Ginger: Skinny Songs

I just saw a neat segment on an afternoon talk show. I haven't listened to the music yet but I'd definitely buy one of their T-Shirts. I think "do not feed" is my favorite.

Ginger: Pilates Tonight + I Can Make You Thin

I've been meaning to try the Pilates class at the Y for a loooooong time now. Tonight's the night. Just thought I'd put it out there for accountability :-)

On another note, is anyone watching "I Can Make You Thin" on TLC? I'm kind of intrigued...saw a snippet of a show last night but I haven't done any serious googling or anything.

---Update---
Cool class! There were only three of us so we got lots of personal attention from the instructor. It was a "Gentle Pilates" class so not super challenging...hopefully in a few sessions I'll be able to hit more of the targets.

Ginger: Made it to BodyPump

Woo hoo! I'm on a mission to look + feel "lighter" by the time my birthday rolls around in T-4 weeks. Lighter = I can sit (in relative comfort) while wearing my size 10 pants.

Ginger: Lunch Box

Hi, I'm looking for lunch box ideas. Here's a list of "balanced snacks" that I found. What foods would you recommend for an afternoon at the office?

**

Nut butter and apple slices

Whole-grain toast topped with nut butter and sliced bananas

Hummus and veggies on whole-grain pita bread

A handful of nuts and dried fruit

Yogurt and nuts or fruit

A hard-boiled egg and vegetable sticks

Edamame and whole-grain crackers

Ginger: Last Lecture

Ginger: Tired of extra weight + latest product

Is anyone else tired of carrying around extra weight? I've hit the point where it's annoying enough -double chin, shrinking wardrobe -to spark action (which explains the recent "calories burned this week" posts). I figured I should also do a food log, just to "make sure" you know?

Yikes!

Last week's entries prompted a frenzied trip to the grocery store. I just got back home...figured I'd share my latest random find. Red's mom swears by this one -and yes, the term "elixir" actually appears on the bottle. Gotta love that.

It's quiet out there...what y'all up to?

Sporty: Week 52 (02/07/08)

I've come full circle. It's been 52 weeks since I've been trying (again) to get to a healthy weight. Here's the breakdown: Highest wt: 248, Lowest wt:206, Current wt: 224.5, Total lost: 23.5 lbs.



Gained again this week, this time 6lbs. A total of 11.5 lbs in 2 weeks. That's the cost of being off plan. I hope to resume with milestone 1 goals this week. Starting year 2....

Believe it or Not...

Yes, after getting over the stomach flu, I woke up a few mornings later with a sore throat. A sore throat that has taken my voice to low registers and lead me through a series of fevers and chills and aches and pains.

Needless to say, I've been in bed. Hobbled onto the scale for my weigh-in. Noticed I gained some fraction of a lb. Didn't really feel much as I looked at the reading-- I'm trying to figure out how to piece back together my immune system.

Ginger: Cosmetic Surgery

Yay or Nay?

Sporty: Week 51 (01/31/08)

Gained 5.5 lbs. Got new braids (really long and heavy) which I think contributed about 2 lbs the rest was from being off plan.

Exercise Goals: Body for Life for Women program 5-6 days/week - No
Diet Goals: BFL food plan (with WW influence) - No
Mind/Body Goals: Daily Bible reading and devotions - No
Accountability Goals: Journal all foods, blog weekly, weigh-in weekly - No, Yes, No

If life gives you a virus, make... virusade?

Yeah, so I've been struggling with gastroenteric issues for the last 2 weeks-- In varying increments of malaise. None the less... With combined minimal eating and about 20-30 mins of walking per day (between taxi stands etc) it's been a positive for weight loss.

The real plus, though, was my body leading me to simple foods. And having to plan my meals to accomodate my stomach. Kinda kicked me into thinkng about my food choices, portions and planning meals. Was buying fruit to snack on (even though it was less convenient to get than the other nearby junk food).

Plan to carry on the food choices from the bout with my virus.

Sporty Week 50 (01/24/08)

Survived a mini-vacay with Ritters frozen custard ice-cream and Baguette de France subs. Tried to eat BFL and exercised 2x due to travel. Lost 2 lbs. Will continue milestone 1 goals.

Scary: Taking The Plunge

So we all knew it was coming to this for me. Today I signed up for my first Gastric Bypass information session. I spoke for hours on Saturday with this woman who had it last year and is now down 130lbs. My God! 130lbs. With the new baby on they way and a personal recommendation - from someone who's doctor is litterally walking distance away from my house I have to at least look in to it. My insurance requires 6 months of doctor monitored "natural" weight loss attempts. My appointment is in February so my 6 months will start after that. Wish me luck! One way or the other this is the year! I can feel it!

Ginger: Nauseous

I was so nauseous in BodyPump today. As in I had to leave the room (during the last high energy track) and take a break. I don't think I've ever done that before. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped out on Friday's class? Maybe I need to get back to cardio and build up my endurance? Maybe I shouldn't have pushed that hard on the first track? Maybe I'm coming down with something? (Nooooo!)

It was weird.

Ginger: Sex God Clip + New Devotional

Here's an online excerpt from Sex God. I guess the meandering monologue is kind of Bell's thing and I think it'll be a great conversation starter for us. Can't wait to read + trade thoughts with you guys.

Also, I recently came across a good devotional in case anyone's looking. "Solo" is based on the Message Remix paraphrase and uses the Lectio Divina style of prayer + bible study that we blogged about last year.

Sporty: Week 49 (1/17/08)

Another week down. Still at about 80%. Went to gym 4x and ate mostly BFL style. Did not journal foods. Will continue to work on Milestone 1 goals. Lost 4lbs.

Ginger: The Other Appetite

As you can see from my last few posts, I've got sex on the brain. You've all probably heard me on my "Christian fundamentalism did us wrong" soapbox.

As I get older, I find that instead of having it all figured out, it's one of those things that I have to keep revisiting. I haven't started reading Sex God yet but I thought it'd be interesting to get some feedback.

So here's the two-part question...

1. Over the years, what messages about sexuality -accurate, bogus, conflicting, whatever- did you buy into?

2. What value(s) would you like to model and pass on to the kids in your life?

Mimi: You Know It's Bad When...

You show up at the Y and don't recognize the reception area!!

New carpet, new trendy leather seating areas (yes our Y is in a wealthy area), a new counter area. Yikes! Clearly I've been away too long. Part of what has been keeping me away has been the unwillingness to have that "everyone is staring at me and my weight gain" feeling. I mean, I was there almost every day and knew a lot of folks! Now I'm all "fluffy" and have to see all these people. Then I feel all weak for caring what other people think! ugh. Vicious cycle, I tell you. By the time I'm done the mental fight, I''m exhausted and have nothing left for the physical. I'm going to take your advice, Ginger, and try for less thinking and more "auto-pilot."

Now onto the good news. I said I'm having a 21 day goal. I'm happy to say it is day 9 and I'm still feeling strong. Week 1 weight loss = 4.6 pounds. Even if it was mostly water, it was a good motivator and reminder that the plan works when I work it. The loss was even inspiration for me to go to exercise today. Exercising now seems like a complement to the change in food--worthwhile, if that makes sense.

Week 1 I tracked and stayed within points and didn't use my extra weekly ones. Saturday after weigh-in was my "point-free" day which has worked for me in the past. It's my "splurge" day, but funny enough splurging while on plan is SO different from splurging off plan. Everything I ate was homemade and points friendly. I just didn't put them in the tracker. It's practice for when I no longer have to count.

Overall, going into Week 2 feelin' strong. Good stuff.

Mimi: Sorry Ginger!

So Ginger and I were scheduled to go to BodyPump this morning. I flaked. Sorry, girl! I thought about lying and saying I forgot (since we made the commitment a bit ago). That's just wrong. There were a lot of things conspiring against me...fell asleep on the couch, woke up at 3AM, didn't get back to sleep until about 5AM. Woke up with headache when the alarm went off...and on and on and on...

What it comes down to is fear. I'm afraid of the class and I'm afraid of commitment. What's that about? Thoughts? comments?

Ginger, you still talking to me?

Sporty Week 48 (1/10/08)

Working with the progress vs. perfection concept. Hit goals about 80% of the time. Lost 2.5 lbs. Will continue same plan for next week.