More on "How to Look Good Naked"

I forgot to mention this on my post the other day about the reality show "How to Look Good Naked," but I got a hoot out of it and you might, too:
One of the commercials during the show was for Slimfast...which was followed immediately by a commercial for Chips Ahoy cookies.

How's that for a mixed message? Maybe it's no wonder that so many of us are so mixed up about food and weight issues.

Great link for We Calorie Counters

Calorielab.com is a really useful resource, especially for finding out how many calories are in your favorite restaurant foods.

Warning: they may not be your favorite restaurant foods after you find out!

It is mind-boggling to see just how fattening some innocent looking morsels are. (Goodbye, Sonic onion rings, 'twas nice to know ye.)

"Let's Put the 'U' back in 'Beauty'!"

Yes, that was one of the cheesy quotes that I heard tonight on a reality show called "How to Look Good Naked." (And I do *not* mean "cheesy" in a warm, melty, mouth-wateringly good way.)

The premise of the show seems to be to they take a woman who has a bad body image, give her a make-over, and -- viola! -- cure all her body image woes.

Yeah, right.

So they (and the "they" in this case is mostly just host Carson Kressley of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" fame) cure a woman's bad self-esteem about her looks by, um, changing her looks? Not sure that's the way it works in real life, folks.

Anyway, the most interesting part of the show for me is when they have the subject choose where she thinks she fits into a lineup of ladies in order of size. The subjects invariably think that they are larger than they really are.

That part, at least, hit home for me because I do think that I sometimes feel larger than I am. On days when I have eaten more than intended or exercised less, I feel very blob-ish, no matter what the scale says.

The other day, I was pigging out at lunch at work with some coworkers. I was *not* feeling very slim. But as I was walking away from the table, I overheard one coworker comment to another that I was "so small."

Now, I'm not, really...but it sure gave me a different perspective to hear that. 124 pounds is large compared to where I want to be, weight-wise, but it is "so small" compared to the U.S. average for my height. (See US Government Height/Weight Stats It is also "so small" compared to what I once weighed. So I guess I should put it in perspective and feel better about it.

This perspective business is quite the balancing act: feeling good enough about my weight to be have a decent body image, but not so good that I forget to strive to be better. Yikes. If I find the answer to that puzzler, I'll sure let you know! It is not as simple in reality as it seems on a reality show.

Storing Up Fat for the Winter?

Yesterday, driving to work in the bright sunshine at 9:30 AM, it was 15 degrees F. Brr.

I hate the cold, and not least because it makes me want to overeat. Not only does it make me want to overeat, but it makes me want to overeat the wrong foods. Believe me, when it is 15 outside, I am not craving apples. I am craving fattening, cheesy, heavy stuff. (Actually, I take back the line about not craving apples: what I should have said is that I don't crave crunchy, fresh, plain apples. I do crave them if they are baked into a state of mushiness and smothered in butter and sugar. Ha.)

So what do I do? Move to a warmer climate? Maybe all those skinny actresses in Southern California have it easier there because it never gets all that cold!!!!!

Actually, I think I've hit on the right answer. I do need to move. But not as in 'move to a new part of the globe.' Move, as in 'exercise.'

Last week I started using the treadmill at the gym. I had not been able to do that for a while due to high blood pressure (190 over 120+ at its worst), but now that's sort of under control due me finally giving in and taking meds, I can do more moving. And I promise to actually make myself do it and not wait until 'the spirit moves me,' as my Grandma used to say.

We'll see. And hopefully, if I do enough moving on a regular enough basis I'll see some results. It should warm me up, at least!

TOO BIG, ya hear? TOO BIG!

I just finished sorting through a bunch of old clothes. Yeah, I know, it's another thrilling Saturday night at my house! Whoo-hoo! In my defense, it is going down to 14 freaking Fahrenheit degrees here tonight, so even though I hear a movie theater and a live musical show both calling my name, the thought of going out into the cold is seriously not appealing. (The show, by the way, is the Doyle and Debbie show -- see http://www.doyleanddebbie.com/. Heard of them? No? Don't worry, you will when they hit Broadway.)

Anyhow, I ended up putting a lot of the clothes that I was going through into a give-away pile because they are TOO BIG. Man, what a goooood feeling to give away clothes because they are TOO BIG! (Did I mention enough times that they are TOO BIG? They are TOO BIG. Yes, TOO BIG. LOL!)

So I'm a pretty happy camper right now! Sometimes it doesn't take much. :-)

What 124 lbs looks like

OK, I'm going to be brave here and post a photo showing my current look (124 lbs, 5'6" tall). I think the arms & legs are OK, size-wise (although a little toning will definitely help!), but the belly is still WAAAAY too thick. That's what I'm hoping to get rid of by accomplishing my weight loss and fitness goals.

(I am very nervous about posting this, so no flames or mean comments, please.)

Skinny Goodness

If food is good -- really, really, REALLY good -- I can be happy eating less of it. I know that sounds bass-ackwards, but I find it to be true. "Gourmet" fare is just more satisfying.

I am dangerously likely to binge on average, everyday cheese and chocolate, for example, but savoring a high-end, intensely flavorful artisanal cheese or a piece of rich, dark imported chocolate satisfies my taste buds so completely that I don't need nearly as much to feel sated.

And, hey, since eating less of the good stuff is the only way that I can actually afford it, that's probably a good thing for my bank account as well as my belly. :-)

Back on Track

Yes, I was off my blog posting for a few days. I was also off my healthy eating (Please note that I did not say "off my diet" -- this way of eating has to be a way of life for my weight loss to stick, not just a "diet.")

A friend says that out-of-town calories don't count. That's a fun attitude when you are out of town, but not so fun when you try on your pants afterward. Yikes.

Anyway, there was a time in my life when going off-plan for a few days would have been the beginning of the end of getting in shape, but now I know that it does not have to be that way. I can bounce back from a few days of heavy eating and get back on track. It would be better not to go quite so far off track in the first place, but, hey, I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

Getting back to a healthier lifestyle is not easy and I have to ease back into it, working on changing my mindset and then changing my eating patterns. That's what I'm doing this week: getting my mind and my body back on track. Now, off to the gym!

Weigh-in

I weighed myself today at the gym (where I worked out for all of 20 minutes -- gotta do better on that). The good news is that I have not gained any weight back and, in fact, have lost another 1/4 pound down to an even 124.

In celebration, I am posting a picture of my arm. Please contain your excitement. LOL





I am small-boned which means my arms are fairly delicate-looking. On the down side, it also means that any fat shows up immediately. Judging from just that arm, you would think I am already thin enough. Unfortunately, my belly tells a different story.

This will make you put down that cookie

According to an article at BestLifeOnline.com, fat cells are not the lazy, inert slobs we think they are. They are not just sitting around making us look bad. Oh, no. They are busy trying to kill us.

Sounds like the plot of a bad horror film doesn't it? Attack of the killer fat cells! (Oh wait, maybe it was already a movie -- I think it was called "THE BLOB."

Anyway, what the article says is that fat can actually be considered an endocrine organ, meaning that it is producing and secreting various substances all the time. And guess what? For the most part, those substances are not good for us. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

The secretions are called "adipokines" and they include hormones and other compounds that cause high blood sugar, raise blood pressure, and inflame the arteries possibly causing arterial plaque to come loose and block blood flow. Yikes! I'm going to remember that the next time I hear a cookie calling my name.

An Unforeseen Danger of Weight Loss

For Christmas, I was given some long underwear. (Yeah, I know, you're thinking "Whoo-hoo, she must have been a very good girl," right?) Actually, it was very nice, thin, silky long underwear. The keyword there is silky; note that you can also translate that as slippery.

I found out about the slippery factor last night when I wore my long underwear under some jeans that are now just a little too large for me due to weight loss. Yes, you guessed it: I spent all evening in grave danger of my too-big jeans slip-sliding down over that silky-slick material and leaving me standing there in my underwear with my pants around my ankles.

Luckily, that did not happen, but only because I tugged up my jeans all night. Sigh. I did have a couple of close calls where there was possibly a gap in the back between shirt and jeans allowing a glimpse (or maybe an eyeful) of my unmentionables. Any people around with long underwear fetishes probably enjoyed themselves just a little too much!

Still, if I have to have problems, I would rather have the problem of keeping my pants on because I'm too small for them than the problem of not being able to get them on because I'm too big. :-)

Frozen veggies are my friends

125 calories. That's how many there are in a 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Not 125 calories per serving, mind you, that's 125 for the whole dang bag.

When I'm hungry, I can go to the freezer and grab a bag of veggies (intended for stir fry or soup and available in the freezer section of your happy neighborhood grocery), microwave them, add soy sauce and seasonings, and I have a ton (well, OK a pound) of yummy, nutritious, filling food for only 125 freaking calories. That is a lot of food for very few calories.

If I want to go wild and add a little spaghetti sauce or even a half can of mushroom soup to flavor it up, I can because I've saved calories to spare. Sometimes I eat them as a meal that way and sometimes as a side dish. Either way it gives me a lot of satisfaction with next-to-no fattening power. I think I'll go eat some friends right now.

Funny way to put it (but true!)

Instead of complaining about being heavier than she'd like, my friend Lisa says she's unhappy with her "current gravity pull."
I like that way of putting it! It serves to reminds me of how light I'll be (in weight AND in mood) when I achieve my goal weight.

Skinny-Fat vs. Skinny-Fit

It's one thing to be skinny and a whole 'nother thing to be fit. Unfortunately for lazy-bones like me, dieting alone will not create a fit, toned, good-looking body. Sometimes it creates a body with super thin arms and legs but a flabby butt and thick belly.

Check out these photos to see what I mean. The first is of singer Amy Winehouse, sadly a woman who has more problems than just body shape. But body shape is a problem for her, too. You can tell that she doesn't eat much, but she's sure not fit or toned. She's what I've seen referred to as "skinny-fat."




The second photo is Cameron Diaz. She also probably doesn't eat a whole lot either(more than Amy, though), but you can tell she works out, is active, and has muscle tone. She is "skinny-fit."



Exercise does a body good. I am doing well on dieting but not so much on exercise. This is going to have to change. Right now, I wouldn't dare post a picure of myself in a bikini on here.

Life is just a bowl of cherries

...and two hotdogs and some vegetables. That's what I had to eat yesterday. (I also drank last night while out with friends, but that's another post....)

The thing that I am overly, inordinately, excessively, ridiculously proud of is that I turned down the buns or bread with my hotdogs. Instead, I put them on a plate with mustard and a little ketchup and ate them with a fork. They were yummy that way.

The reason that this makes me so freaking happy is because there was a time when I would have eaten those hotdogs on buns or bread totally without thinking. I don't even LIKE buns or bread. I don't even WANT it. But in the past, I would have eaten it because...well, just because. I guess just because it is what you are "supposed" to eat with hotdogs. Never mind whether you want it or not! You are being a weirdo if you eat a hotdog with out a bun!

Now, I don't think like that anymore.

This goes along with what I said in a previous blog entry about being mindful about what I eat: From now on, I am going to eat ONLY the parts of the dish that I truly want, no matter how weird that may seem. The rest is just useless calories and I'd rather save my calories for something I really want...like more cherries.

The Fountain of Youth

Is slimness the fountain of youth? Well, no...although there are studies showing that thinner people live longer on average and being thin does make it less likely that we'll get some diseases, like diabetes.

Actually, the youth effect that I'm thinking of is more cosmetic -- and involves just a little hocus-pocus.

Last night, I went out with some friends from work, all younger than me (by a couple of decades!). One of them, Crystal, has been thinspiration for me. She is about my height but with a slimmer, more athletic build.

I was surprised -- shocked -- floored -- to find out that she actually weighs a little more than me. (Believe me, it's distributed differently; more on that in another post.)

She, on the other hand, was surprised to find out how old I am. "I thought you were closer to our age," she said. She went on to comment that I weigh less than most people my age; that I'm thin "for your age."

I've heard this before. We live in a society where it's considered normal to gain weight with age. Studies show that it's typical to gain a pound of fat and lose a half pound of muscle every year from your 30's on. This is mostly because of being less active and eating more, but also because metabolism slows and hormones change.

So when people see a thin(ish!) middle-aged person, they are very likely to assume that you are younger than you are. It's all a matter of perception, that 'hocus-pocus' I mentioned earlier.
Hey, I'll take that!

Avoiding the toast

The other day, I was with some friends at Waffle House. It's possibly not the greatest restaurant for healthy eating, but hey, if you live in the South, sometimes you're gonna find yourself at Waffle House. What can I say?

I wanted one egg scrambled with cheese, and some grits, no toast. Sounds simple right? There was a breakfast plate with the egg and grits but it came with toast and bacon and cost more than I wanted to pay. (Yes, I'm occasionally even too cheap for Waffle House. I admit it.)

You could also get the grits as a side item and buy the egg with cheese separately, except that it also came with toast if you ordered it that way. There seemed to be no way to avoid the dang toast.

After talking about my non-desire for toast (which you wouldn't think would be THAT strange a request) with the waitress a couple of times, I thought we had figured out how I could just get both the egg and the grits as side items with nothing else. Ah, problem solved. Or not.

When my plate arrived, there in the middle, smack dab between the egg and the grits, were two pieces of White Bread Toast.

I just shook my head in resignation and said to the waitress, "There's just no escaping the toast, is there?"

Without a word, she swooped in, scooped up the toast in her hand, and in one swift motion, threw it directly into the trashcan.

Problem solved. No toast for me. LOL

New Year's Resolution / Weigh-in

Last year, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to lose 10 pounds and get down to 125. I was hovering around 135 at the time with fluctuations of about 3 pounds up or down, and I had been stuck there for over a year.

I know that 10 pounds doesn't sound like much to drop in a whole year, but believe me, it's been a very hard 10 pounds to lose. Much harder than the first 50, even.

It seems as though 135-ish was a sort of set point for me; once I got there my body found it easy to stay there. That's great as far as not gaining back, but not so great as far as losing more.

Today I had a check-up at the doctor's and they weighed me. I must confess that I had a lot of "fat fear" going in, since right after the New Year's holiday (not to mention shortly after Thanksgiving and Christmas) is not usually the best time to face the scale! Anyway, I weighed in at 126 3/4 so I *just* missed my goal.

This year, my resolution is to get down to 115. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to lose 11 3/4 pounds to get there instead of only the 10 I had hoped to have left to go.

When I told my doctor that I had just missed my resolution goal, he jokingly told me that his scale is usually a couple of pounds off. (Yeah, that's the ticket! Thanks, Doc!) Anyway, I usually weigh myself on the scale at the gym at work so I'll double check it there later. Who knows? Maybe I'll have an update for the blog later if I get a better verdict from the gym scale.

*******Edited to add update: I did weigh at the gym, on two different scales there, and they both said that I was at 124 1/4. So if I choose believe the gym, I did achieve last year's New Year's Resolution. I choose to believe!

Skinny State of Mind

One thing I'm going to do on this blog is offer weight loss tips that have helped me. Here's the first: I've found that to lose fat, I have to keep it in my consciousness, to be aware of it pretty much all the time; in other words, I have to stay in a skinny state of mind.

If I lose that focus, I find myself mindlessly eating.

To keep from doing that, I find that it helps to do things like look at photos of thin people for inspiration, think about the great fashions I can wear when I'm slimmer, plan what I eat in advance, and imagine getting compliments and positive attention for being slim.

Of course, sometimes just pinching myself at the waist and feeling that fat is enough to remind me to get back on track. ;-)

Thinspiration: weight loss can be done

At my highest weight, I was 5'6" and 185 pounds. Some women may feel sexy at that size, but I was a sexless blubbery blob. I did not love myself, and I certainly did not like my looks.

For most of my previous life -- before I gained all that extra flesh -- my usual range had been 130 - 145 pounds. Once I had the proper motivation, it was fairly easy for me to get back to that range, but getting thinner than that has been a struggle...until now.

Now, I'm going for it! I've had a taste of success (no food pun intended) and I want to share what has worked for me so far and find out what works for others. I also want -- and need -- to hear from others to keep up my motivation and inspiration: I want to give and receive "Thinspiration."