Oh right, I have a blog.

Sooo, I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago to the AMAZING Pacific Northwest. It's wonderful out there. The weather is amazing, and it's all blue-state-y. :) I do think I want to live there one day.

Did I eat healthy on vacation? Not really. However, I didn't eat very large portions (I'm finding I'm not even able to eat large portions anymore), and we walked a LOT. Hills! Seattle and Portland have HILLS. :) My legs were killing me most days. All in all, I think I did well on vacation.

However, after I got back, I ended up getting sick. So, now I'm looking at over 3 weeks since I've been to the gym. Ugh, the slackage. I'm headed back tomorrow morning come hell, high water, or little green men!

I think my weight has held pretty stable at 56.2 lost since January. At least I haven't gained over the last few weeks. Back to it!!

Weigh-in and Progress Pics

Had a weigh-in this morning, and I'm down another 1.2 pounds for 51.8 total.

For the healthy train contest, we had the option to take progress pictures. So, I did. I never took any official "before" pics. I have dug up a couple from last year that really caught my eye (and not in the good way).

Before Pics:
May 2009

December 2009

After and during (click to make bigger):


In the first set (black clothes), I was down 26 pounds. The second set (with bonus cat tail) was taken yesterday: down 51.8 pounds.

Zip it!

So, last weekend, I went to a work function at the zoo. One of my coworkers/friends had this cute little zipper clutch/wristlet. I found them online, and ordered one today.

How cute is that? Zip it bags are here. Shipping over 10 bucks is free, which is always a big bonus in my book. Can't wait to get it! It'll be a convenient little bag for traveling on my vacation in 2 weeks! They also get bonus points for making me think of Austin Powers with the name. :)

Aquatard!

My awesome friend Becky* in Seattle has become quite the water aerobics pro. She suggested the aquatard to me a few weeks ago (Yes, that's really what it's called). From Junonia: the aquatard.






I finally got it yesterday (in turquoise). I'm super excited to try this out at water aerobics tonight. On top of being plus-sized, I am long-torsoed and carry most of my weight in my bottom half. So, I end up tugging most regular suits out of my backside all the way through my workout! Annoying! It wasn't cheap and Junonia deals are hard to come by (believe me-I am a pro at finding deals online). I certainly hope it's worth it!

*Side note: I get to visit Seattle for the first time in two weeks. I also get to see Becky for the first time in probably 14 years? Fun stuff! So geeked!

Milestones and "Graduation"

So, last week, I hit a big milestone. 50 pounds. My total loss is -50.6 pounds in 6 months.

I will now go into a "graduate" program with Target Metabolism. In this program, I will have monthly weigh-ins with the Bod Pod and quarterly metabolism testing for a year. It's much cheaper than the full program that I've been doing so far. I'm a bit nervous about only having one weigh-in a month, but I'll also have the healthy train weigh-ins every two weeks.

I have also joined the Y, and I'm taking water aerobics classes several times a week. I can't tell you how much I love water aerobics. It's amazing how much energy I have and how much I can tell the difference in my body already. After about 4 weeks, I was surprised to find quite a bit of muscle tone in my legs. I will also probably start doing other classes at the Y. I'm still working up the nerve for those though.

I am also working on a plan to blog more often, so stay tuned!

What I Wore (last week!)

So, I've been rocking the dresses lately since it's SO incredibly hot here in the midwest. Man, I hate summer. It makes me surly. Do you see what it does to my hair??Anyway, I wore this outfit last Wednesday. I really need to get a better set up for pictures. My husband and I work different schedules, so I don't feel right dragging him out of bed in the morning to take my picture. I haven't found the right set-up for the self-timer yet. So, iphone pics in the bathroom it is! :)

Dress, sweater, bracelet, and shoes are all from Avenue (haha not planned that way-I got them all at different times). Necklace is from Macy's. I love it, but it kept pulling my hair all day. Must find a remedy for that.

Well, hello again

I've been slacking with the posting again! So, I'll do a quick update.

I've lost another pound, bringing my total to -45.7 so far.

I had my metabolism retested today, and my daily intake is going to drop by 200 calories a day. This is good because it means things are headed in the right direction; however, it will be quite an adjustment! I still get a decent amount of calories, so I'm not complaining.

I started water aerobics a couple of weeks ago, and I LOVE IT. Right now I'm just doing it twice a week. I just paid for those specific classes at the Y, but I'll probably join once the 6 week session is up so that I can go to as many classes as I want.

I finally joined the cult of the iPhone. It's not a 4G, but a 3GS. I love it so far! Anyone out there play words with friends or qrank trivia? Add me! Username: SillygrrlJen

It's the small things

In this case, the small thing I'm referring to can't even be seen with the naked eye. Diabetic retinopathy.

When I went to the eye doctor back in November, he told me I had the very beginnings of retinopathy in two spots in one eye (the with better vision, in fact!). I'm actually lucky in that these were still in the stage where they can be reversed. He wanted to keep a close watch on both of those spots to make sure they didn't get any worse. So, I was told to come back in 6 months. I went back last week. One of the spots has completely reabsorbed, and the other is much smaller. He thinks that if I keep up the great work with diet and exercise, that the other spot will also entirely reabsorb. Can I get a big yay for not losing my vision? Yay!

Random side note: If you can find a doctor that does Optomap, I highly recommend it. I hate, hate, hate having my eyes dilated, and this tool gives a more accurate measurement without having to go through dilation. I can go to the eye doc on my lunch hour and then not have to wait 3 hours to be able to see again! I'm also enough of a geek that I kind of enjoy seeing the pictures of the insides of my eyes. Nerd. The above image is one I found online, not my actual eye image.

Weekend Recap

I had such an amazing weekend, and I have to say that I don't think I could have let myself have this much fun 6 months ago. I would often talk myself out of doing things because I was depressed or just felt like others would be judging me (even when I knew they wouldn't be).

This weekend I had two such events that, in the past, I would have easily convinced myself that staying at home and couching with the TV was the better option. I'm SO glad I didn't. Friday night, we drove over 2 hours each way to see Weezer at a casino in southern Indiana. I have loved Weezer since they debuted the "blue" album in 1994 (hello, this makes me feel old). Anyway, I've never had the chance to see them. It was a fantastic show. The crowd was really cool. Everyone was super nice (is this a southern thing?). My only complaint was the heat. It was stifling, and I was sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat. We even got some unintentional exercise searching for our car in the wrong garage for 45 minutes. Hah!

Saturday was the wedding of a good friend/coworker. Now, I don't know that I would have talked myself out of something this important in the past. However, I would have gone and probably not danced or anything and maybe just talked to the people around me at most. Let's face it-I'm always social, but I was quite the social butterfly Saturday night. I even got up and shook my booty a couple of times. Come on, how could I not when they play AC/DC and Journey?

Posting a couple of snapshots, but I can't wait to see the pro pictures. They had a photo booth, and there was MUCH hilarity in that. That healthy train contest I mentioned in an earlier post? The photographers for that were the wedding photographers last night. Bobbi and Mike if you'd like to view the amazingness that is their blog. I know the secret to their amazing pictures now. It's all in the personality. They're so much fun to be around, how can you not smile?

My attempt at a quick full-length shot to get the whole outfit.

Me and my cute husband!

I then wrapped up the weekend with the season 3 premiere of True Blood. Yes, I am a True Blood junkie. It was a fabulous premiere too!

Now, it's back to the grind. My weekend was so amazing that I didn't want it to end. *sigh*

Mmmm, snacks!

I thought I'd make a post about my favorite snacks. I'm always looking for new ideas, so please share your favorites too!

Cliff Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

Popchips! My fave flavors so far are sour cream and onion and the cheddar potato. I haven't tried them all yet though.

Wheat Thins Flatbread Crackers. One of my favorite afternoon snacks is a couple of these with some laughing cow light (which I will talk about next) and some turkey pepperoni.

Laughing Cow Light Cheese. I put this on everything. Sandwiches, crackers, in my scrambled egg beaters, etc.

Fage 2% Greek Yogurt with Honey

Bad blogger!

I have been a bad little blogger, folks! My life has just been a little crazy lately. I promise to get back to it. I have tons of ideas for posts, I just need to make myself sit down and WRITE!

In the meantime, I had another weigh-in on Monday. I lost another 4 pounds.

Total weight loss: -44.7 pounds.

Weigh-in!

I had a weigh-in on Thursday, but my week has been bonkers. I'm just now getting around to updating. I'd mentioned in the last couple of weigh-in posts that my loss had slowed down a bit. It must have just been my body adjusting to the new calorie goal that we set in April when I had my metabolism retested, because it certainly picked up for this last weigh in. I lost 4.8 pounds!

Total weight loss: -40.7

Keep on rockin'!

My Little Family

This is a post for those who don't know me in real life or for those who know me from years ago and need to be brought up-to-date. I was going through my wedding pictures the other day, and I got all nostalgic. So, here we go. Prepare yourself for wedding picture spam and kitty picture spam.

My husband is the most patient and kind person you'll ever meet. I mean, he has to be to put up with my crap. Nothing makes him mad; everything makes me mad. He's genius smart, but doesn't have one lick of common sense. Good thing I usually have it in spades. Together, we make a great team. He and I took a gamble and got married in Vegas in 2007 after dating for 4 years.

Get it, gamble? I'm so funny.

This was taken on the elevator at Mandalay Bay right after we got married. Look how excited!

My good friend Kristen took all of these wedding pictures.

Now onto our kids. When I say kids, I mean kitties. Tony and I are not having children. We have nothing against children; there are plenty of children in our loves that we love, but we just do not want our own kids.

Gracie is my beautiful girl kitty. She's been with me for 11 years. She just turned 12. She's very regal and has the softest fur you'll ever touch.

Dewey is now full grown, but I would be remiss if I didn't post at least one kitten picture. We found Dewey when he was 5 weeks old. He was under a car crying in a rainstorm. It's a good thing for him that he can meow so loudly or we might not have heard him. We weren't really looking to get another cat at that point. Gracie was VERY used to being the only child. He was so tiny and pathetic though. The day after we found him, I took him to the vet. He clung to me and purred. I was toast.

This is his Puss n' Boots face. I think he was 3 months or so when this was taken.

This is more recent. It's his crazy face that he makes while playing with his favorite feather toy. A couple of people have said he looks like Toonces the driving cat when he makes this face.

Here's Dewey doing what he does best: annoying the hell out of Gracie.

A rare moment of peace.

Comfort Zones

I hear over and over again on blogs and weight loss shows about getting out of your comfort zone. This is definitely something with which I do struggle. I find something I like, and I'll just keep doing that thing (whether it be certain foods or certain exercises). I'm very much a creature of habit. This often leads to me getting stuck in a rut, which leads to boredom, which leads to TROUBLE. Danger, danger, weight loss blogger!!

This weekend, the hubby and I went to a park in town that we've never been to. This park has some hiking trails. Like in the woods, with actual hills! Those who know me know I have a very Eva Gabor in Green Acres approach to nature. Yikes, that's probably a little old for some of you! What I mean is, I don't like nature, bugs, etc. We are not friends. One of my friends is trying to get me to go to Bonnaroo. I always look at the lineup every year and drool, but camping, port-o-potties, and hippies? No. I told him I'd reconsider once they put a Hilton in the middle of the festival.

Where was I going? Oh, comfort zones. I actually enjoyed hiking these paths. Granted, they weren't really long and not very far from civilization, but it was still outside of my daily comfort zone of walking a flat, paved path. I could also definitely feel the work I'd done the next day. My leg muscles were definitely tight, and I may have done something to my back. It's all good though. I plan on keeping those paths in my fitness rotation.

Weigh-in (and a request for a pep talk)

I'm not going to lie. My motivation has been waning the last couple of weeks. I am still tracking calories and staying within range most days. I have, however, not been eating those calories in the most healthy manner (hello, skinny cows? I might need to ban you from my house). I've been uber-stressed and kind of in a funk to boot. The workouts have been sporadic at best.

The last two weigh-ins have shown me down, but not as much as I have been averaging in the past (4-5 pounds every two weeks). Two weeks ago, I was down 2.9 pounds, and today I was down 2.1 more pounds.

I'm not mentally ready for a plateau (or even a slow-down) yet. So, please give me all the pep talk you can muster.

Total Weight Loss: -35.9 pounds

Get Outside and Blow Some of the Stink off of You

I will admit that my fitness regimens have been spastic and varied since I started them again in January. I have to keep myself entertained by switching things up often as I do tend to get bored easily. As I mentioned earlier, I started out with Walk it Out for the wii, which was awesome for the cold weather months, but I pretty much have solved it the whole game and moved on now.


I added in Just Dance for the wii back in March. This is super fun, and I use it to supplement other workouts I might do. I don't think on it's own that it would be a full workout. I do sweat like mad when I do it though! It is also fun to watch the cats stare at me as if I've lost my mind while I flail about like a methed-up squirrel having a seizure. I usually make my husband leave the room if he's home. Nobody needs to see that, really.


Over the last 4 weeks or so, I have started walking quite a bit. I started off doing 2-mile walks. These took me about 50 minutes. Now, I can do 3-mile walks in about an hour. I am starting to love walking again now that the weather is so nice (allergies be damned). So, I try to do my 3-mile walk at least 3 times a week. One of my coworkers (who is quickly becoming my friend) has been walking with me at least once a week after work. I enjoy this, but I also enjoy walking alone sometimes. I am reminded of what my mom used to say to me when I was a kid and on her nerves. Why don't you get outside and blow some of the stink off of you?


I have also tried My Fitness Coach. To be fair, I've only done this once so far. I was sweating for sure. I do like that it rates your mood when you start and asks how you were able to keep up once you're done. Maya (the trainer) is definitely a little creepy in a "real doll" kind of way though. Definitely something to keep in mind for rainy day cardio. I also have done the Biggest Loser Bootcamp with Bob Harper (mmmm, Bob). Even though in reality I would probably prefer Jillian's beatings to Bob's, I do like that he has modifications on his DVDs. My knees simply can't handle jumping jacks at this size.


That's what I've been doing for fitness lately. I try to aim for 5 days a week. Some weeks, I just do 4. It feels great so far. I can feel my stress levels lowering and my energy improving overall. Stay tuned for the next thing I try. I almost bought the zumba DVDs off the TV the other day, but then I decided I should step away from the informercials.

What I Wore Today

OMG Shoes

Obligatory work bathroom pic. I need to get a better full-length mirror at home.

I like to call this one "Nobody looks good in flourescent lighting."

Pardon the crappy phone pics! I just felt cute today. :)

Weigh-in

So, I had a weigh-in today. I lost 2.9 more pounds, bringing my total to 33.8. I was expecting to lose a little more as I have been around the 4-5 pound mark every 2 weeks, but I will take it. The other good news is that my bod pod measurement shows a 7-pound fat loss. I have incorporated more strength training, so I *may* be building a bit of muscle.

Total weight loss: -33.8 pounds

My Plan

I thought I'd give an overview of how I've been losing the weight thus far. Back in January, I had my metabolism tested at Target Metabolism. As I've mentioned before, my metabolism is high. This is partially due to my weight, but it is also higher than others who weigh the same as me. This is why I'd gotten stuck so many times in the past. I simply wasn't eating enough. This is a difficult concept to understand for many people who have tried to lose weight. Sometimes, your body isn't getting enough fuel, and it will hold onto every calorie it gets.

Anyway, when I started, my resting metabolic rate (RMR) was close to 3000 calories a day. This is what my body burns if I were to do nothing except sleep for 24 hours. Imagine that? That's almost a pound a day! Add in normal activity and exercise on top of that, and you're above a pound a day (before you eat, of course). They told me to start at 2500 calories a day. Target Metabolism weighs you in using the Bod Pod every two weeks. They are very focused on your fat:lean ratio and not as focused on the numbers. This is great, but I'll admit I still get hung up on those numbers. How can I not? Now, I kind of expected the weight to fly off the first two weeks, but it really didn't. I think I lost maybe 3 pounds in the first couple of weeks. I was admittedly not pleased with the results, but I felt I hadn't given it a fair chance yet. I think my body was just adjusting to everything, because it started to come off at a pretty steady pace after that. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

My metabolism was retested at the beginning of April, and I was told to take my daily intake down to 2400 calories a day. They give me a "danger zone" of 2200 calories (now-it will change later) that I am not to go below. So far, this is going well. I'm glad it wasn't a huge drop in calories yet. However, ask me again when in 75 pounds. I forgot to mention initially that I keep track of all of my calories and fitness minutes on Spark People. It's an amazing (FREE) site. Check it out!

So, what do I eat? During the week, I eat a balanced diet. I usually have 3 reasonable meals and 3 good snacks a day. I try my best to get in my fruits and veggies. Though I will admit I'm not always perfect at that. Some of my favorite snacks are strawberries, Fage 2% Greek yogurt with honey, almonds, and Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bars (lots of protein!).

As for the weekends, I am usually busy, and I don't have enough time to get in my 3 meals and 3 snacks. I do, however, still track everything, and make sure I hit my calorie target. I also try to work out both days on the weekend. This is where I get to splurge once in awhile. It helps quite a bit! I'll have a reasonable breakfast (usually later in the morning), a bigger late lunch/early dinner, and maybe a snack later if I have the calories left.

All in all, I don't feel deprived at all. I think this will help me stick to it for the long haul. A lifestyle change, perhaps?

Trader Joe's Chicken Stir Fry

Yikes, I have been a bad little blogger this week. It's been fairly hectic at home and at work. I'll try to make it up to you by sharing a quick recipe. As you'll soon figure out, I LOVE Trader Joe's! There are so many easy things that you can make quickly and not blow your calorie budget. This recipe is super easy, and I make it nearly every week.

Trader Joe's Chicken Stir Fry

*I think I took this picture before I added in the sauce. It's like a thicker soy sauce, and very yummy!

Makes two VERY hefty servings

1 bag Trader Joe's Asian Vegetables with Beijing Style Soy Sauce (frozen)
10 ounces of Trader Joe's Grilled Chicken Strips (frozen)
1 bag Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice (frozen)
I usually add in at least part of a bag of additional stir fry vegetables (but I don't add in more sauce than what comes in the first bag). This is all depends on what you prefer.

1. Spray pan/wok with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium. Add veggies.
2. While veggies are cooking, thaw chicken in the microwave (these are already cooked, and take about 8 minutes to thaw)
3. By the time the chicken is done, the veggies are close to finished. Add chicken to mixture.
4. Cut the corner of the rice bag, and microwave for 3 minutes
5. Add sauce to stir fry, and heat through.

Half of this recipe adds up to roughly 474 calories. When I have more calories left, I will add a Trader Joe's Chicken Egg Roll (140 calories). Yum, yum!

Clothing and Fears

The first time I lost weight, I remember my weight watcher leader telling us to get rid of all of our fat clothes. "That way," she said "you won't have any clothes to grow back into." I took her advice, and It felt good (no - great) to get rid of the fat clothes. Of course, I eventually ended up having to buy a whole new wardrobe in several sizes as all the weight came back (and then some). While I do love to shop, this is a very expensive habit. I also got rid of my clothes as I began to gain all the weight back, because, honestly, it was depressing to see them hanging in my closet. I felt as if they were taunting me. I'll see pictures (from whenever in my journey - losing and gaining weight) and actually miss pieces of clothing and kick myself for getting rid of them. Who has that kind of closet space though? Not me.

Now, once again, I currently have a pile of clothes that are too big for me. They've been laying on the floor by my closet for the last 3 weeks. Some of them, whether too big or not, just need to go. Some of them, though? I love. So, I'm now at an impasse as to what to do with them. Storage? Goodwill? Ceremonial burning? Through all of this, I used to tell my husband that there are probably some pudgy drag queens who shop at Goodwill who think I'm their savior.

I very much look forward to being at my goal weight (to be determined), and being able to buy quality, tailored to my (very pear-shaped at any size) body, clothes that will last me for a long time.

I am scared that I'll jinx myself if I throw away that pile of clothes....

Contest

There's this amazing husband and wife photography team in Indianapolis. I met the wife (Bobbi) briefly at a friend's wedding in 2006 (I think?). I just thought she was so funny and entertaining. It turns out that she and her husband are also INCREDIBLE photographers. I planned to do an engagement session with them before our wedding in 2007. Well, I was gaining weight at a rapid pace at that time, and I ended up canceling the session because I didn't want to be all blobby in such great pictures. I've been kicking myself about it ever since because I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be photographed by them. I stalk their blog, and I always enjoy the pics. Here's the blog for those interested. http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/

Folks, here is my chance at redemption. http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/healthy-train-the-before/ I am the second blob from the left in the second row. Man, were those pictures ever difficult to see. I'm trying to figure out if that's Chad from http://iamlosingit.net/ next to me (one more over)? He's also a local friend, so that's helping step up the game even more! She's hosted a couple of healthy train contests over the years, and I never hopped on (or if I did-I did it in a half-assed manner). So, I'm pretty excited to see how this ends!

Fitness, etc.

When I started my (what do I want to call it? Not a diet, because it's forever-but "lifestyle" sounds cheesy-thing?). Uhm, back in January, my exercise consisted of playing "Walk it Out" on the wii. It was a great way to get moving inside, because we all know how lovely midwest winters can be. It helped me greatly and was easy for me to begin with as I hadn't worked out in so long that I was essentially a beginner again. Now, I've opened all the paths and songs on that game, and I'm beginning to get a little bored with it.

Last month, I started incorporating "Just Dance", which is a LOT of fun! I'm sure I look like a total putz when I do it, but who cares if the cats stare at me? I think it'll be fun to add into my routine once in awhile, but I'm going to need something else.

I've started walking outside here and there this week. I enjoy it, but most of the paths here are pretty busy, and it can be a little unnerving sometimes dodging bikers and rollerbladers. I did find a park with a small nature path near my home, so I'll be exploring that more. I think I might have to find a class or something soon. I have access to a free gym at work and at home. However, I have a shoulder injury (frozen shoulder), and my ortho doc has advised me to not do any weight-bearing exercises until it heals. It's gotten better over the last couple of months, but it's certainly not back to 100% yet. I really miss some of the classes that I used to take, but it's going to be a bit before I'm back to that level (or even close to it). Definitely a goal I want to work toward. One of my coworkers is trying to get me to go to her boot camp class that meets at 5:15 in the morning. Yeah, not happening.

Considering water aerobics....

I'm rambly today. I'll leave you with a pic of my binary solo necklace.

Weigh-in

I had a weigh-in today. I weigh in every 2 weeks, and I also get a bod pod measurement. I lost 5.1 pounds over the last two weeks, which included my birthday and celebratory cupcakes.

Amazingly, this time, ALL of my loss was fat according to my bod pod measurement. My lean mass stayed the same. It's bounced around a bit in my first few weeks. Honestly, at this weight, I'm not as concerned with it. I will be once I lose more though.

Total weight loss: -30.9 pounds

Doctor Follow Up

So, as I mentioned in my first post, 5 months ago my doctor wanted me to start insulin. I (finally) went in for a follow-up appointment on Monday. Back in November, my A1C (measure of your blood sugar averages over 2-3 months) was 9.5%. The ADA recommends that it be under 7. My doctor wants it under 6.5. This is what the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends (thanks, coeditor, Andrea!).

This week, my A1C tested at 7.5%. This is a significant drop from just 5 months ago (2 of which I wasn't being exactly healthy). He says that he wants to see me back in 6 months (instead of 3), and that we'll be looking at reducing my medications at that point. This is one of my long-term goals, so I'm very excited about that! Also excited about not having to start insulin! He said all of my other levels were in the healthy range (liver enzymes, kidney function, blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol). That is also a great improvement from a few months ago. Very excited! I've used a lot of exclamation points in this post. Heh.

Oh, hai!

Don't let the lolspeak in the title fool you. I'm a grammar nerd except for when it comes to lolcatz. They are cute and furry, and they are allowed a grammar pass.

Anyway, I created this blog a few weeks ago. I suppose I should finally post something, eh? Where to start? It's kind of hard to sum up your story in a single blog entry, but I'll try to get everyone who doesn't already know me up to speed.

My story starts like so many others. I've been overweight (let's face it - obese) for most of my life. I remember being on weight watchers with my mother when I was 8 years old. I'm pretty sure that's a legal form of torture these days. Especially back then-I mean the weight watcher bread in the 80s? You might as well just eat the bag. It was that tasty. Thank goodness we've come so far in the development of healthier foods. More on this later.

I've had several false starts over the years where I lost a few pounds, but then something happened to derail me (something minor usually, but a few traumas too). In 2004, at the age of 29 (you're doing math now, aren't you?). I started weight watchers. It was kind of on a whim really. I didn't even seem that invested in it. It seems that was the trick for me because in a year and a half, I lost 100 pounds. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 25 due to my weight. After I lost this weight (even though I was still "obese" by those archaic BMI charts), I was no longer diabetic.

Right after I hit my 100-pound lost mark, I got downsized out of my job that I'd held for 7 years. No worries, it turns out that I ended up with a much better job! However, it did throw me out of my routines, and I'm a very routine-driven gal. I managed to hold my weight for over a year and half, but I was truly stuck.

At this time, I was working out hardcore: spinning classes, kickboxing, pilates. As it turns out, I simply wasn't eating enough calories to sustain my activities. This is why my body wasn't letting go of any more weight (even though I felt I had another 60-70 pounds to lose). I, like many others, had a hard time grasping the fact that you have to eat enough or your body will go into starvation.

I eventually got frustrated, and made the biggest mistake of my life: I gave up. I gained all 100 pounds back and also about 70 more. Diabetes came back and brought along its friend hypertension. I was on more medications than ever before. I flailed around in this state for at least a couple of years. Five months ago, my doctor wanted me to start on insulin. This was simply a road I was not ready to go down-particularly at such a young age. I watched my mother go through this. I watched her get both of her big toes amputated, and learn how to walk again. It took me a couple of months to get my act together, but I finally started back on a healthy road in January.

This time, I got my metabolism tested. It is, of course, high because of my weight, but it is also 300 calories higher than someone else of a similar weight. All those formulas you can find to test your RMR (resting metabolic rate) are based on averages. For most people, they work. For me, they did not (it was one of the many things I'd tried in the past). I'll go into more details about my plan later. I am still trying to keep this brief (fail). Long story short-I think something has finally clicked with me again. I have lost 26 pounds so far (maybe more - I weigh in tomorrow).

This will be mostly about my weight loss, but as my title (and probably my writing) suggests, I get distracted easily. I'm also a geek for pop culture, fashion, and beauty products, to name a few. So, that's the (sort of) brief version of my story. More to come. I plan to post often, so stay tuned.