Not So Comfortable After All

Turns out those gym guys are intimidating afterall.<br /><br />Monday I attempted a gym visit <i>solo </i>to do the NROLW.  I started out with 30 min on the elliptical to warm up.  Once I was finished with the warm up, I headed over to the area where Joel and I were working on Saturday.  As soon as I saw all the meat heads, I kept on walking.  I couldn't do it.  I already don't feel like I belong in a gym as it is, and to walk over to the weights section and attempt that with all those thick-necked, oversize armed men, I couldn't do it.<br /><br />I tried to tell myself to get it together as I walked around the gym, and that it was no big deal - those guys had to start from somewhere as well!  Still, I couldn't do it.<br /><br />Then I thought, "Ok, I'll try the all female side of the gym."  That's one cool thing about this Gold's (<i>perhaps this is the norm at all Gold's?</i>), it has a section of the gym just for women - it's closed off and everything.  This is for people like me who are intimidated by all the man meat.<br /><br />Actually, it's not for people like me. <br /><br />Because as soon as I walked into that side, I panicked again.  There were other women in there doing their thing - looking buff and fit as though they are professionals - and I couldn't do it there either.  Ugh...Hilary.<br /><br />So I left.  <br /><br />Last night, Joel and I planned to try that workout together at the gym, but I had a bad day at work and I couldn't bring myself to go (or do much of anything actually).<br /><br />Tonight, after my Weight Watcher meeting and Joel's doctor appointment, we're going to try again.  <br /><br />There should be no excuses tonight not to go.  Yes, I am still a little afraid to go and attempt these workouts again, but this time I'll have Joel by my side.<br /><br />For the lady readers, are you ever intimidated at the gym?  How do you handle it?  Please don't tell me you, too, panic and run out :).

New Rules of Lifting for Women Weight Loss Challenges Not So Comfortable After All

Turns out those gym guys are intimidating afterall.Monday I attempted a gym visit solo to do the NROLW.  I started out with 30 min on the elliptical to warm up.  Once I was finished with the warm up, I headed over to the area where Joel and I were wo…

Read more »

A Very Active Saturday

On Saturday, Joel and I did our first NROLW workout in the gym.  I enjoyed this SO much better.  <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Rules%20of%20Lifting%20for%20Women">You might remember</a> how I was scared to go to the gym to do these workouts because of all the super buff gym guys.  Well, we did great - steadily making our way through the workouts. <br /><br />Though Joel did get a little self conscious about me toting around a book about lifting for women.  I guess it's okay to be doing these workouts privately in our own home, but he was none to pleased with me "flashing the book around" on Saturday "like a tourist".  Hehe... sorry J-J.  Next time we'll be taking pics of the gym workouts and referencing our cell phones instead of the book :).  Problem solved!<br /><br />We both started out with 30 min on the elliptical, followed by Workout B (Stage 1).   After the gym, Joel and his cousin decided they wanted to meet up to go fishing at a nearby state park.  I decided to go along, since we would be kayaking, and I figured it was a great way to add more activity to my day while still having fun with Joel and his cousin.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW3ZDcPTyePnH8ivssIGFeUR8IGsPOYbQHdzNJvo2_13B7qeFHQajI0FlYTvAdZi6H5bJ8-UlPgkm7dzi0uoqkkIIPARkZ5AGsir9qJjVMSIQdiaEJJSO777fOb7vZrIlrlQpBM8ybFg/s1600/Hil+Kayaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW3ZDcPTyePnH8ivssIGFeUR8IGsPOYbQHdzNJvo2_13B7qeFHQajI0FlYTvAdZi6H5bJ8-UlPgkm7dzi0uoqkkIIPARkZ5AGsir9qJjVMSIQdiaEJJSO777fOb7vZrIlrlQpBM8ybFg/s400/Hil+Kayaking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was rather humid out on the water</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnW1PWeDniqIzHE0lOwTP7G-dxd5yxLmj4HZWyKLlkUMcGrxDrpoVB_Xn5YTD0hJW8jpb_Lj__OSdmcZJwQGGN3rfMYUwgxcEPeiC76E9oyKMTjclablTeeLLqJEzioJRPZjON7C3DGgU/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnW1PWeDniqIzHE0lOwTP7G-dxd5yxLmj4HZWyKLlkUMcGrxDrpoVB_Xn5YTD0hJW8jpb_Lj__OSdmcZJwQGGN3rfMYUwgxcEPeiC76E9oyKMTjclablTeeLLqJEzioJRPZjON7C3DGgU/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Joel and his cousin, Jonathan, both have Hobie kayaks.  They are geared toward fishermen, and as you can see, you sit on top of it, rather than down inside.  They have these really neat foot pedals and a rudder to guide you around.  I love Joel's kayak - you have the option of either paddling the traditional way, or pedaling, and both are a great workout.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuZRJ96egOG9GBXFwZI0uweTaby3Kwox48H7QpZpxPwwSGSiVfwllZ7JLcqy2Vx4qO8CaxLMYQ4IKDWbbfgqnciSU50208fEXNimTPy9aHdkyK3OzFG015t-PGJ5c9rpWEpNp0sHLbeg/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuZRJ96egOG9GBXFwZI0uweTaby3Kwox48H7QpZpxPwwSGSiVfwllZ7JLcqy2Vx4qO8CaxLMYQ4IKDWbbfgqnciSU50208fEXNimTPy9aHdkyK3OzFG015t-PGJ5c9rpWEpNp0sHLbeg/s400/026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many large mouth bass caught that day by both him and his cousin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv24yD8dRn-Q429WdhBHgaExFLvl4cA6YrJLwa513qKrrA0qIKGOZ4HMj8vT_51CVHOMscE2FNBj_RflraK96s9UKsIgg_pVCrd_6dlwpUpoOdeLX1ERgrmyJPmK0AjNZzm_yj6F0jnfs/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv24yD8dRn-Q429WdhBHgaExFLvl4cA6YrJLwa513qKrrA0qIKGOZ4HMj8vT_51CVHOMscE2FNBj_RflraK96s9UKsIgg_pVCrd_6dlwpUpoOdeLX1ERgrmyJPmK0AjNZzm_yj6F0jnfs/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan is Joel's 5th "brother" - they are the best of friends</td></tr></tbody></table>What did you do this weekend?  Were you able to incorporate any activity AND fun into your plans?

Exercise New Rules of Lifting for Women Success A Very Active Saturday

On Saturday, Joel and I did our first NROLW workout in the gym.  I enjoyed this SO much better.  You might remember how I was scared to go to the gym to do these workouts because of all the super buff gym guys.  Well, we did great - steadily making o…

Read more »

September Goals and a Chai Tea Recipe

3 weeks in a row of losses! Yay!!<br /><br />Oh hey - notice something a little different?  :)  While my old layout wasn't bad, black wasn't exactly the most chipper color.  I <3 purple, and so I present to you a new layout.  I hope you find it a little more refreshing/inviting.<br /><br />It's time for me to think about what I want to work on for the month of September.<br /><br /><ol><li>Have an average of 4 days of activity per week instead of the 3 that I had for August.</li><li>Track what I did for activity, how often I did it, and for how long.</li><li>Track the days that I've stayed On Plan.</li><li>Add 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables into my daily menu.  <i>This is up from August's goal of just 1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day.</i></li><li>Continue on with the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/staying-on-track-with-august-goals.html">New Rules of Lifting for Women</a>.<i> </i></li><li>Continue reading <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/staying-on-track-with-august-goals.html">The Beck Diet Solution</a>.</li><li>Set a weekly goal for myself that I will determine on Monday's.  Thanks <a href="http://www.1year100pounds.com/">Ryan</a>!</li></ol>These goals are all similar to that of August with a few tweaks.  Since I had success with this in August, losing a total of 3.6 pounds, I want to keep setting attainable goals for September.  <br /><br />I am a lover of tea.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, my favorite tea variety is the chai.  I particularly like the spiced chai flavor.  Now, I frequent Starbucks a lot, and they serve a chai that is a liquid version.  I love this chai, but I don't love the 7 Points+ value for a venti skim.  While I can almost afford those Points+ now, I know I won't be able to as time goes on.  Still, I like the liquid chai for it's creaminess, a consistency I cannot seem to achieve using just half and half and chai tea bags.  Until now!<br /><br />Enter: Coffeehouse Chai Latte.  This is yet another recipe from <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/Eat%20What%20You%20Love">Eat What You Love</a>.  I'm not sure how/why this tea tastes so great but perhaps you can figure it out by the ingredients:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkcgZttoiBKDsCqSU4XkP6Mk_QqcRhUpQrZsdw-3NoAtKRSZLapfl7PT6A8NTgjV1RDnVJosW3j3n0Sg4noqhvb9pzD0RJLaWaf39ILD2La08DcIiF7nBjUPHQqL7uoB-Z4UUvz0upbE/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkcgZttoiBKDsCqSU4XkP6Mk_QqcRhUpQrZsdw-3NoAtKRSZLapfl7PT6A8NTgjV1RDnVJosW3j3n0Sg4noqhvb9pzD0RJLaWaf39ILD2La08DcIiF7nBjUPHQqL7uoB-Z4UUvz0upbE/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><ul><li>1/2 c. fat free evaporated milk</li><li>1 1/2 c. water</li><li>3 packets of Sweet 'n Low</li><li>2 individual chai tea bags</li><li>1 tsp honey</li></ul><blockquote>Combine the evaporated milk, water and Sweet 'n Low packets together in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir frequently, so as not to scorch the milk.  As the liquid begins to simmer, add the tea bags and allow to steep for 3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Remove tea bags from liquid.  Add the honey.  </blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9ZRZ-foyl1611OBXxos5qhah2TtsvBSgVnGcj-WkabV0WkrXwq3IMiHyS02y2SeG98x5kmpeBUHOPfyxssG2ok8-1L_TD7aMr-tgTLA3aTAewY4lmiFivuK_D3uoug4PhVSsJZ3djUw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9ZRZ-foyl1611OBXxos5qhah2TtsvBSgVnGcj-WkabV0WkrXwq3IMiHyS02y2SeG98x5kmpeBUHOPfyxssG2ok8-1L_TD7aMr-tgTLA3aTAewY4lmiFivuK_D3uoug4PhVSsJZ3djUw/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is supposed to make 2 servings at 1 cup each.  This entire concoction makes just 1 for me :).  This delicious chai only costs me 4 Points+, as opposed to the 7 from the Starbucks version.  Winning!<br /><br />Do you have any beverages that you cannot go without on your weight loss journey?

Eat What You Love goals Loss New Rules of Lifting for Women The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watcher Recipes Weight Watchers September Goals and a Chai Tea Recipe

3 weeks in a row of losses! Yay!!Oh hey - notice something a little different?  :)  While my old layout wasn't bad, black wasn't exactly the most chipper color.  I It's time for me to think about what I want to work on for the month of September.Have…

Read more »

How I Did on August Goals

At last! A month where I've actually met most of my goals :).<br /><br />This is what I said I'd do for August:<br /><br />1. <b>Print out and post my goals on my desk at work and on the fridge.</b> <i> I did do this at my desk at work.  I never remembered to print them out for my fridge.</i><br /><br />2.  <b>Begin the <a href="http://www.priorfatgirl.com/2011/07/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-as-a-group.html">New Rules of Lifting for Women Challenge offered by Jen at the Priorfatgirl.com</a></b>.  <i>Joel and I both started this near the beginning of August and we're still going!</i><br /><br />3.  <b>Incorporate 1 fruit and 1 vegetable into each meal every single day, and keep track of how often I meet this goal.</b>  <i>Of the 31 days in August, 21 of those days were spent eating at least 1 serving of fruits and/or vegetables.  I'm happy with this!  I'm not good at eating my fruits/veggies at all.</i><br /><br />4. <b>Keep track of how many days I attended the gym, for how long, and what I did while there</b>.  <i>I did 15 days of activity for an average of 38.9 minutes at a time.  This was mainly  a combo of the weight training and Wii activity.</i><br /><br />5. <b>Track and stay on plan at least 5 days per week</b> <b>- and actually keep track of whether or not I've done this</b>. <i>I tracked for 18 of the 31 days.  </i><br /><br />I'm really satisfied with how I did on these goals for August.  I definitely plan to keep up my worksheets on how often I achieve #'s 3-5 for September. <br /><br />I'll post the September goals tomorrow!

goals New Rules of Lifting for Women Weight Loss Weight Loss Challenges How I Did on August Goals

At last! A month where I've actually met most of my goals :).This is what I said I'd do for August:1. Print out and post my goals on my desk at work and on the fridge.  I did do this at my desk at work.  I never remembered to print them out for my f…

Read more »

Official Weigh In & Week 2 Challenge Updates

This morning I weighed in at 255.8!  That means I officially met my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">first goal</a>!  I'm down a total of 8 lbs and today I picked up the <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/2EC398vHy15QEeuA2gp2AqlCpANwFMYL">Wii Just Dance 2 video game</a>.  I'm excited to include this into my weekly workout routine. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/images/cover/other/Just%20Dance%202%20-%20U.S%20Ver%20%28Wii%29%20cover%20front%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/images/cover/other/Just%20Dance%202%20-%20U.S%20Ver%20%28Wii%29%20cover%20front%201.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/items/wii/o0109-detail.htm">Source</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr><br /> </tbody></table>I really hope that the weight is coming off <i>mainly </i>because of the consistent weight training I've been doing over the last 2 weeks now, and not due to <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/so-there-was-earthquake-today.html">this past week's events</a>.  <br /><br />Either way, a loss is a loss! :)<br /><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/starting-weekend-off-right.html">To continue on with the Beck challenge</a> from Priorfatgirl, here are some additional things I've been working on:<br /><br /><ol><li><b>Find a diet coach.</b>  This person will be our motivator and personal cheerleader during our weight loss journey.  They could be a therapist, spouse, family member, friend, anyone... just as long as you have someone to stay accountable to.  My diet coach is <a href="http://60lessat40.blogspot.com/">Leslie</a> - thank you again for volunteering to be my d.c.! :)</li><br /> <li><b>Arrange your environment.</b>  This includes ideas such as start eating your meals on smaller size plates to cleaning out your cabinets and pitching all junk food and trigger foods.  Be sure to make it known to people that you are on a healthiness journey so that hopefully they don't sabotage you in some way, and also try some creative problem solving - such as not allowing any candy in the house what so ever.  I've used the plate trick for years and I love it.  </li><br /> <li><b>Create time and energy.</b>  Make a schedule for yourself.  Schedule in time for yourself to get healthy, whether that means putting exercise on  your calendar or allotting time to meal plan or whatever it is you need to do to stay on track with your weight loss journey.  In other words, figure out your priorities and schedule those first, then put all the extraneous stuff in where it fits (<i>if </i>it fits!).  When I sat down to make my workweek schedule and weekend schedule, a feeling of relief came over me.  Finally, I can see in black/white what I should be doing and when.  I can see that I have plenty of time to get everything done that I want to achieve each day.  Having it written down really helped me organize my thoughts and relieved some stress to be honest.  Try it!</li><br /> <li><b>Select an exercise plan.</b>  MWF for me is the NROLW.  Tuesday is a gym visit.  Thursday is a Wii active game.  If I decide to go to the gym on Saturday as a bonus, I will.  Sunday's are always meant to be a day of rest :).</li><br /> <li><b>Set a realistic goal.</b>  Beck doesn't want us focusing on anything more than 5 lbs goals.  <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">My goals page</a> has been updated to reflect my rewards for each goal.  I think this is a great idea, because originally I had been focusing on 10 lbs losses, and as you can see on the left, my weight loss hasn't exactly been moving along so drastically.  The 5 lbs goals seem much more attainable to me.</li><br /> <li><b>Differentiate between Hunger, Desire and Cravings.</b>  For one full day, keep track of how you feel before, during and after a meal.  On a scale of 0 - 10, where 0 is not hungry at all, and 10 is you're the hungriest you've ever been, rate yourself for one day.  I plan to try this out tomorrow.  This is by far the thing I struggle with the most - I often eat out of boredom!</li><br /> </ol>The <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Rules%20of%20Lifting%20for%20Women">NROLW</a> is going great guys!  I haven't missed a workout yet and Joel is still participating as well.  In just the 2 short weeks I've been doing this, I've already seen true growth in my strength - in some cases I've already moved from 5 lbs weights to 15 lbs weights.   I'm definitely proud.  Soon, we'll be able to move back into the gym to start doing these workouts.<br /><br />I hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend!  To those of you on the east coast, I hope you and your families are able to stay safe during <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5-daynl">Irene</a>!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/581574main_image_2043_946-710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/581574main_image_2043_946-710.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2043.html">Source</a>. I've heard Irene is the width of Maryland to St Louis, MO!</td></tr><br /> </tbody></table><br />

Loss New Rules of Lifting for Women Success The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Weight Watchers Official Weigh In & Week 2 Challenge Updates

This morning I weighed in at 255.8!  That means I officially met my first goal!  I'm down a total of 8 lbs and today I picked up the Wii Just Dance 2 video game.  I'm excited to include this into my weekly workout routine.  Source.   I really hope t…

Read more »

Starting the Weekend Off Right!

You saw me <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/lets-say-it-all-together-folks.html">complaining on Thursday</a> about my gain at the Weight Watchers meeting on Wednesday evening.  Well, even though I don't count that weigh in as my official weigh in, it still hurt.<br /><br />Friday's are my official weigh in days.  They have been for years.  Yes, years.  I've been a WW member for years folks (even though I'm 27, I've been doing it off and on since high school!).  So today is Friday.  Today was my weigh in.  Today I lost 1 pound!<br /><br /><b>I'm proud of myself for this.</b>  Now, my scale is slightly different from that of the WW scale so it's not comparing apples to apples.  Still, I'm just happy to have a loss of a pound.  If all I ever drop is a pound a week for a year, then that's 52 pounds gone at the end of a year and I'd be VERY okay with that!  <br /><br />I also wanted to share some updates on the 2 challenges I'm doing with some lovely ladies over at the <a href="http://www.priorfatgirl.com/">Priorfatgirl.com</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/staying-on-track-with-august-goals.html">The first challenge is the New Rules of Lifting for Women</a>.  I just started my first week on this challenge, and so far so good!  Even though I'm a member at Gold's, I wanted to do these workouts in the comfort of my living room before I take my inexperienced and insecure booty to the gym to do them in front of the Meat Heads.  Even though I'd have Joel by my side the whole time, and he says he even feels insecure, I'm just not ready yet.  But I will be soon!  Did I mention Joel is doing this with me?  That is one reason why I love Joel so much.  He's not afraid that this book is specifically titled "for Women".  After all, the author states that women are fully capable of lifting the same amount of weight as men do (or something to that effect).  We've done 2 workouts so far and have gotten great results.  Great = sore.  Sore = muscle building.  Muscle building = success.  Go us!<br /><br />The second challenge is the Beck Diet Solution.  This isn't actually a diet, it's simply a cognitive behavioral therapy book that helps you become aware of your behaviors with food.  Each day you are asked to focus on one behavioral aspect.  For example, so far this week we've been asked to do the following:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7s8LIffcI7E5GRmuIrsVoI0NFs_vn-a0M6yCmrFZZ43YQMTzVCiQSnzUf-_Ihcw9mg_rrvG_DncC7qpeNjVVApKQm0cots1pXw2ldfhyphenhyphenzYHo0B1UAP1ysiIgyZ2t0AP4JKI60T3ZgyU/s1600/blog%2521+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7s8LIffcI7E5GRmuIrsVoI0NFs_vn-a0M6yCmrFZZ43YQMTzVCiQSnzUf-_Ihcw9mg_rrvG_DncC7qpeNjVVApKQm0cots1pXw2ldfhyphenhyphenzYHo0B1UAP1ysiIgyZ2t0AP4JKI60T3ZgyU/s400/blog%2521+004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The supplies for the Beck challenge: post it's, 3x5 index cards, a notebook (not pictured) and the book itself.  Things not needed: the Halloween cat (also known as Charles).</td></tr><br /> </tbody></table><br /><blockquote>1. <b>Write down the advantages of losing weight.</b>  This is clearly a subjective assignment.  What do <i>you </i>think are advantages for <i>you </i>for losing weight?<br /><br />2. <b>Pick 2 reasonable diets. </b>I've struggled with identifying a second diet.  My first pick is Weight Watchers.  I'm struggling between simple calorie counting, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/biggest-loser-diet">the Biggest Loser diet</a>, or this one I've been reading about from Elle at the Priorfatgirl, call <a href="http://www.cynthiasass.com/the-cinch-book.html">the Cinch diet</a>.  Any ideas?  I'm a very picky eater so not a lot of eating plans work for me.<br /><br />3. <b>Eat sitting down.</b>  Self explanatory.  The idea is that you're not shoving food in your mouth while you're making it.  Only enjoy eating the food when sitting down, which if you're sitting down it probably means the meal is ready to be eaten in its entirety, not just in bits and pieces while you're preparing it.  I actually don't struggle with this at all (unless I'm baking cookies!).<br /><br />4. <b>Give yourself credit.</b>  Were you able to resist the offer of take out from your favorite Korean restaurant when your boyfriend texted you saying he could <i>easily </i>swing buy and bring that home for dinner?  Yes, I was!  Well, I'm just gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back then Miss Thang.<br /><br />5. <b>Eat slowly and mindfully.</b>  If you're inhaling your food, chances are you're not really enjoying it and savoring the taste.  Not only that, but you may find yourself hungry an hour later because you practically swallowed that turkey breast roast whole in t-minus 5 minutes!  Try to have a sit down meal at your dinner table, without the TV on or without the computer sitting in front of you.  The gist is to minimize the distractions while eating.  Dr. Beck gives tips for those who have small children that need tending to during/after you as the parent have finished your meal. Again, not something I struggle with but it's still good to be mindful of it anyhow.</blockquote>I'm really enjoying both of these challenges so far.  If you are participating in either of these challenges, or have participated, how did they work for you?<br /><br />Best wishes to everyone for a lovely weekend! :)<br /><br />

New Rules of Lifting for Women The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watchers Starting the Weekend Off Right!

You saw me complaining on Thursday about my gain at the Weight Watchers meeting on Wednesday evening.  Well, even though I don't count that weigh in as my official weigh in, it still hurt.Friday's are my official weigh in days.  They have been for ye…

Read more »