Weight Loss - one step at a time (3 simple steps to start)

Hello all!  In this post I am sharing what my current status and goals are, and a little further down 3 simple steps to get you started with your weight loss goals.

So I have a goal to lose 50 pounds by July 1st, 2014; that's about 10 pounds per month.  My eating habits have improved greatly since the holidays and now I am getting back to incorporating exercise.
First off I am searching for food options I don't have to cook or prep.  Right now I prep about 75% of my meals and I would like to bring the number down to at least 50%.  I currently prep about 3 times per week because unfortunately I share a fridge with 2 other people so as you can imagine, it gets pretty crowded in there.  Food prep takes time for me, and it's time away from working out.  I'm looking into some healthy, low-calorie frozen options which I can just nuke in the microwave, and of course keep some live food options (raw fruits/veggies) for snacks and weekends.

I'm not a fan of working out.  I would prefer to lose weight by taking naps if I could (hehehe) but that's not gonna work, at least not for my goals.  So I'm taking it back to when I first moved out here.  Back in December 2012 when I first moved to San Diego I walked A LOT.  I wanted to learn the lay of the land so walking helped me discover some "go-to" places.  I walked up and down the city of San Diego and lost 10 pounds in about 3 months, just from walking and cutting soda, and juice out (without changing my eating habits).  I figured if I could lose 10 pounds just from that, imagine how much more I could lose if I ate better and exercised more.  So I joined Beachbody and lost another 12 pounds in about 2 months (22 pounds lost as of July 2013).  My weight fluctuated since the holidays but I'm aiming to get back on track. I have been walking 2 nights per week for 20-30 minutes, and 2 other times per week doing Focus T25.  In a previous post I mentioned which were my favorite workouts from T25 (you get a bunch of different DVD's with the program), so I alternate those.  In addition, I recently purchased a sauna suit to help me sweat more when I'm "working out".  I wear it when I walk and when I'm doing T25.  I've been doing this for about a week and already noticed my belly feels a lot less bloated.  Here is the suit I purchased:

Just an FYI, I read in the reviews the suits run a little small, so get a bigger size.  I am between a 2x and 3x, and bought a 4x.  It fits me big but not uncomfortably so.

So if you're looking to lose weight but don't know where to start, start one step at a time:

2013 wrap-up

Hello all!  We are 46 days away from the New Year!  2013 was filled with many blessings and transformations.  I share in a previous post how I took a leap of faith and turned my life right-side up.  16 days from today will mark my 1 year anniversary since changing my life and moving here to San Diego.  I don't know yet how I'm going to celebrate but I will keep you posted!

Once November started I felt my energy shifting into "hibernation" mode.  I was feeling kind of stuck and indecisive.  Once the time changed, it just felt like the darkness was lingering longer and I am such a sun worshiper that it makes me a little sad.  It's so easy to put yourself into a pit of fear and despair; so easy for me to do to myself.  But thankfully I have some great resources to help me stay focused on my goals.  I always turn back to my Magical Manifestor notes and training for guidance.  I am also working with Laura Yamin of Joyful Shimmy on a 21-day "fear detox".  She's such an inspiration, overall great listener and extremely supportive.  I highly recommend working with her.  I recently also began following one of the people from my MM class, Martine Holston, who wrote this powerful post on taking action when it seems like you have no control over a situation.  It really hit home because sometimes it's so hard for me to make a decision, especially when it's something that worries me.

My job responsibilities will be winding down soon, so I'll have more ME time to focus on my goals.  I am 100% focused and dedicated to "getting it done" as Shaun T would say!

Re-cap on my status:

Happy October! Week 9 T25 + Vegan Update!

Hellooo everyone!  I'm super happy it's October!  I love October, mainly for Halloween (best day ever!).  I have tons of juicy updates for you! I've been so busy with LIFE!  I started a new job and just recently interviewed for another position, so it seems like a lot of opportunities are coming my way.  I've been playing catch-up with everything, including my posts, but am glad to finally have a little break to let you know everything that's been happening.

It's the Fall now and I definitely felt the shift right before it happened.  I felt the days growing a little darker sooner, I felt more tired, have been feeling more drained than ever.  Also on the emotional front I've been feeling a little restless and like I'm "almost there"; like on the cusp of something (not sure yet what that is). I just entered on Monday, my 9th week of Focus T25.  I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already!  Actually it's been 10 since I began but I wasn't feeling so great one week, so I decided to do that corresponding week over.  The workout itself is my favorite so far.  There are so many days when I get home from work exhausted and decide to take it easy and rest.  I figure I should give myself a break from a hard day.  Then there's this tiny voice that says "cmon, you should really work out", and then I respond "but I'm SO TIRED", then the voice goes "It's only 25 minutes, just try your best", and that usually does the trick for me.  I play the DVD's on my laptop, so what I do is place a piece of paper over the screen to cover the timer.  I don't like watching the countdown because it feels like time moves slower then.  When I don't look at the time, the workout flies by and I feel amazing when I finish. Some days I am so tired that I only do about 15 minutes, but I don't feel bad because I figure something is better than nothing. My favorite Focus T25 DVD's (all included) are: Alpha stage: Cardio, Speed 1.0, Stretch Beta stage: Core Cardio, Speed 2.0 (MY FAV!), Upper Focus, and Core Speed.  They each have a lot of modifications if you're just starting out, and the best part is when you're consistent with the workouts you'll eventually find that some things which were hard at first become progressively easier.

I haven't weighed or measured myself. I actually decided last month to take a break from doing that. It may work for some people but it doesn't for me. I hate feeling like a slave to the numbers when it's really about the feeling for me. I don't want to let the numbers on a scale or measuring tape define me or my body. I am much more than a body. I feel myself losing weight; my clothes fit much looser, I have an easier time doing things like running after my bus when I'm late, and having more stamina to do things. I tried measuring myself week to week and weighing myself, but realized the numbers were controlling me. I discuss my "ego trip" and negative thought patterns and behaviors in my last post "I forgive myself for being fat". Whenever I weighed myself it was like opening a door I did not want to deal with. If the numbers were higher than the last time, my self-esteem would be momentarily destroyed. If the numbers were lower than before, they weren't low enough. I just thought it was too much to deal with, so I choose to focus on how I feel rather than how much I weigh or how much weight I'm losing.

Actually I will be honest with you and say that I've been looking at myself naked more often and....

yea...

I made this pic collage of my week 1 and week 9, and also the fact that I can actually fit in the door frame comfortably, whereas with week 1 I wasn't able to.  I still have a hard time seeing the physical changes in these pictures, but oh well, here you go!

As for Veganism, if you're just tuning in to my randomness now, I previously discussed taking a Vegan approach to my weight loss (check "Going Vegan") and needless to say I fucked up, and that's OK.  I'm not meant to be a Vegan, at least not at the moment.  I'm not a big meat eater and thankfully dairy is no longer a vice, but you have to have a lot of patience to be a Vegan.  You gotta be religiously aware of what you're consuming and the best option is to prepare your own meals.  As I've stated before, I am not a fan of cooking and I just don't care to cook.  I usually prepare 3 meals per 7-days, in large quantities to last me for a couple of days for lunch and dinner. But after a while I just get bored of the same thing, and I'm just lazy.  I'd rather buy frozen foods and just heat them up.  I know it's great to cook your own meals but I commute about 3 hours total, per day, by the time I get home I barely have the energy to keep up with life, let alone working out.  I think my next endeavor with consumption will be juicing.  I really like Shakeology and would love to do a juicing detox soon, before the new year.

Speaking of which, we are less than 3 months away from 2014!  I've come so far and have accomplished so much; I'm at the home stretch and want to really focus my energy on the last few 2013 goals, which are:

1) Get my driver's license

2) Blast the belly bulge (would love to reduce it by half before the new year)

3) Finalize some short-term career goals, which include solidifying a position with a great salary

4) Create a plan of action for my writing goals

5) Would love to be in a solid relationship, at least starting out

I'm thankful I have my Magical Manifesters lesson plans to guide me through the last bit of 2013.

Whew!  I know that was a lot to take in, but hopefully you laughed, you cried, and you'll be back for more!  Till next time!

P.S: Check me out on Joyful Shimmy!  I was interviewed by my great friend and sister, Laura Yamin, on my journey from East to West (almost 1 year ago!).  Check it out and let me know what you think!


By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!

Meat Epiphany

So I went out to dinner with some friends on Thursday, and chose to use that as one of my "sinner" days (you can check out my "Saint/Sinner" tactic HERE).  I couldn't resist the smell of burgers in the air (I love me some burgers), so I ordered a "mushroom burger" with fries.  It had beef, swiss cheese, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and raw red onions.  It was so good but because I've become a little bit more aware of what I eat and how I eat, I realized I was more about the cheese, onions, and mushrooms than I was about the actual meat.  And now that I think about it, I've always picked off "excess" meat off of my sandwiches; I'm just not a big meat eater.  You know when you get a sandwich from a deli, they'll put 5 layers of meat and 1 layer of cheese?  Well I hate that and I would always tell them to put a little meat and more of other things.  Or when you eat a Philly Cheesesteak it has loads of steak and a trickle of onions, etc...I prefer all the other stuff over the actual meat. 

So right as I was about to take another bite of my burger I realized, this meal would actually taste the same even if I removed the beef.  Why?  Beacuse for me I like the taste of the char and juice of the meat on the bun, then enhanced by the flavors of the other grilled elements (onions, mushrooms, cheese).  I removed the remaining bit of patty (I had already eaten 75% of it) and yea I can deal with a burger (hold the patty) from now on.  This is great because even though it's not fully vegan/vegetarian, I can atleast have a meatless option when I go out with friends, instead of getting stuck with ordering a salad.

Also just to let you know, about an hour after I ate the burger my stomach took a turn for the worst.  I haven't had meat in 6 days prior to having the burger and I paid for that dearly.  I think it was a combination of the meat and the grease, and the french fries.  It was too much for me all at once.  I had some tea that evening to soothe my stomach and thankfully was able to make it to work the next day. 

I think this is a great way to start towards a vegan/vegetarian diet if you're used to eating meat. You can start by first eating less meat, then eventually remove meat all together. So, lesson learned, and now I am glad I have another tactic to use while I navigate towards a healthier me. 

By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!

Going Vegan

Hola everyone!  I've been going back and forth for a while about Veganism.  I can give up meat, no problem (I'm not a big meat eater anyway), I don't drink milk (only soy/nut based), cheese is a bit of a problem for me; I don't have it often but I love pizza.  I also love Greek yogurt and Kefir.  I think I can work myself up to 90% Vegan only because I use honey to sweeten (I rarely use sugar and I'm not a big fan of how Agave nectar tastes) and don't see myself giving that up, or giving up yogurt.

About 3 years ago I was seeing a holistic nutritionist on a regular basis, and together we discovered some things which had adverse effects on my body and were sabotaging my weight loss.  Some were the "usual suspects" such as processed foods, white sugar, white bread and pastas, and the biggest of all MILK!  I was such a "dairy queen" back in the day! My eating habits were also having a negative impact on my body and spirit.  My biggest go-to foods were: pizza, cheeseburger deluxe, bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a roll, and a big bowl of cereal with 1% milk (sometimes 2%).  I drank soda with everything, put extra sugar and salt on everything, and ate a ton of candy.  Not only was I gaining weight, but I had a hard time having sustained energy and often felt dead inside.  What is it like to feel dead inside?  It feels like you're stuck in a deep pit of sorrow with no hope of getting out.  My brother (who eats wayy better than me) once told me "You feel dead inside because you eat dead foods.  Once you start eating whole, live foods you'll be more connected with nature and feel more alive again".  Isn't that deep?  I never thought about it that way, and I guess that's the biggest problem when it comes to your relationship with food; sometimes you just don't think about what you're putting inside your body!  I know I wasn't.  I wasn't making informed decisions about the type of energy I was putting into my body.  That's what food is at the end of the day; energy!

So while I've come a LOOONG way with my eating habits and intake, I still have more to go.  I still get bad cravings, I still binge, and most importantly I'm not losing weight like I want to be.  I am working hard and eating as best as I can most of the time, but the weight just isn't coming up.  I can be very hard with myself, but I believe, at least for me, food is my biggest obstacle on this weight loss journey.  Exercise is about 30% of what will help me lose weight, the other 70% will be from what I eat and how I eat.  So that is why I am taking my relationship with food up another notch and aiming to go Vegan.  I am going to slowly ween myself off of non-vegan foods such as meat and dairy, and slowly adopt the lifestyle.  I will keep you posted!  Here is a picture of my Trader Joe's haul:

I got some soy milk, Ezekial bread (which I've been told is awesome, so I'm excited to try), frozen dinners (Indian and Japanese), oatmeal, peanut butter, fruits, pita chips, and cereal bars, among other things.

I cook occasionally, mostly I buy frozen foods.  I LOVE most of the selections at Trader Joe's.  However I'll try to prepare more foods according to a Vegan meal plan.  I found some great ones on Oprah.com (a Vegan starter kit) and on Peeta.org. 

Do you guys have any tips for going Vegan?

By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!

People on the bus think I'm pregnant

I've known this for a long time and it's semi-hilarious.
My belly jelly is bigger than my breasts, so depending on the clothes I'm wearing it can stick out a lot more than usual, creating the illusion of a pregnant belly.  I avoid all empire waists because of this.
So without fail, people on the bus (and trains back home) feel bad for me when they see me standing up and offer me their seat.  Maybe you'd be offended and ashamed by this, and while I'm not happy about my belly being so big, I choose to see the silver lining; I always have a seat on the bus! And I'll even admit sometimes I stick out my belly a little bit more if I'm really tired after a long day at work and want a seat.  It works for me.  I never confirm I'm preggo and no one asks.  If they did ask I would tell them the truth; I'm just fat.

I've come to rely on my belly for so many things.  I can push things out the way with it, I can use it to hold things up; I've learned so many little tricks to adapt to my situation.  I don't know when it became so "comfortable" to deal with it, until it became extremely uncomfortable, especially moving around in the summer.  It didn't really bother me that people would give up their seats and when I realized why they were doing it, I chose to see the positive rather than freak out about it.  At least they have nice intentions.  But it's also another reality check.  I don't want to go through life as a fake pregnant lady.

I've started to slowly let go of my "baby" and visualize myself without it.  I honestly don't even know what it'll feel or be like for me but I most likely won't be getting offered any more seats on the bus...and that's OK.

By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!