Guest Post: It's Not Just the Scale

I'm on Vacation, but never fear-I've lined up some awesome guest posters! For example, miss Beth is here today to help remind us all that getting fit isn't all about the numbers on the scale.  I think it's very important (I've been a victim of the poor thinking a lot!) and I think she voices it well.




Leave her some love, these are great tips!

***

Beth here, from Living a Goddess Life, with a tip for all you amazing folks who are currently working toward getting healthier and more svelte.

It's really easy to determine progress by pounds lost, and then get frustrated when the scale doesn't reward us for our hard work. Trust me, I know (and also, as a curious, nosy, and well-read woman who has been working on losing weight and getting fit since age 15, I feel qualified to lend some advice).

 When you're talking about changing the mass of your body, this isn't on the same par as, say, getting your hair cut. This is something your body will fight against for a while, because it's programmed to keep you safe from famine.

Getting fit requires a long view!

• Don't think of it in terms of "I lose, or I gain".
• Don't weigh yourself every day.
• Don't measure your progress by the progress of others- your path to wellness is as unique as your thumbprint.
• And don't assume that weight gain means fat gain.

• DO measure inches (being consistent in where you measure) in addition to weight- sometimes you can lose inches in your waist and no pounds at all....and aren't inches a measure of progress, too?
• DO track your progress in weeks and months, and set your goals for 6-12 months away.
• DO drink a lot of water and be active every day. Remember, some weight gain is food waste, some is swelling, and some is muscle.

• DO exercise a cardio routine of your choice, 3-5 days per week AND try some muscle-building (even if it's just lifting cans of refried beans for 50 reps a day). Gaining muscle will boost your metabolism, assisting in burning fat.
• DO combine eating less with moving more. You must do BOTH parts of this equation to be healthy and ensure stable, long-term fat loss.

• DO reward yourself for progress. It's a lot easier to hate on yourself for gaining than it is to be your own cheering squad. Make your reward something non-food based, like a new outfit, a new book, 30 minutes of 'me' time, a massage, etc. 
• DO forgive yourself for not reaching goals, and move on. If you don't feel like you've made progress after 30 days or more, vary your routine or amp it up. Our bodies get in ruts of efficiency, and you have to shake things up with a new workout routine, or cutting out certain food items.

• DO get others involved- you are more likely to lose weight if you have a support system. Also, we tend to adapt our eating habits to those we live with, so get the whole family excited and involved in it! 
• DO let yourself have those treats you've been craving (in moderation), but balance it by working out twice as much the next day, or restricting calories by that much, etc. Again, take the long view.

Fat Ass Friday

Starting weight: 276.6
Last week's weight: 271.6
Current weight: 265.8
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: -5.8

Total weight lost: -10.8

Wahoo! A loss! Yaaaay!

I've been juicing quite a bit this week again.  Since I'm going on a super awesome road trip and plan to eat all sorts of vacation-y local food in foodie towns like Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland-I felt the need to eat really healthy this week to prepare.  

There were a lot of factors that made me afraid of the scale this morning.  I've had a really rough week emotionally, so I didn't get very much sleep, I didn't monitor my water intake like I should, and there were a lot of times I had no appetite so I just skipped eating all together. Tuesday was the worst, I was such an emotional wreck that I made myself dizzy from not eating.  The roommate had to remind me that I needed to whether I wanted to or not, so I broke down and drank a juice.

Also, yesterday I had Sushi, Soup, and cheesecake... Not exactly healthy.  Though I may have burned most of that off helping Julie move furniture around too.  I was really surprised (and happy) to see the loss this week.  Let's hope the vacation doesn't totally screw me up! 

In case you missed it this week:

• 100 Calorie Comparisons - It really makes you think about what you're eating.
• Food Combining - It's really important and I'll do a real post about it sometime soon!

You should read:

• Beth sent me a link to What Fit Really Looks Like from the Curvy Girl Guide.  It's' a great reminder, and bits of what hits home for me.
• The Curvy Girl Guide also posted: Find the Perfect Jeans for Your Body Type.  Couldn't we all use that? 
• Life...As I See It posted a recipe for Clean Eating | Veggie Pizza.  Looks like YUM!

How did you do this week?

Don't forget to link up!

Food Combining

Blog Lovin'

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100 Calorie Comparisons

                                                                         Source: healthyfitandtoned.tumblr.com via Angela on Pinterest

Guest Posters Needed!

Hey lovelies!

I need some guest posts for both this blog and for My So-Called Chaos, anyone interested?

Have something to say about health?  Tips to share?  I need you! :)

I'll be out of town all next week and would love it if you'd send me a post.  Use the Contact Me tab at the top to message me, or leave me a comment with your email-or if you know my email-email me! :)

Loves!

Workout Song of the Week

This week's song is:

Vanity

by Christina Aguilera

*Note: This song is for mature audiences, if you're offended by swearing or by a little dirty talk you might want to skip this week's song.*

This song is great to work out to because it's empowering.  It may be a bit crass, but man it feels good to sing along while working out and say "Who's the sexiest of them all, I AM"  etc.  A little vanity is good for you every now and then!

What's your song this week?

Hula Hoop Sale!

Hey, for those of you who've expressed interest in getting a hula hoop to work out with, my dear blog friend Haley is having a HUGE hula hoop sale.

Get a collapsible travel hoop

3 tape color choices

Shipping

All included for only $28!

This is a STEAL! 

Go check it out!

Fat Ass Friday

Starting weight: 276.6
Last week's weight: 266.4
Current weight: 271.6
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: +5.2

Total weight lost: -5

UGH.

How the hell did I gain back 5lbs this week? 

I'm back to wanting to throw myself off a bridge again.

Yes, I started eating again and I splurged once or twice, but I didn't think it was 5lbs worth of it... And I've been hooping a lot and getting a good workout from it-what the hell.

I want to tear my hair out.

And simultaneously give up/keep going.

EFF my life.  I hate my body so much.

I am so angry right now, I can't even finish this post...

How'd you do this week?

What Are Your Kids Drinking?

We all want our kids to be healthy too (in my case-it's my honorary nieces and nephews), but goodness knows it's not always the easiest task.  Sometimes kids wont eat a thing, they just flat out refuse it-let alone trying to get them to eat things that are healthy for them.

source: Growing Raw

Getting them started at a very young age eating fruits and veggies is key, but for those that didn't manage to get them started early enough-turning it around can be difficult.   One of the best places to start shaping up their eating habits is with their liquids.  Liquids play a large part in the nutrition your child is taking in, so it's important to monitor what they are drinking.

source: PregnancyAwareness.com

Remember my article on why Soda really isn't any good for you?  If not, check out: Are You Pouring on the Pounds?   Well the same applies to your children.  Soda and sugary beverages have been linked to childhood obesity and early age diabetes.  It's nothing but empty calories, it rots their little teeth, depletes calcium from their bones (which can stunt growth), decreases appetite so they're less likely to eat nutritional food, and many other downfalls.   There's just not much good that can be said about it.

See also: 
10 Reasons to Keep Kids Off Soda
Is Drinking Soda Pop Harming Our Kids?

source: Top News

The same really goes for Juice and other sugary drinks.  Most of the bottled/canned juices you buy in the supermarket is from concentrate and then have massive amounts of sugar added to make them sweeter. In those cases, if you read the label you'll find that they really only have about 10% actual fruit juice! We can say this is better than soda pop, but only in the fact that it has a few less negative side affects.

So what can you do to help your kids and their drinks?

•  Always read the label.  Look for juice that says it's 100% Fruit Juice.  Avoid anything that calls itself punch, cocktail, or "ade" (you know, lemonade, limeade, etc.)  
• Check the ingredients.  Look for specific items you don't want-if it has High Fructose Corn Syrup or Crystaline Fructose-avoid it.  Also-arteficial sweeteners are massively sweeter than sugar, and also have been suspected of chemically harming developing brains.
• Look at the juice. Generally the cloudier the juice is, the more nutritious it will be.
• Mix it with water.  Go half and half-half juice and half water.  My friend Kristina has been doing this since her kids were babies, so her children don't even know what full on sweet fruit juice tastes like and they get more water intake that way.
• Make it yourself.  Buy a juicer and put your own fruits and vegetables through it.  This is extremely beneficial in nutrients as well as you're able to sneak more veggies into your kids diets by disguising them with sweet fruit.  Plus, it's all natural.

For more detailed info: The Truth About Pure Fruit Juices vs. Fruit Beverages.

See also:
Are Your Kids Drinking Too Much Sugar?
10 Drinks Your Kids Should Not Be Drinking
What are the health concerns about High-Fructose Corn Syrup?

source: TLC Family

Here are some great sites for homemade juice recipes:

Juicing for Kids - healthyjuicecentral.com
Homemade Healthy Juice Drinks for Kids - iFood.com
Homemade Healthy Vegetable Juice Drink - suite101.com

And as always, water is the best drink you can ever give them!

source: Drinking Water Fountains

How do you keep your kids healthy?

How does what they drink play into that for you?

What I'm Loving This Week

My Hula Hoop.

Yes, I know I mention it every time, but I'm still in love.

I can't wait to earn myself the body of a hula hooper.

I swear my Hula Hoop is saving my life with every turn.

Buy it HERE.

Hooping: A Revolutionary Fitness Program

I ordered this book on Amazon just to fill in so I could get the Super Saver Shipping when I ordered something else, and I am so glad that I did! I love it! It teaches you proper stretching with your hoop, basic moves, advanced moves and even talks to you about diet and the benefits of hooping physically and emotionally.  And man, I get an amazing workout trying to do some of the tricks in here!

 

Naked Juices

All natural, no sugar added.

Tons of fruits, veggies and boosts in each bottle.

This is helping me stick to the Juice cleanse, even when I don't have time to juice!

B Vitamins

I miss caffeine, but at least I have my vitamin B!

Cherries

I bought a bag of fresh cherries from the Farmers Market last week.

This has made the ultimate little snack, especially when I want something sweet!

What are you loving this week?
Any little useful tips or tricks you're into lately?

15 Foods that Boost Your Metabolism

Source: None via Angela on Pinterest

Workout Song of the Week

 

This week's song:

Kiss With a Fist

by Florence + TheMachine

I LOVE this song.  It's Kick-A and it makes me feel all bad ass. 

What are you working out to this week?

Fat Ass Friday

This has been an interesting week on the weight-loss front.  There has been a lot of loss, some frustration-and more fruits and vegetables than I've ever eaten in such a short amount of time.  This cleanse has certainly been an eye opener and a very interesting life experience for me.

First of all-they say "only in America are our poorest people also our fattest" and I have learned more than usual how this is true.  Why on earth do we charge so much for fruit but offer the crappiest, fake, worst-for-you food in a box for 50¢?  My roommate tells me in Europe it's the other way around-maybe that's one of the reasons they're so much healthier than we are.  I mean a quarter of a cart of fruits and vegetables ran me about $60 the other day.

© Imagine

Anyway-onto a rundown of how I've done on the cleanse so far.

Day 1: Started on Friday as mentioned in last week's FAF post. I was fine most of the day, but then 1pm hit and I crashed hard.  By 3pm I had a caffeine headache and had to take a painkiller just to make it through the rest of the day.  Lost 3lbs!
Day 2:  I expected to be thoroughly down and out for days 2 and 3, and when morning of day 2 rolled around I was exhausted-slept a few extra hours but when I finally got up I felt surprisingly ok.  Lost 2lbs.
Day 3: Still going strong, not too exhausted but still not enough energy to work out yet.  Lost 2lbs.
Day 4: Felt much more energy, started hula-hooping again and decided I could add some solid fruits and vegetables into my diet.  Drank less juice-No loss this day.
Day 5: Drank more juice than day 4, still ate fruits and veggies. Exercised hard. Lost 1.5lbs.
Day 6: Didn't do well as far as the Juice and water went, but exercised well- Lost .5lbs.
Day 7: Yesterday.  Had my juice for breakfast and lunch, but then went most of the day without water.  Went from work to home, then to the bar (didn't drink anything) then directly to the Harry Potter premier so I didn't get a chance to eat again until 11pm, and at that point my choices were limited.  I got a grilled chicken sandwhich on whole wheat.  Gained 1lb!

I'm not going to really sweat the fact that I broke my diet (it was kind of necessary) or that I gained a lb.  It was my fault, everything I did contributed to it.

• I didn't drink enough water-so I probably retained some.
• I didn't make time to exercise.
• I ate way too late in the evening-so it sat on my body while I slept.
• I waited too long to eat-probably causing my body to go into starvation mode.
• I didn't drink enough juice-not enough nutrients-again starvation mode.

All I can do is learn from that mistake, and celebrate the fact that it's only one measly pound.  Probably just fluctuation anyway-but it's a great reminder of what I need to do to achieve my goals.

Results:

Starting weight: 276.6
Last week's weight: 274.2
Current weight: 266.4
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: -7.8
Total weight lost: -10.2

I'm calling that pretty good for a week's work.

In case you missed it:

• Tuesday I listed the Top 10 Reasons To Continue My Juice Fast.
• Thursday I shared a photo that shows the scan of a 250lb woman compared to that of a 125lb woman.  If you missed it, you should really look at it.  It'll change the way you think.  It's Disgusting! 

I highly recommend you read:

•  This great article on how to deal with weight loss plateaus. 
• Heather wrote about The Crooked Path to Wellness.  I especially loved that she brought up that the word "Cheat" is a negative word, when we should just call it a diversion.  Positive self talk is so important.
• Kristin offered amazing advice for us all in How to Climb the Weight Loss Wall...

 How did you do this week?

Don't forget to link up over at Brandy's! 

Disgusting!

Left: 250lb woman.  Right: 125lb woman.

I came across this picture on Pinterest the other day, and was completely disgusted.  I showed my roommate and asked him "Is that what my body looks like on the inside?"  He simply responded with "Yep."  

If anything ever hit the need for weightloss home hard, this would be it.  Look at how the 250lb woman has fat surrounding all of her organs?  It's NASTY!  Even her brain has Fatty bits in it!

Her bones don't sit right and her ankles look like they're buckling from the stress of all the extra pounds.  It's not natural, and definitely not healthy.

I think I need to hang this on my fridge to remind me why I'm doing this.  It's not to look prettier (though that's a BIG plus!) but to BE HEALTHY.

As for a positive, I lost another half a pound yesterday... It's steadily getting less and less that I lose per day on this cleanse, but I'll take it where I can get it.

How does this picture make you feel?

Please share with me!

The 10lb Mark!

I hit the 10lb mark today!

That's 10.6lbs lost so far.

I so can't wait until I hit the 20lb mark. 

Also, today's juice is much more tolerable with:

It's a lot better than the green juice yesterday which was yicky.

I still miss regular food a lot, but seeing the loss on the scale keeps me going.

How's your journey coming along?

Top 10 Reasons to Continue my Juice Fast

1. I lost 7lbs in 3 days!
2. Each morning I see at least a 2lb weight difference. (Except yesterday was no loss, which sucks royally! Oh well...)
3. If it continues like this, I may hit 20lbs by the end of my 10 day fast!
4. I've never drank this much water in my life-it's good!
5. If I start following his recipes, it'll taste better/I'll like it better.
6. I'm sending massive amounts of necessary nutrients into my body.
7. I'm setting a good example for those around me.
8. Healthy energy levels are returning  without the use of caffeine!
9. My pants are feeling much more loose!
10. My skin is starting to clear up a bit!

 I just have to keep going, I'm half way through ten days today.

I may switch to a 15 day plan, so I may be a third of the way done!

Workout Song of the Week

This week's Workout Song:

Only Girl

by Rhianna

The first time I ever really paid attention to this song, was in Lucky Cheng's (a drag bar in NYC) when a rather hilarious drag queen entered the room and was loving up on the patrons.  It was hilarious-but boy could that queen dance!  He got a massive workout, so it got me thinking-I could use this in my workout routines! Huzzah! 

Plus, who doesn't want to feel like the only girl in the world?

What song are you working out to this week?

Starting Day 2 With a LOSS!

It's day 2 of the Juice Cleanse I'm doing, so I thought I'd take a minute to update you guys-for those of you following the progress.

Day 1- I felt great all morning.  Had my juice for breakfast, weighed myself at start to find I'd lost 2.4 lbs, and was trooping along just fine.  About 1:00pm I became exhausted and sluggish, which I'm chalking up to it being the caffeine I had denied myself-as I'm giving this my all.  I fell asleep for about 20 minutes on the couch when I got home, but got my second wind in time to go hang out with a bunch of friends.

The hardest part so far has been the social situations.  Where friends are like "Let's go get pizza this weekend!" and I have to reply with "I can't, I can't eat anything solid for 10 days." Or when we're all at the bar and they want to get me a drink, or go to Denny's after.  But I stuck to my guns and after this morning I'm so glad I did!

I weighed myself, and I know I shouldn't weigh myself two days in a row-but I'm glad I did!

Beginning weight: 276.6

Starting Cleanse weight: 274.2

Today's weight: 271.2

I lost 3lbs since starting my cleanse!

That's 5.4lbs total in my weight loss journey!

I could not be more excited!

So far today I'm extra tired, so I'll probably take some B vitamins to up my energy level-but I do feel thinner.  It's so awesome to see this progress!

Fat Ass Friday #6

Starting weight: 276.6
Last week's weight: 276.6
Current weight: 274.2
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: -2.4
Total weight lost: -2.4

Weird face, bad bathroom photo-CUTE outfit!

Yeah the picture is a bad mirror shot, and I'm making a goofy face, but I'm determined to post pictures of me through this process-and I thought my new outfit was cute! So there you have it.

I guess I can't get too excited until I get over that 5lb mark, since 2lbs is nothing when it comes to fluctuation-but it was good to see some kind of sign! I'll take it and use it to keep pushing me in the right direction! 

Not my juice, but similar! Found HERE

Also, today marks the first day of my Reboot.  I'm having my first juiced meal, and I have to say it's not bad for just being anything we could find in the fridge last night.  It has Grapes, Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, celery, broccoli, apples, carrots, and kiwi in it.  I have another bottle in the fridge waiting for me at lunch too.  I can do this! 

How did you do this week?

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

I watched the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead  with Josh and David Monday night instead of going out and watching the fireworks.  However, I felt like it was some kind of awesome-like my own fireworks going off in my head ignited by my desperate need to do something about my body.

Despite the fact that I gave up soda 6 months ago, gave up candy a month and a half ago, and have been limiting my carb/sugar intake in general along with hula hooping every day-I haven't lost a pound.  Remember how devastated I was when I weighed in last week?  Something has to give-and this documentary was just the idea I needed.

You see the story follows Joe Cross and how he found himself Fat, Sick (an auto-immune disorder), and considered himself nearly dead from it all.  He bought himself a juicer and went on a 60 day juice fast.  He was monitored by doctors (before you worry that it's unhealthy) the entire time, and ended up losing massive amounts of weight and curing his auto-immune disorder.  Take a look at the trailer:

The trucker you see in the trailer?  I started crying when he called and begged for help.  It was moving, and to watch him go from 429 lbs to 298lbs in just the documentary (plus he kept losing after) and start weening off of all of his medication, was amazing.  If they can make such an amazing change-why can't I?

Josh went and bought us this pretty little juicer, and I've signed up at Reboot Your Life (the site is really slow right now-apparently the Netflix release of the documentary has them swamped all of the sudden) and I start tomorrow.  I'll drink my first juiced meal after I weigh myself tomorrow morning (which I'll report in my FAF post tomorrow) and start my 10+ day journey on the Juice fast.  I'm thinking I'll just be hungry tomorrow, then I'll probably crash on Saturday and Sunday-but hoping I start feeling a bit better by Monday.  I'll keep you all posted along the way.

Wish me luck!

This Week I am Loving:

My Hula Hoop

Ever since I figured it out and started making it work for me, I can barely put it down! I want to take it with me every where and do it all the time! 

SmartWater.

Yes I realize it's just more expensive water.

But it has extra electrolytes and I swear it tastes sweeter than normal water.

Also, I get the really big bottle and keep refilling it.  It helps me keep track!

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

It's a documentary by Joe Cross and I watched it on Netflix. 

It's amazing, and I'm starting the same cleanse on Friday!

More details to come soon, I promise.

The Green Smoothie Girl Smoothie from Roxberry

The basic one has Spinach, Kale, mixed berries, Bananas, Peaches and Agave.  The discovery of this makes me happy, because should I forget to grab a smoothie on my way out the door during my cleanse, I can order one from here! :) I had it today, the 24oz has 150calories and 11 servings of fruits and veggies in it and it's only $4.95! 

Tube Dresses

Still addicted and buying them when I can find a good deal on them.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

WaterLogged App
This app gives me a goal (64oz) to shoot for, and then I enter the water I drink throughout the day and it keeps track for me.  Also, if I haven't entered any water for the day, it alerts me to do so.  I love it! I feel like it's a challenge to drink my water every day!

What are you loving this week?