If you are what you eat, then I'm Peanut Butter

If you are what you eat, then I'm peanut butter. At least today I am. Apparently I felt the need to ruin my eating plan by snacking on some pb as I was about to leave the office... I blame it all on my breakfast which was only 160 calories (OOOOPS) instead of my normal 350 calories. Oh yeah, and I didn't have any protein or fruit in the early afternoon either. So basically I blew the morning and all without realizing it. But now, looking back on my food log in fitday I realized what happened. So from this day forward, I'm not going to be peanut butter because I'm going to be too busy being my healthy eating habits! Mmmmmm healthy eating.....

I guess the moral here is that I really need to pay attention to what I'm doing and that all of the small stuff really adds up. If I had eaten more in the morning & early afternoon I probably wouldn't have been snacky. Something so small as being too tired to think about what I was eating for breakfast really could have turned my day around. After all, I had a whole grain waffle, fresh blueberries, & walnuts with milk and tea. There is nothing wrong with that...until I realized it was too few calories and very little to no protein. Chicken sausage...how could I possibly forget you? Don't worry, it won't happen again...and I mean it!

Weigh-In Wednesdays!
We're bringing Weigh-in Wednesday back into our lives. K-Dogg recently (and by recent I mean today) showed me that fitday has added measurement to their website. You can now daily, weekly or monthly enter in your measurements to track progress. Fantastic! As much as I love excel, fitday is so much more convenient.

PROGRESS in the small things...
SO a couple exciting things have happened to me lately....well since Tuesday anyways.

Exciting Moment #1:
I've been monitoring my heart rate during my elliptical sessions to make sure my body is in fat burn mode (BURN BABY BURN). It has forced me to be more cognoscente of my heart range and motions. I only started working out again regularly two weeks ago, yet I can already tell that I have to work a lot harder to get my heart rate up than I did a week ago. YAY HEART! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! Gettin all in shape and shit.

Exciting Moment #2:
I bought my little 2 GB ipod shuffle last January and have not changed the music on it since. However, I worked out so much in the last 2 weeks that I got sick of the songs. It amazes me that in a matter of a couple weeks I got burnt out of the music I had 12 months of opportunity to overplay. Just a small sign that made me smile since it means I'm doing better! (Oh K-Dogg....can you make a new play list and update the music on my ipod? hahahah Thanks!)


I've added Progress tracking on the side of this lovely blog to show where I am in relationship to my start stats and goal stats for weight, BMI, and size. I can't wait for the numbers to teeter the other way! I've decided that I want to make an intermediate goal to weigh 225 pounds by 3/17/09....just in time for MIAMI! That will also be the time to celebrate losing 10% of my current body mass (25 pounds). If I could keep this level of motivation for the next 3 months, it wouldn't be a problem. HOWEVER, my track record states otherwise. My biggest hump is always at that 2 month mark. Either I start getting persuaded to drink after work daily or grab a burger & sweet potato fries from Elephant & Castle at lunch.... etc. BUT NOT THIS TIME! That's where you all come in! I appreciate any comments, jabs, motivation or tips that you have to offer. :)

Now time to sleep....another part of the equation I haven't been paying enough attention to this week. (Hence why this post isn't quite so zippy)

XOXO Feisty Kitty

Motivation Interchangable with MIAMI!!!!

Upon request, I am dedicating this blog to motivation. More specifically, I am dedicating this blog to my trip to Miami scheduled for this upcoming March 2010. MIAMI!!!!! I am actually pretty surprised that I have made it to the age of 26 without stepping foot in a night club in Miami or South Beach. Then again, I've been broke for approximately 26 years so.....nevermind!

Isn't it crazy how much easier it is to stay on track when we coerce ourselves by dangling some form of carrot in front of our face (or in my case a hot pink dress with 4" heels for Miami) or some form of kick in the ass (or in my case, K-Dogg punching me in the face if I don't stay on track). Either way I can't fully emphasize enough how much motivation helps. In 2007 I lost 25 pounds and I give all of the credit to this little calendar I put on the wall. By hand I tracked the weight I was losing with a sharpee on poster board against my desired weight loss trend. Now, these are the days before I new free fitday.com existed, so excuse my cave-women like plan. However, it really made me focus on what I was doing and whether enough I was making the correct choices. Now I must say, it's nice to have that poster tucked away in the internet where I don't have to have it out for the world to see.... especially since I'm reemerging into the dating world. Good luck trying to explain a giant weight loss poster board on the wall while trying to exude confidence.

So to make a REALLY LONG story a little bit shorter... I am making a list of my major motivations to lose weight so that I can look back and reflect during difficult times to come. After all, I am doing this for myself and I better keep those carrots out ahead!!!

1. Being fit
2. Being healthy
3. BIKINIS!
4. Going to North Ave Beach this summer and playing volleyball
5. Having a vertical when I play vball at North Ave
6. Being able to shop at normal people stores
7. No longer having an X in front of the Large on my shirt size (Or both xx's actually)
8. Having a healthy BMI
9. Being able to run a couple 5K's & 8K's this summer
10. The way my ass looks in a pair of tight jeans when it's fit
11. Being more comfortable
12. Having much more energy
13. Being able to look sexy in Miami on vacation!

Ok - so I normally can rattle of like 100 good ideas but for some reason I'm sorta drawing a blank. This post will have a Part II when I'm feelin it more.


Fabulous February:
One thing I'm looking forward to in February are the Bar Method Class. The Bar Method uses small controlled movements to firm up. I've only heard great reviews from friends and co-workers that have gone. See the link below for a free class! Sweet! They had a location in Lakeview and now there is one that has opened in the loop (180 N Wacker). They also have a sweet 1st timers rate of $100 for an entire month unlimited....hence February. I like making myself excited for the COLDEST month in Chicago!
http://www.chicagobarmethod.com/friend/

Also - bought an Ugli fruit today at Whole Foods...not to be confused with Ugly. But seriously, this fruit has some aesthetic issues! It is apparently a Jamaician tangelo. It looked interesting and not as intimidating as the Buddha's Hand, so I figured I'd give it a try.





Tata for now!
~Futurely Fabulous Feisty Kitty

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

So, I want to share something that wow'd my mind last week. K-Dogg enlightened me that due to how our bodies work, we can only lose a certain amount of weight per week. So I persisted to ask what if I worked out in the gym for 3 hours a day burned like 1500 calories extra per day? Wouldn't I lose an extra 1/2 pound per day? Apparently no..... WHAT?!?!? Followed by a few choice words. SO here is the deal. Apparently if you end up burning too many calories per day or working out too much, your metabolism slows down to make up for the quick use of calories. SO apparently all these years everyone that has said you must lose weight slowly (like 2 pounds per week) to keep it off was really telling the truth. Huh. *Sigh* Well, most people are probably responding with "no shit". But what can I say, I just thought is was a simple math equation. Weight lost equals calories in minus calories out. But apparently our bodies are much more complex than that. So I have dedicated 2010 to a year of health and fitness. I would like to remind myself that in my past life I was one of the most fit out of my friends. However, currently that is most definitely not the case. Well here goes nothing 2010.

Plan: Eat 1200 calories per day, tapering carbs after lunch.

Breakfast: 350 calories including granola and skim milk with either fruit or low fat protein, Tea or coffee + Daily Vitamin

Midmorning Snack: Protein & Fruit - Kefir and a piece of Fruit

Lunch: 2 cups of greens with dried fruit+nuts+veggies, 1 to 1-1/2 cups of broth based soup, whole wheat grains (pasta, crackers, quinoa, brown rice, etc), additional protein (chicken sausage), WATER

Dinner: 3-4 ounces of lean protein (salmon, scallops, chicken, shrimp (YUM)) along with a side of 1-2 cups of steamed veggies including olive oil and/or shredded parmesan....fat calories dependent

Goals:
1. 1200 Calories per day...but listen to my body if I need slightly more.
2. Keep my fat calorie intake to under 30%. (THANK YOU FITDAY.COM!!!!)
3. Lose 2 pounds per week.
4. Go to the gym 6 days per week with a minimum of 5 days per week.
5. Stay away from empty calories and sugar
6. Log my food intake and workouts daily on fitday.com

Weekly Workout Regime:
Day 1 :
20 minutes running
35 mins bag/rope
20 mins upper weights
30 minutes cardio

Day 2:
30 minutes running
25 minutes lower ab training
40 minutes cardio

Day 3:
10 minutes warm-up (Heart rate at 130)
20 minutes of intervals (top heart rate at 170 during 30 second sprints then 1 minute run/walk at 150)
35 minutes bag/rope

Day 4:
30 minutes running
30 minutes upper weights
40 minutes cardio

Day 5:
10 minute warm-up
25 minutes lower abs workout
30 minutes cardio

Day 6:
20 minutes running
10 minutes abs 3
30 minutes rope/stairs

One important thing I have to remind myself is that since I'm just starting out again, I can't expect to run the full 20 or 30 minutes. So I need to keep an eye on my heart rate and complete run/walk cycles with intervals. As long as I keep my heart rate at around 150 while completing intervals I am making changes. After all, when I complete these workouts with my fit friend, she ends up with the same heart rate when she runs as I do run/walking. One day, I'll have to run the whole thing too.....the price for being more fit! Until that day!

So peace out yo-yo dieting and weight loss/weight gain cycles. It's about time I lost the weight for good! So sayonara extra weight and hello new kitty... Feisty Healthy Kitty!!! :)

FRESH BEGINNING - Fitness & Diet: Will 2010 be a pivotal year?

I've been struggling internally with the same issues and problems since I can remember. I've alwasy been able to find a way to make my life fulfilling and exciting, but in a way where I only reach contentment. I can think back to at least 10 times in my life where I reached HUGE milestones, such as graduating from my undergraduate and graduate programs, and saying that everything is going well....except.... if only I lost weight. Well, guess what....it's not a slow metabolism or a troubled thyroid. It's that I have bad habits and need to change my ways. So, I've decided to take full advantage of the fact that I live with K-Dogg, my Golden Glove winning ex-Amateur boxing roommate, who just happens to be one of the most fit people I know with an abundance of health and wellness knowledge. She has devised a workout and diet regimen and I'm going to follow as well. After all, what changes will I make that will cause 2010 to be a pivotal year? Or will I be stuck in the same position January 1, 2011 reviewing my yearly goals, seeing weight loss, and getting more depressed. OF COURSE NOT. They don't call me Fiesty Kittie for no reason!!!

Peace out for now,
Fiesty Kitty