned... haha) and sort of paddled around the pool, but nothing really for a good workout. So I decided to take my lazy butt to the gym! I went around 4pm on a Sunday and got a 2 mile interval run in, plus 1 mile of walking on an incline. It felt good to balance my day out with a workout, since I only walked around the mall Saturday.


And then, this morning, the scale said 148.5! First off... I've been below 150... and 149!!! since Friday morning. MIRACLE! And this is the longest I've really been in the 140s (5 days running). So, it is possible to survive a "normal" weekend with a few adjustments. And now I'm in a much better position for the week, perhaps I'll be able to record more than 1 lb of a loss! Right now I'm a pound below my Thursday weigh in. And the fact that I declared 150 my goal has only helped. These are bonus pounds. Not too sure what I'm going to do with my ticker... I want to leave it at 150, but who knows if I actually keep losing weight. Perhaps I'll just leave it as a reminder that I've already met my goals, the rest is just icing on the low-calorie cake :)

A Curious Thing

So one week ago today, I had a revelation that I was really at my goal weight of 150. And it felt soooo liberating! I wasn't freaking out over the scale, I even forgot to weigh that morning. And I didn't regret my choice one bit. I'm happy and healthy and I look pretty darn good in almost anything I want to wear (except skimpy bikinis, I stick to the slightly more modest/fuller coverage ones).
Anyway, a curious thing happened this week. The scale started moving downward! And I know it's for the bajillionth time that it tipped below 150, but it felt different from the times before. The pressure wasn't there! I didn't feel the need to go crazy to stay at that point, or cut out things I enjoy or skip a meal or something to make up for it. And my workouts have been a little more low key (more stength, less cardio). For the first time, I looked at my calves and instead of seeing chunky huge calves that won't fit in regular sized boots, I saw insanely toned, muscular calves that look damnnnn good in a pair of heels. No goal weight can tell me that!


But even as I saw 148.3 lbs on the scale this morning (I'm hungover and dehydrated... lol, don't expect that to stick), I didn't run on here to frantically log it and convince myself that its not a fluke and it won't go back up. If it does, so what? I was good with my food and workouts all week, even when it's been hot, and I had a 5K race last Sunday (35:26, new PR!). Maybe setting my goal weight at 150 is freeing up my brain and reducing the stress it was causing me. Maybe THAT'S the missing piece in breaking my plateau/maintenance issue.


So, I'm still happy the scale is below 150. But I'm also OK if/when it bounces back up again. And maybe, just maybe I can break my streak and get it to stay below that point and keep moving downwards. I'm at a good point in my weight loss journey where I'm at a healthy weight (not quite according to the BMI scale but I've never been a fan of that thing anyway). So moving forward are just bonus cosmetic/vanity pounds. No one is gonna tell me I look worse for losing a few more, and yes, it'll make me even happier, but I'm not putting all my hopes on a number anymore. Just yesterday I noticed how a dress looked noticeably better when I wore it for the first time than when I bought it over a month ago. The scale can't always tell you when that happens :)

66 Reasons to Celebrate Weight Loss

I saw a fabulous message board post yesterday by jnchorn (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/258076-131-reasons-weight-loss-is-worth-it) and I was inspired to create my own list of 66 Reasons Why Weight Loss Was Worth It! One for every pound that I have lost since I started this whole thing back in August 2009 (and with MFP in February 2010). So, here goes my list!


1. Shopping is way more fun when you can pick a size off the shelf or a regular store and know it will fit. And the fact that the size is a 6 or 8 or small or medium, instead of 16 or XXL.
2. I finally got a boyfriend, after not dating in college because I was too shy and didn't feel attractive. And we've been going out for 8 months now.
3. I don't run out of breath walking up 2 flights of stairs to my office.
4. My favorite part of the day (most of the time) is my workout.
5. I don't feel like I'm taking up more than my alotted seat on a bus or metro or airplane.
6. My boyfriend (and my little sister... haha) can pick me up.
7. I can play kickball without looking like the overweight, out of shape, and therefore not very good teammate.
8. My kickball team tshirt was a size Adult Small... and it was too big in the waist.
9. I'm addicted to 5Ks (as you found out in my last blog).
10. Running a mile is easy peasy, not an insurrmountable challenge.
11.And running it under 11 minutes has become something I can do, not wish I could do. Next up is 10:30!
12. My brain automatically searches for the healthy food on a menu, not the unhealthy stuff.
13. I can drink 2 beers/drinks and be good to go. Being a lightweight for drinking is awesome for my wallet! (and my boyfriend's wallet, haha).
14. I can wear heels! My feet shrunk, there's less weight pushing on my feet, and I'm not a wide in most shoes anything. I've never been comfy in heels in my entire life.
15.  I weigh less than all my guys friends... except Joey, who weights 118 and I'll never weigh less than him... haha.
16. People have trouble telling my sister and I apart. She's always been skinny so it was easy to tell us apart from a distance or after not seeing us for years. Now, our relatives and friends are quite confused at times.
17. I can buy bikinis and not get weird looks from the salespeople.
18. And I can go to the pool in my bikini and get head turns for how good I look, not how I'm too heavy to be at the pool in a bikini.
19. My friends think of me as the Health Guru and come to me for advice on weight loss, food, workouts, everything.
20. I can wear tight, hot dresses for special occasions.
21. I'm not tired all the time, I have so much energy I don't know what to do it with.
22. And I only need 1 cup of coffee in the morning because of all that extra energy. Not the 2-3 I was gulping down daily.
23. I'm actually considered petite, since I am only 5'2.5", now my weight matches my height!
24. I can stop at one small ice cream or one cookie, no more eating the whole package.
25. My doctor almost fell over when she saw me last August after losing 50 lbs since my last visit. And said I was in "great shape" and "good health".
26. Running is fun, not a mean thing that gym teachers make me do.
27. I can wear shorts and not freak out that my legs look like tree trunks.
28. My cousin brags that I "lost her"... aka I've lost over 60 lbs and that's what she weighs.
29. I can race that same cousin (who is tiny and fast) and not die from lack of breath at the end.
30. I'm breaking the trend of obesity in my mom's side of the family.
31. I NEVER use the elevator if I'm going up less than 4 floors.
32. I get free drinks from the bartenders at my kickball bar.
33. I actually enjoy doing things outdoors with my boyfriend, like hiking or walking around DC.
34. I NEVER have to worry about being too big to fit in the seat of an amusement park ride.
35. When Chalene Johnson tells me "YOU ARE NOT TIRED!" towards the end of one of her insane workout DVDs, I actually agree with her.
36. My skin has relaly cleared up in the last year. It used to be a mess, now it's pretty clear most of the time.
37. Shaving my legs takes less time because there is less of me!
38. My calves are toned and muscular instead of chunky, but I still need to buy wide calf boots. I don't think that will ever change.
39. My muffin top is shrinking quite a bit. Not all the way gone, but getting there.
40. I can steal my sister's clothes! She's a size 4, so not quite her pants, but I can borrow jackets and tops.
41. I got to replace my wardrobe with awesome, cute, and stylsh smaller clothes, instead of hiding under clothes that could pass as maternity. (and no, I've never been pregnant, haha).
42. I prefer to get up on a weekend morning to workout than sleep in til noon.
43. I don't have to worry about any diseases related to obesity now, especially since diabetes runs in my family.
44. I enjoy organized sports for the first time in my life (aka kickball.... haha).
45. I have tons of confidence.
46. I'll talk to anyone without feeling shy or awkward.
47. I prefer to be outside and moving around than sitting on my couch all day.
48. I actually know how to cook food that is yummy and good for you. I had issues with cooking until recently...
49. I don't hide from a camera.
50. The scale is sometimes my enemy, but I don't dread seeing the number on it anymore.
51. I'm comfortable in my own skin.
52. I don't just "have a pretty face". I have the hot body to match it :)
53. My chubby cheeks have finally slimmed down and I don't squint when I smile anymore.
54. I rarely untag Facebook photos because I hate how I look. Instead I'm hunting for pictures to tag so people can see how I look.
55. i can fit into expensive designer brands that always ran small and even the biggest size didn't fit me.
56. I don't mind telling people what I weigh, I'm not afraid of the number.
57. I have a hot hourglass shape now, 36-28.5-36.
58. I prefer a nice homemade lunch to fast food, even if it means passing on going out with my coworkers to eat. I'd rather be healthy.
59. If I try something on and it doesn't fit, chances are it's too big, not too small!
60. I love blogging about my journey, not hiding behind it.
61. I get to meet tons of people with goals and ideas like mine! Namely on MFP, but also at Kickball or 5K races or among my friends.
62. I actually got my boyfriend to say "maybe I'll give running a try with you" and he HATES to run.
63. When the time comes, I won't have to worry about losing a ton of weight for a wedding. I'll already be about where I want to! Much easier for dress shopping... haha
64. Same goes for when I want kids. Weight won't be an issue in trying to get pregnant. NOT for a while tho!!! I'm 24! haha
65. And i'll be around to see those kids grow up and have their own kids.
66. For the first time in pretty much my whole life, I'm 110% happy about EVERYTHING! my body, my job, my boyfriend, my family/friends... everything :)


Now I challenge you to try to come up with your own list!!!

Hooked on 5Ks

If you asked me a year ago if I'd consider myself a runner, I'd probably ask if you were joking. I'm short, I'm slow, I'm heavy, I'm lazy, I'm blah blah blah excuses.

But right around last summer, I decide, why the heck not? Why can't I be a runner? It's a great workout, I can do it any time I want without any real equipment, and at the time I was going to the gym in my office building twice a week. So... I gave Couch 2 5K a whirl and managed to get myself up to running a mile by the end of July. And then I started Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreme in the August/Sept timeframe and running got put on the back burner.

But when I joined my gym in December with access to a treadmill, I started it up again. And those few months of increasing my fitness at home really helped! I finally realized that being 5'2.5", running slowly is a good thing to start off with. 4.5 or 4.7 on the treadmill was a comfy speed and I could run longer than I had before. I finally worked my way up to running an entire 5K distance on the treadmill, and I had done it outside too, right around the 40 minute timeframe to complete it.

And then I decided (well, Sarah aka supersarah14 on here) suggested running a 5K together! And behold, my first 5K race was scheduled. That was May 1st. I finished in 39:33 and I ran the entire thing. I was sold on 5Ks, they were fun and exhilerating and really got me excited. I booked more. My second race went INSANELY well for the conditions: humid, drizzling, hilly, started with a stomach ache... but then I went into "race mode" and I finished in 36:25.... 3 minutes faster than the last one??? OK, I could get used to this...

And then came yesterday. I ended up staying out til midnight at my boyfriend's, only got 5 hours of sleep, and I hadn't really worked out much the week before (but I had been running quite a bit in the previous 2 weeks). So I wasn't sure how it would go... but I felt OK right before the race start. After the first mile, I was think this isn't so bad. Pretty flat, not humid or too hot, and I finished the first mile around 10:45, a new record! I started to run out of steam a bit towards the end so I took a few short walking breaks. And then the final sprint... and my time...

35:26!!!!!  

28/50 Sara Traynor, 25, Reston 35:26 11:26 

(The 28/50 is my age group, I was 433/649 overall) 

New PR by a minute! And at that point, i was pretty much completely hooked on 5Ks. I went on my phone to start looking for another race, but they don't have many of them around here in the summer it looks like. But there is one in Reston (my town) 2 weekends from now on Father's Day that I think I might do. My boyfriend is out of town anyway. And then, who knows. I'm planning to keep building strength, keep running at the gym a few times a week, and hopefully keep improving my time. It's amazing how much less painful they are getting with each one I do. But I'm still taking a rest day today to recover. I want a mani/pedi and a trip to Target :) 

Original vs. Realistic Goal Weights

Having a weight loss ticker is an awesome and dangerous thing for me. I love seeing how far I've come, what I've been able to change in the last year and a half, and seeing that star a mere 9 lbs away from my original goal weight of 140.

But that's the key word there... ORIGINAL GOAL WEIGHT.

When I started with MFP, I consulted the BMI tool and figured out that I "should" weigh 141 lbs at most to be healthy at 5'3". Not knowing too much about fitness and body composition at that point, I put that in here as my goal weight (well, 140 lbs). And I was dropping pounds fast to get to that point! By October of last year, i was right around 155 and I knew I could hit that 140 by time Spring rolled around and sundress and swimsuit season returned. And then came what inevitably happens at the end of a weight loss journey.

I stopped losing. Completely.

I managed to drop from 155 to 150 or so between October and New Years, but then it came to a hault .And since I've been bouncing between 149 and 152 without really straying much from that range (aside from a few really bad days around Easter). But for most people, that would be an awesome situation.

I lost 65 lbs! AND I'VE MAINTAINED IT!!!

I feel like I read the statistic that 93% of dieters (even tho I hate that word) regain the weight after losing it. So being part of that 7% for 6 months is pretty amazing. I've never thought once about returning to my old habits and gaining back ANY of the weight. When I have a long weekend at home or something, I just work a little harder when I get back and within the week I'm right around 150 again. It seems I've found a happy and healthy balance in my life and I'm able to stick to it without any major sacrifices.

And that's the key to this thought I've been having. Maybe it's time to hang up the "weight loss" mentality.Honestly, it's been stressing me out. Why am I not losing? Why can't I reach my goal? But weight loss goals are funny. When you weigh 200 lbs and you're dropping 2 lbs a week and it's coming off (relatively) easily, you think getting to 140 shouldn't be impossible. And then I realize what my body composition is.

I've got muscle! I can do squats with a 60 lb kettlebell. Man push ups. 100 lbs on the pull down arm machine thingy (yeah, no idea what it's really called). I can run 5Ks... I've even run 4 miles! No scale can tell me that. Even the body fat handheld thingy at the gym can't decide what my body fat is. But measurements do. And I've got a 28.5" waist (and a small pooch, but it's going away). And I fit in size 6 jeans! And most importantly...

I'M HAPPY!

So, 140 might be this number that i see every time I come on MFP, look at my ticker, and wish that star would move closer to it. But I'm starting to believe that 140 isn't realistic right now. I'm not going to trade off FINALLY being happy with myself 100% for giving up the things that contribute to my happiness. My boyfriend wouldn't be too enthusiastic about no more dinners in DC. Or if I stopped meeting my team at the bar after kickball games. Or if I measured and counted and obsessed over everything little piece of food that goes in my mouth. I've done all that before, and it's not something I'd do long term.

So, the verdict is that I'm taking a step back from weight loss mode. I'm going to call this "happy mode". It's part maintenance and part focusing on goals other than losing weight. Like

- Building more muscle tone/decreasing body fat %

- Running my 5Ks (and working on my speed and endurance)

- Finding new and delicious HEALTHY foods and keeping my diet delicious but nutritious

And most importantly, enjoying my smaller, sexier, petite body the way it's supposed to be. I'm not a size 2 in a bikini, but I'm a size 6 in one. And might tummy might not be a washboard, but it's not a huge gut either. I see parts I want to improve, but that will come with time.

So, today starts my less-stress approach to this whole journey. Moving from weight loss to happy. It feels somewhat liberating, and maybe I'll end up getting my body used to it and it will decide all on it's own to drop a few more pounds. I'll be happy either way. 

Long Weekend Success

I went in with a game plan... and I mostly stuck to it. Big improvement from the last time that I went home to visit my family in Jersey. 

I knew we'd be eating out at various yummy restaurants throughout the weekend, but I made sure I checked the nutrition info where possible and at least picked something healthy. I ended up with a yummy salad at Panera, a Paradise Chicken salad from Applebees, and spanakopita at the diner with a side salad and soup. And because I was behaving with my meal choices, I let myself have the occasional Jersey treat. A delicious cookie from the Italian bakery, a frozen yogurt at the boardwalk, and a slice of pizza (what else IS there to eat on the Jersey boardwalk anyway?) And I don't feel guilty. Plus we went strawberry picking and I have an entire container of them in my fridge now. YUM!

And as for the exercise, well thank goodness for my in-shape sister! She got a gym membership for the summer and we went on Monday morning for a good workout. 30 minutes of cardio in the movie room (so cool! They were playing The Hangover and I ran on the treadmill) and then 30 or so minutes on the strength machines that her boyfriend taught her to use properly. She gave me a good workout! Plus we walked quite a bit this weekend between the outlet mall and the boardwalk. It was nice to get some gym time in tho, I didn't feel like nearly the slacker I was last time I went home.

So I think I've at least straightened my mindset out a bit. I know I want to go further with losing a bit more weight and toning up. But my body is making me take it at my own pace. I think I've gotten a better balance with food and  living a little (but not too much too often!). And fitting in exercise is possible, it just takes a bit of planning and effort. This is something I can keep up, and hopefully I'll see some results as the summer gets going. I'm trying to think back to what I was doing this time last summer when I was losing weight much quicker (and was about 4 sizes bigger too). I was eating more fresh food, drinking my delicious smoothies, and weight training was much more frequent. So I'm going back to that like I planned. And I stuck with it this past week. Now to make it a habit! I'd love to at least get sqaurely in the 140s enough that I don't bounce back up into the 150s when I have a bad day. And it's time to break out the bikinis that I've been stockpiling all winter and spring, the pool is open!!! Time to really enjoy a tinier me!