Shrinking Tink: Trading Pounds for Pixie Dust

[If U Had Wings]

Hi Tink!!!

How have you been doing? Hope you've been shedding lots of those pounds for pixie dust!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Hi Tink!!!

How have you been doing? Hope you've been shedding lots of those pounds for pixie dust!

Nope. Unfortunately not. I actually GAINED, which sucks. With all the carp I was dealing with in the past few months I was dumb and turned to food to cope. But I'm at peace with where I am now and I feel sincerely ready to move forward.

My new BEFORE picture (from the Universal vacation the BF and I just returned from):

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Hey all. Just got back from the grocery store. We were pretty much without food save for the 67lbs of chocolate the BF brought back from vacation!

Thank God HE'S the chocoholic.

Although those silly little Cadbury Mini Eggs we received from his mom for Easter are, quite literally, SCREAMING my name from the kitchen.

I bought some nomable fruits and veggies and stocked up on lots of healthy snacks. I wanted to share a couple of these with you in case any of you have the same snacking "issues" I have.

But it's summer. Ice cream is a MUST HAVE in summer!!!

While I'm not a HUGE ice cream fanatic, I am big into sherbet and sorbet, neither of which packs a really big punch in the nutritional value arena. However, I discovered, some time ago, a fun and and pretty nommy swap!

Throw these bad boys in the freezer and instant ice cream-ish:

It might not be THE most healthy yogurt on the market but it comes in really fun flavors and firms up to a really nice consistency. And it's portable!

And just an FYI, if you haven't yet jumped on the Greek yogurt train, this is my #1 favorite brand and flavor. If you have a Stop n Shop near you, every couple of weeks they are on sale 10/$10 (normally 4/$5):

Strawberries were on sale 75lbs for $2 but they only last me a week!

I detest wasting food, especially fruit, strawberries in particular since they are my favorite, but unfortunately I used to feel like I could never take advantage of the great deals the markets run (2lbs/$4, or this week's 3lbs/$3) because the fruit would go bad before I could eat it all.

Until I found these:

They are a little expensive at the outset but I easily get an extra week or more out of my produce, depending on what it is. They are made by Rubbermaid and are called Produce Savers. Target actually used to have a great value pack of different sizes that was a great price.

A girl NEEDS cute clothes, no matter what her size!

Finally, these are my current "favorite tees" from Old Navy. They are pretty inexpensive, fit nicely (close to the body but not tight) and are super cute. I bought one for our vaca and regret not buying more. Instead I bought two of another style that ended up disappointing me - they stretched out as I wore them and ended up making me feel much larger than I was.

The "winning" tee:

The "losing" tee:

The second one is adorable, I know. BUT. Really, if you're going to try it, I would recommend going not one but maybe two sizes smaller. I buy either Large or X-Large in my tops (the "girls" often make anything smaller out of the question) but, with the way these stretched out, I think I easily could've gotten away with a medium. I'm hoping to be able to shrink them a bit in the dryer. While it looks like they are elastic fitted at the bottom, they are not. I think that's the issue.

So, that's my input for today. If the weather is as gorgeous for you as it is here in MA, I hope you're out enjoying it and staying healthy!!!

 

[disneydreamin247]

You know what's also delicious and only 100 calories? The Spongebob and Spider Man pops from the ice cream truck! My DS is an ice cream truck FIEND. Literally....the guy stops outside my house daily whether DS is out there or not bc he KNOWS us. Anyway I checked the calories and sugar on his holy grail and it's only 100 calories and less than 15g of sugar!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Oh the ice cream truck SCREAMS summer! LOL

 

[If U Had Wings]

Tink, I've gained too and am trying to get myself back on track. It's so difficult!

I love the cute new stuff. I've been wanting to try those produce containers but was wondering if they really worked or not. I may have to pick some up.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Hello all! If you're lucky enough to be in MA and have the Patriot's Day holiday, I hope you're enjoying your day off!

And if not.

Forget what I just wrote.

I've been trying to make a decision today on HOW I'm going to take off this weight. The one thing that really worked for me in the past was Weight Watchers (the Points, not the Core program). After my most recent visit with my PCP she also suggested a nutritionist but unfortunately it's not covered by my insurance and I can't afford the visits (the first consultation alone costs over $100!!!). She said if I couldn't do that that I should at least pick up a book on general nutrition so that I could learn how the body works, why it needs what it needs, etc. So I picked up this one:

Please. Pick this book up at my recommendation. It's not a diet book. It offers an AMAZING overview of nutrition and the body for all stages of life, for men and women, for people with special needs, etc. Another pretty great thing it does is to review most of the currently popular diet plans and fads.

I think what I'd like to do is to combine what I've learned from this book with the WW program (which I'll do on my own; I never found the meetings helpful - it was all food bashing) with THIS awesome and unique book, another recommendation from yours truly, particularly for those of you who are writers or keep/would like to keep a journal:

Julia Cameron also wrote The Artist's Way, another great resource to help unblock the fountains of creativity.

I think, overall, I'd like to lose about 75 pounds. Sloooooowly. Otherwise I know it'll all coming piling back on. I'd like to lose about a pound a week. If I happen to lose more, great! but I'm not pushing for more than that. I know me. I'll get too discouraged.

I'm undecided as to when I'll weigh in. I know myself. I get obsessive with the scale. I'll sometimes weigh myself twice a day and it's a bad, BAD thing. I'm going to try to weigh myself once a week and THAT'S IT, but if I find even that's too often, I'm limiting it to once a month. Even if that means I need to ask BF to hide the darn scale from me!

While some time ago my goal had been to reach a certain weight by the time I turn 30 in October, the way I see it is this: I might not be at my final goal by then BUT if I can lose 1lb per week until then, I'll at least be 24lbs. lighter and healthier by 30!

I think that's all I've got for today. As I firm up my plans I'll be sure to share them with you. The next HOW I need to get firmed up (much like my rear end) is the big E: EXERCISE. My PCP wants me walking at least 5 days a week for 30-45 min. Time to start putting it on the calendar!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I've been wanting to try those produce containers but was wondering if they really worked or not. I may have to pick some up.

Seriously, they work. I would not lie to you (and I do not work for Rubbermaid ). I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

 

[If U Had Wings]

Tink, the goals look entirely doable. Good luck! I can't seem to get my eating and exercise in synch. Before I was eating better, but getting no exercise. Lately it's been the opposite. I've been working out about 5+ days a week, but have been eating horribly. I need to get my act together.

I think I'm going to have to check out those books too.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I think I'm going to have to check out those books too.

They really are great. Another good one is This Year I Will... by MJ Ryan.

It's about changing habits of all kinds. Ironically I just recommended it to TK as well. It's an easy read.

We'll do it together, girlie! We will!

So, here's a funky fact that I thought I'd share with y'all. One of the minerals our body requires is Selenium. Know what that is or how to get it?



Yeah. I didn't either. Then I found out that ONE Brazil nut has your entire daily value of Selenium.

Also, I had NO IDEA what a Brazil nut looked like. Here it is:

Nuts, in general, (and in moderation) are a GREAT snack. Filling, good fats, and lots of vitamins and minerals. I have 1/4 of unsalted, mixed nuts, including one Brazil nut, every day. I usually buy one large cannister of unsalted mix nuts and supplement it with walnuts (one of the best nuts for you next to almonds) and dole it out into the 1/2 cup Glad containers. I bring one container to work with me every two days.

Hope you're all having a happy and healthy Tuesday!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

::cue television announcer voice::

Welcome to Weigh-in Wednesday!

Having looked at the calendar, I discovered that my birthday falls on a Wednesday this year, and given the whole 'lose a pound a week' convo and the melodiousness of saying "Weigh-in Wednesday", I thought Wednesdays would be an appropriate day each week to start hopping on the scale and reporting back here.

Now, given all of that, I felt like carp when I jumped on the scale this morning. It's "that" time, I ate a bunch of salts late yesterday and am currently retaining more water than the Hoover Dam. But boohoo. Too bad. It's Weigh-in Wednesday.

And so, today's weight will act as my start point: 218.8

Now, that's high for me. And it's likely due to the factors I noted above, BUT I did also just return from vacation where, despite a ton of walking, I did allow myself to eat WHATEVER I wanted. So, while I'm working towards making that number go DOWN, I do anticipate it could stay the same or go up next week as my body cries out against all the carp I've eaten in the past 10 days.

But it's all good. I'm not worried. I'm steppin' in the right direction now.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I normally weigh myself on Wednesdays, but somehow forgot this morning. Now while I didn't do it intentionally, it's possible there was a bit of selective forgetting going on. My eating has been off lately, and with my knee bothering me I wasn't able to really do an of my usual exercising this week. All I did was my yoga class.

I was supposed to get up before 5 this morning to call in for my Zumba class tomorrow. (They are so crazy popular that you need to reserve your spot a day ahead). I over slept and woke up at 5:30. Class was already filled. Not getting into my Zumba class puts me into a pouty mood all day. I'm debating whether or not to just show up tomorrow and hope that I'll be able to sneak in. The normal instructor is off, so I'm hoping that people will chose to skip when they see that she's not there. (That happened last week).

I'm also pretty sure that I'm going to try to start the c25k program again tonight. My knee is feeling much better, especially with the compression sleeve I picked up and have been wearing all day today.

I'm going to have to go online and see if my library has those books, otherwise I'll see if I can use interlibrary loan to read them. With all the running books I've been requesting lately they are really getting to know me at the pick up desk.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I finally grew a backbone and hopped on the scale this morning, ignoring the stupid excuses why I shouldn't that my mind was giving me.


* My hair is wet - I'm sure it's holding about 5 lbs of water.
* I haven't gone yet this morning - I'm sure if I did I'd get rid of about 10 extra lbs.
* I didn't hop on as soon as I woke up. About 5 lbs of dust has landed on me since then.

But I ignored them and hopped on anyways.



I wasn't happy, but honestly I wasn't really surprised either. My eating the past few weeks hasn't been good, as I was budgetly strapped and was eating lots of low cost carp. I wasn't helped either by my bad knee, and was back into couch potato mode all week.

The damage this week? I'm starting at just about the same point Tink is. I was 217.4 lbs this morning.

Today is a brand new Day #1! No specific goals, other than to eat healthy, and continue exercising on a regular basis.

I can't wait to get started exercising again tonight.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I'm also pretty sure that I'm going to try to start the c25k program again tonight.

What is this?

I'm going to have to go online and see if my library has those books, otherwise I'll see if I can use interlibrary loan to read them.

Let me know if you can't get them. I'll see if I can somehow get them to you.

* I didn't hop on as soon as I woke up. About 5 lbs of dust has landed on me since then.

LOL!!!

I'm starting at just about the same point Tink is. I was 217.4 lbs this morning.

We should start a club...wait! we already did! LOL
How tall are you, hon? I can't recall. I think I'm remembering that you're taller than me (I'm 5' 4.5").

Today is a brand new Day #1! No specific goals, other than to eat healthy, and continue exercising on a regular basis.

WOOHOO!!! I'm here for your girlie!!!


And HEY LURKERS!!!! feel free to join in. We're here for ALL of you. Don't be shy.

 

[disneydreamin247]

My new starting point is going to be 212.6 as per my frienemy (the scale) this morning. Things have been kind of rough around here lately. My sister was hospitalized AGAIN yesterday, I had court which put me in the general vicinity of DS' sperm donor, and things have been iffy with the DBF. Terrible reasons for falling off the wagon, I already know. But today I'm back in the gym and back on track. No more excuses!

 

[If U Had Wings]

What is this?

Couch to 5k. It's a program to get you starting running. It starts off really slow with 60 sec. runs followed by 90 sec. walks and builds up over 9 weeks until you are able to run for 30 minutes. I was only able to do day 1 last week before the knee I had twisted in aerobics class needed to be rested, but I did it. I think I may have to take longer than the 9 weeks to get to 30 minutes, but I really feel a desire to do it. They actually have podcasts that you can download and will tell you exactly when to run and when to walk making it easier. I've set my sights on a 5k in Hartford in October. My brother and SIL run it every year, so I may try to be ready for that. Eventually I want to run/walk a Disney 1/2 marathon. I'm aiming for 2011 for that.

We should start a club...wait! we already did! LOL
How tall are you, hon? I can't recall. I think I'm remembering that you're taller than me (I'm 5' 4.5").

Just about the same again. I'm 5'4" and 3/4. I'm not quite 5'5" although I usually lie and tell people I'm 5'5".

WOOHOO!!! I'm here for your girlie!!!

As I am for you!!! This is our year!!!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

My new starting point is going to be 212.6 as per my frienemy (the scale) this morning. Things have been kind of rough around here lately. My sister was hospitalized AGAIN yesterday, I had court which put me in the general vicinity of DS' sperm donor, and things have been iffy with the DBF. Terrible reasons for falling off the wagon, I already know. But today I'm back in the gym and back on track. No more excuses!

Hey you!

Sorry to hear things aren't ideal. But you've got a great positive attitude looking for the future. I don't think your reasons are "terrible" for falling off the wagon, but they are excuses because you know what I FINALLY wrapped my mind around? There will NEVER be an ideal time. The time simply HAS to be now otherwise it will be never.

And about your 'frienemy'. First of all, that was pretty funny. Second, maybe it'll help with anyone's 'frienemy' issues if I tell you what works for me...I have an actual obsession with the scale. In a bad way. I was on it multiple times a day and allowed it to dictate my emotions. It was HORRIBLE. I'd feel great. I'd reward myself with food. I'd get on the scale again. Feel terrible, console myself with food. ALL IN ONE DAY.

Here's the deal, the scale isn't anything but a measurement device. I've stopped thinking of it as anything but an inanimate object. Once a week I get on it and read the numbers it gives me and I put it away.

Emotionally un-linking myself has made quite the difference.

Couch to 5k. It's a program to get you starting running. It starts off really slow with 60 sec. runs followed by 90 sec. walks and builds up over 9 weeks until you are able to run for 30 minutes.

Ooooooh.
I kind of like the sound of that.
See, I've CONVINCED myself (for no reason at all) that I'm not a runner. That I can't run. (i.e. "It'll hurt my knees and my shins", "I'm too heavy", "My 'girls' will hurt after-LOL!", etc.). But, buried deep down, I think I've always wanted to BE a runner or at least be able to run. This might be an interesting program to check out. Thanks so much for sharing the link!

Eventually I want to run/walk a Disney 1/2 marathon. I'm aiming for 2011 for that.

That is an AWESOME goal.

Just about the same again. I'm 5'4" and 3/4. I'm not quite 5'5" although I usually lie and tell people I'm 5'5".

LOL! I always 'downgrade' and say 5' 4''.

As I am for you!!! This is our year!!!

No, my dear, this is our LIFETIME!!!

 

[disneydreamin247]

Hey you!

Sorry to hear things aren't ideal. But you've got a great positive attitude looking for the future. I don't think your reasons are "terrible" for falling off the wagon, but they are excuses because you know what I FINALLY wrapped my mind around? There will NEVER be an ideal time. The time simply HAS to be now otherwise it will be never.

And about your 'frienemy'. First of all, that was pretty funny. Second, maybe it'll help with anyone's 'frienemy' issues if I tell you what works for me...I have an actual obsession with the scale. In a bad way. I was on it multiple times a day and allowed it to dictate my emotions. It was HORRIBLE. I'd feel great. I'd reward myself with food. I'd get on the scale again. Feel terrible, console myself with food. ALL IN ONE DAY.

Here's the deal, the scale isn't anything but a measurement device. I've stopped thinking of it as anything but an inanimate object. Once a week I get on it and read the numbers it gives me and I put it away.

Emotionally un-linking myself has made quite the difference.

I absolutely agree. I do have to be careful with what I do, though, because I was a disordered eating patient for a while before having DS. I tend to either over restrict or just go hog wild with my eating. I'm working hard to find a happy medium. It's like my Lewis and Clarke expedition.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I absolutely agree. I do have to be careful with what I do, though, because I was a disordered eating patient for a while before having DS. I tend to either over restrict or just go hog wild with my eating. I'm working hard to find a happy medium. It's like my Lewis and Clarke expedition.

That can be scary and dangerous, you're absolutely right. Well, we're here for you to help you feel balanced and sane!

 

[If U Had Wings]

Ooooooh.
I kind of like the sound of that.
See, I've CONVINCED myself (for no reason at all) that I'm not a runner. That I can't run. (i.e. "It'll hurt my knees and my shins", "I'm too heavy", "My 'girls' will hurt after-LOL!", etc.). But, buried deep down, I think I've always wanted to BE a runner or at least be able to run. This might be an interesting program to check out. Thanks so much for sharing the link!

I've always convinced myself of the same thing. My few sad, pitiful attempts to run always failed, and I haven't even tried since I was back in high school. But I keep having these thoughts of my running without a care in the world.

I started reading some of the WISH boards here with people running the Princess 1/2 marathon, and I started thinking maybe it was possible. I highly recomend John Bingham's book - The Courage to Start. It's wonderful and very inspirational if you've had thoughts of running at all. He really focuses on just doing what you can do and not worrying about speed, or anyone else.

I went out and got fitted for a great sports bra, and running shoes that match my gait and I'm all set to go. I'm slow as molasses, and I can't run more than 60 secs. but it's a start.