When The Sun News decided to do a weight-loss blog, 11 brave individuals stepped up to talk about their experiences in trying to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. To find out who they are and get a glance at their goals and motivation for wanting to lose weight, click here.
In one of my favorite guilty pleasure chick flicks, "Never Been Kissed," Drew Barrymore's character says she was once told to "write what you know."
These days, for me at least, it's more like playing what I know.
I previously wrote about trying out new sports here, but I'll soon be headed back into the arms of my first love: softball.
This week, I've been catching up with a good friend of mine via email. I told her about our weight loss blog and what a good motivation it's been for shedding these last 12.5 pounds. She responded, "I am in so much admiration for you…I’m not good at sticking to a diet…I did so good for a couple weeks and then yesterday I went to Cracker Barrel…it didn’t work out."
Here's the thing: I'm not good at sticking to diets, either. Who the heck is?
My desk is still lightly shrouded in smoke. No, I haven't set my NCAA tournament bracket on fire (although I probably could, given how bad my predictions have been); I just burnt my 100-calorie bag of popcorn.
Until recently, I'd scoffed at the idea of 100-calorie packs. They just seemed silly and not very filling; that all changed when I discovered 100-calorie packs of Swedish Fish, my weakness of choice. Since then, my husband and I (yes, he's in on it, too) have loaded our cabinets with snack packs of Oreos, Chips Ahoy, beef jerky and popcorn. They're delicious and practical, two attributes I'm particularly passionate about. They make the perfect mid-afternoon-work-lull snack.
Minus the smoke, of course.
Armed with a trusty coupon, I stormed the mall yesterday to indulge in some potential retail therapy. I headed to the new JCPenney at Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall, ignoring the charms of the front-and-center Sephora (I have an unholy addiction to buying makeup).
After trying on a few sundresses, I settled on a perfect black-and-white number. I took a second to reevaluate my purchase and remembered the upcoming multitude of wedding gifts, bridesmaid shoes and related party stuff I've got to buy in the next couple months. Plus, I don't think my bare white legs are ready to see the world yet.
I decided to make the dress, or maybe a pair of red heels, my reward for losing these last 13 pounds. What about you? Have you set a reward for yourself after starting a weight-loss plan? What's your big prize?
I hopped a plane last Friday to spend a laughter-filled weekend with my best friend, Dianna.
We met my freshman year of college and clicked immediately, especially bonding over our mutually curvy size, which felt like a blazing neon sign at our skinny-blonde-infested Southern college. There's simply nothing like finding a partner in crime willing to snicker at the lady complaining about the loose fit of her size 2 jeans in the H&M dressing room.
Dianna and I have had countless funny, frank, exasperated conversations about our struggles with body image. In fact, she was my inspiration to start Weight Watchers after I watched her successfully incorporate the program into her life. We started doing weekly weigh-ins via email, traded recipe ideas and even kept a funky-colored chart to mark our progress.
I felt that same sense of encouragement this weekend as we balanced a night out and a gourmet brunch with healthy, home-cooked, point-friendly meals (have I mentioned she's Italian? If you don't have an Italian best friend, I highly recommend it, especially if you're just cracking the culinary surface like me). We also walked all over Beantown, which meant hours of conversation, culture and cardio.
It's good to have someone on your side.
I have a penchant for losing things, namely my Weight Watchers point-value guide book to combat the world of lunchtime fast food temptation.
As I'm perpetually searching through my car for it, I've handily come up with another way to figuring out healthy meal options before I set foot in a restaurant.
What's my secret?
There are several sports my husband and I are both pretty decent at, if I do say so myself: baseball, putt-putt, disc golf, Scrabble (in the Parker household, that word game is a no-holds barred cage match).
One sport we're horrible at? Tennis. Did that matter last week? Nope.
We got out on our community courts and proceeded to laugh our way through the world's worst game of tennis. Around the time I launched a ball into a neighbor's front deck, it suddenly dawned on me that I was actually getting exercise.
I did the unthinkable today.
I bought a bathing suit. Not just any bathing suit, but an on-sale, hot-mama, second-honeymoon-in-St.-Tropez bikini.
Allow me to point out the obvious to you: I'm a woman. Being a woman means I've got a list of stores memorized in descending order based solely on which ones have kinder, gentler dressing room lights and mirrors. This comes incredibly handy when you're crazy enough to try on a swimsuit or, better yet, when you find one you love (that's right, I used the l-word in reference to a bikini; it's a sure sign of the apocalypse).
I lost 2.5 pounds this week and am feeling good at the moment about getting closer to my goal weight. I sincerely doubt I'll ever lose my list of must-have dressing rooms (a girl's gotta be prepared, you know), but I dig the fact that I'm feeling better in my own skin.
Here's what I learned bright and early this morning as I stood barefooted on my bathroom scale: you can't sneak anything by those suckers.
Trying to sneak the margaritas and beers I had this week past the scale was like trying to sneak in past curfew: it didn't work (Hi, Mom!). In my easily forgetful head, those liquid things shouldn't really matter in the grand scheme of losing weight. But, whether I like it or not, they do; apparently, fried cheese ravioli, fries and burgers start to add up, too.
So I'm still holding strong at my starting weight, having neither gained (a small miracle) or lost a single pound. Looks like I've got the swift kick in the pants I need to get me motivated this week!
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