pearlescence

BRB, making a Pintrest board for things I want when I lose weight. The biggest thing for me will be wearing shorts and short skirts. I've always hated my knees. My thighs are fine for the most part, but my knees are so chubby compared to them. I am not a huge fan of short shorts or mini skirts, but just to expose my knees and feel comfortable? That is the dream.

I have to agree with a lot of the suggestions on here, especially David Sedaris and Terry Pratchett. I also like to get back into my love of scifi/fantasy when trying to get away from heavier reading. Anne McCaffery may not be humor-based, but her books are light, fun, but emotionally grabbing enough to be enjoyable. Have you read her Dragonriders of Pern series? I'm actually going to re-read them once I finish the books I'm currently working through.

The only martial art I've ever done was Tai Chi, which I doubt is what you're looking for, but it was fun, and very meditative and soothing. But I know a lot of people I've met love mixed martial arts. It's pretty hardcore, from what I've seen, but then, so are rock climbing and parkour. Congratulations on the steps you've taken so far, though. You obviously know how to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, and kick your own butt into action, which is more than I can say half the time. And don't worry about the occasional beer. As long as it isn't more than two or three, and as long as it's only a couple of times a week and not EVERY single night, I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure it's something special, a small indulgence, and not routine. I tried this Belgian raspberry lambic beer when I was in Europe, and it changed my opinion of beer for life. Honestly, it's probably closer to a wine cooler, but it was delicious.

This sounds like a really unhealthy attitude, and a case of not enjoying the body she has. I would agree that a therapist might be in order. What can you do, as her friend? Find ways to enjoy your body, and try to include her. Yoga is a great way to come to terms with the body you're in. Doing physical activities of any kind, really, can show her what her body is capable of, and that is should be respected for its abilities, not arbitrary measurements. You say she exercises, but maybe she needs to change it up to really feel the difference? Again, though, a therapist might be the best answer, or at least talking to her about body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and the permanent damage that yo-yo dieting can do to your body. While it might be okay according to BMI, BMI is not a very good measurement of health, body-to-muscle ratios, or even body type. It might just be some (somewhat unhealthy) experimentation on her part, but if she starts to look emaciated, lose her hair, reach unhealthy weights, measure her food to stay below an unhealthy caloric intake, or exercise heavily to counteract her eating, reach out. Speak to her parents, any mentors, anyone. That said, don't push unless she is engaging in truly unhealthy behavior. You can talk to her about it, but still respect her. I'm sure you do, since you are best friends. That's a special relationship. The best thing you can do for her is tell her how great she is, no matter what her body looks like, and that her worth is not related to her body, that you would still hang out with her, whatever she looked like, and that your main concern is that she stays healthy, so that you guys can hang out even longer. Getting her other friends/partner/family on board with the same message wouldn't be a bad idea either.

All right! Checking in for week three! Has it really been three weeks? It feels both longer and shorter... So much has happened! The Week of January 21 through January 26 Main Quest: Strength Building: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Still going strong! Whoohoo! This was my primary objective in this challenge, and you should see my progress! My shoulders look pretty killer now. Arms are still flabby, but stronger, and Rome wasn't built in a day. I did two days of SL 5x5 and 5 (FIVE!) circuits of the BBW on Wednesday. I'm beginning to think that three times a week is the perfect number of workouts for me, but I do need to bump up my cardio. Maybe I'll add a cardio day on the weekend? Food Journal: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Food journaling is a bit of a chore, but it helps. I know what I eat, and while I consider calorie counting a tool of the devil, specifically implemented for torture and agony, keeping track means I eat less sugary/salty snacks and more fruits and veggies. Highs: My fruit and veggie intake. I added some different fruits to my usual repertoire (I generally get some fresh and frozen berries, apples, and bananas) and ate them up. Cantaloupe and mango. So good. So healthy. So few calories. No added sugar. Yusssss. Green smoothies make it sooo easy to get in my daily servings of fruits, and one or two servings of veggies as well, and I've started bringing a baggie of frozen veggies with me to work for lunch, as well as fresh cucumber and spinach for my wraps or sandwiches. Lows: We ate out a lot this week. I made fairly good choices, but there aren't really any perfect choices when you eat from diners and Asian takeout joints. Oh, and yesterday, which isn't part of this week technically, but I would forget in next week's summary, and I must confess. I made blueberry pancakes and at two, which may not seem like a lot, but they were huge, and dense, and I put butter and maple syrup on them, and drank coffee with brown sugar, and while I did have an egg and some mushrooms, it made for a sugary morning. Then we ate Chinese for lunch, and unlike my usual veggie delight, I got an order of veggie lo mein. With duck sauce. Which is basically delicious, liquid sugar. So, in short, it is a miracle I am not a bloated mess today. That was the worst of it, though. I'll do better this week. Yoga: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Exercise seems to be the easiest part of this challenge, oddly... I got in my two (maybe three? I can't remember.) short sessions this week. For some reason I have the feeling it's going to be harder this week, though. I'll have to keep my eye on it. Side Quests: Dress for Battle: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This is still going really well, also. I did forget to pick an outfit the night before because I fell asleep really early one night while reading in bed (trying to get it in an hour or two before my usual bed time. Apparently, I am somewhat conditioned to get tired while reading... This seems to counter my previous experience from last week.). Still, despite this lapse, I got up the next morning (very well rested, may I say), and picked an outfit with care, so I only deducted one point. Eating Out: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I'm not even certain how many times we ate out this week. We went to a buffet near Alex's school one night because we were starving and the thought of cooking or eating a frozen meal was decidedly unpleasant. I got donuts again this week (damn apple fritter donuts, seducing me with their cinnamon-apple-dough combination). We got takeout once as well. This comes down to eating out being a part of our lives for so long, and a lack of planning for dinner. I organize my lunches, and breakfast is something quick and healthy, since I'm so rarely hungry in the mornings, so those are easy. But dinner requires thought. Cooking takes energy and preparation, two things that have been in very short supply most evenings. Therefore, I am re-dedicating myself to this endeavor. I am going to plan all of our dinners for the week. I haven't gone grocery shopping yet, so I still have time to get organized. No eating out this week! Not even on the awful Thursdays evenings! Not even on the weekends, when we want to hang out and choose a restaurant as a prime place to do that! This week will be an all-or-nothing week. Just for this week, I will completely fail myself (as in -10 for this section for the week) if we go out even once. Let's see what happens. Writing -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A little better. I got more organized. But still not where I would like to be. I didn't get my 500 words per day, but I am cutting myself some slack, since it was my first week. This next week, I'll be harsher. This weeks total score: 6/10 So. This was my worst week so far for my side quests. But I am still going strong on my fitness goals, and I am re-committing to this challenge. I am doing these things to improve my life, to take control of myself and my everyday actions. This week, I am going to remember that. Putting on my game face.

Thank you. It has been a little bit of a struggle, but most are things I've already started or things that I've wanted to do for a long time, so it doesn't seem like quite so much work. Also, I use this Youtube channel if I just want a quick morning session, and it also has some guided meditations, which are lovely, and Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu have yoga videos if you want a longer session, or you can use http://www.doyogawithme.com/yoga_classes, which has a million different kinds of yoga. If I'm really in a hurry, I just do a few sequences of poses I learned from those videos that felt nice.

Following. These recipes look amazing. I no longer eat meat, but I love just seeing how other people cook. I could watch cooking channels for hours without getting tired. These are all so beautiful, too. They sound mouth-watering.

The Week of January 13 through January 20 Main Quest: Strength Building: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Once again, I complete three strength building workouts this week, SL 5x5 on Monday, BBW on Thursday, and SL 5x5 on Saturday. I gave myself a 9 instead of a ten because my workout on Saturday was not as strenuous as it should have been. I barely broke a sweat, and for some reason, it just seemed way harder than usual to do basic things. Probably something I ate. Food Journal: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I did better this week with writing things down as soon as I ate them. I still slacked off on the weekend, but overall, better. Highs and Lows are the same this week: snacks. I made some killer snacks full of nutrients, healthy fats, and packed with deliciousness. I discovered that if you mash up half an avocada with some salsa, it makes an excellent guacamole alternative (mostly because I am too lazy to make my own guacamole or drive the 45-60 minutes to the nearest Trader Joe's for their greek yogurt guac). I had cashews and almonds and fruit. Overall, my snacks were pretty killer. But they also were a little problematic. I made blueberry scones. Also, donuts. Twice. Because the nice lady at Dunkin was trying to get rid of the morning donuts, and gave us extra glazed and an apple fritter donut. If you have not had an apple fritter donut, I would recommend not doing it unless you were prepared to crave them every day for the next week. Yoga: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 And, once again, I did very well with yoga. I am really enjoying doing it consistently, which is not something I've ever done. Yoga, for me, was an occasional treat, or something I did if I was having trouble sleeping. Doing it two or three times a week is new, and it is great. I feel more focused, balance, and flexible. I've also found some really great videos from Ekhart yoga on Youtube. Side Quests: Find Friend/Workout Buddy: I am making this a pass of fail at the end of the challenge, because it's hard to quantify. But I have found some very promising meet-ups in my area, so I'll probably go to one of those soon. I'll keep you posted. Dress for Battle: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This went very well this week, too. I got a haircut, so my general appearance might start matching my outfits. But then, my battle with frizz has been a lifelong struggle that no haircut can overcome. Anyway, I also managed to get to the thrift store and actually found two pairs of black jeans. This was practically the holy grail of jean shopping, as most women can understand. I got two cute blouses as well, and a nice, plain black skirt, all very professional and chic. It was nice. I haven't had such a successful shopping venture in a very long time. Eating Out: -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Okay, so we did go out to eat. But, it was to Taco Bell, which costs just a little more than eating at home, and it was with a friend, and on a date night. We went to the movies. Wolf of Wall Street is pretty good, and will definitely make you think, but be prepared to be shocked off your rocker, because it was quite... modern? That's what the Victorians would call it. Anyway, other than that, we ate at home every day of the week. We almost broke down on Thursday (that seems to be the trouble day for us) and went to get Chinese, but we were strong, and at chili instead. Also, we had some leftover, which I froze for a nice lunch sometime this week. Win. Which is why I am giving us a 2 instead of a negative number. Because we were tempted and overcame. Writing -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Once again, I give myself a three. My writing was equally pathetic this week, in that I only did it twice. I am from here onward imposing a 500 word limit, which I will track along with my food journal. Hopefully this will provide some more accountability, and a gauge by which to quantify my efforts. This weeks total score: 7.2/10 This week, I did 5 sets of 5 squats with 2x25lb. dumbells (so 50 lbs., or enough that I could do squats with an Olympic bar). I did 40 modified pushups in sets of 10 (which is more than I think I have ever been able to do, which might be sad, but is nonetheless something I'm proud of). I can do 5 sets of 5 deadlifts with two 35lb. dumbells. Also, this week I carried in the groceries without running out of breath or having to put the bags down when I got to the door. So that is a little, unscientific sign of progress. I really do feel stronger, and it is heavenly.

Oh, god, sorry about that... Don't know how that happened...

I adore Terry Pratchett. I keep all the books that I buy by him, but I haven't re-read anything yet. I'm sure I will. I love Gaiman, too. Neverwhere is a classic. Have you read Good Omens?

I adore Terry Pratchett. I keep all the books that I buy by him, but I haven't re-read anything yet. I'm sure I will. I love Gaiman, too. Neverwhere is a classic. Have you read Good Omens?

I adore Terry Pratchett. I keep all the books that I buy by him, but I haven't re-read anything yet. I'm sure I will. I love Gaiman, too. Neverwhere is a classic. Have you read Good Omens?

I re-read children's books a lot, like a lot of you guys. My favorites? Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Harry Potter, of course. Usually I re-read Sorcerer's Stone. It's my favorite, I think, because it is when there is all this excitement, this whole new world, and Rowling does a really good job with that. For me, re-reading is about finding something younger within myself, finding a comfortable place, reliving something magical. So children's book fit the bill nicely.

You could look into Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series. There are no robots, but there are "mods", who are genetically/technologically modified humans. It has the advantage of being both about and by a woman. Kylara Vatta is a pretty cool cat, and her cousin Stella contrasts with her very well, but they are both infinitely capable and complex young women. Also, their Aunt Grace is an old woman who comes to rule their home planet, so that's awesome. It was actually my husband who put me on to the series. He already owned all five. There is a little romance, but I haven't seen where it's going yet. I'm only on the third. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Moon#Vatta.27s_War Wikipedia is always a good starting place so you can find out whether it;s something you can use. Sorry if it comes too late for your project. It sounds like a cool one, and I'd love to read it if you ever publish/need feedback. I have a background in history, but minored in English, and would probably pursue it in grad school if I had a couple hundred thousand dollars lying around.

Wow. They might as well call it the anorexia diet. That is literally starving yourself...

Just a little mid-week check-in. Things are going pretty well, though not as well as last week. I need to turn it up to 11 and finish strong! I am getting a bit better at recording food, though not perfect. Some small part of me rebels against it. Probably the same part that convinced me making blueberry scones on Monday was a good idea. And you know what? No regrets. Those scones were great, even if they came out a bit more like cookies/those muffin top things you can get at Panera. I tried a new recipe and it came out more batter, less dough, which in my limited experience with scones, should not be the case. Anyway, I didn't get to work out last night, because this week has been a little rough, but I plan to go tonight, meaning I should still be able to get in my three workouts this week. I have only done yoga once so far this week, as well, but it shouldn't be a trial to squeeze in some more yoga time this week. I have two problems this week that are throwing off things a bit. One is I have to pick up my husband from law school in the evenings. He's having a really big week, and can't catch the bus in the evenings. This adds about thirty minutes to my commute, which may not seem like a lot, but it means that instead of getting home between 5 and 5:30 has turned into getting home at 6 or 6:30, which means I can't start dinner until then, which means I can't go workout as early, and so on. You get the idea. On top of that, I have been stupidly deciding to read before bed. As a self-diagnosed book addict, I know that this is dumb. I do not read books. I devour them, swallowing them in huge gulps, gobbling with a gluttony that few understand. So when I start to read, I keep reading. I tell myself, "Oh, just another page," dozens of times. And suddenly, bam. It's eleven, and I have thrown off my sleep schedule, so in the morning, I don't want to get up until 7, so that once again, bam, I have to leave for work. Thank the gods I put out an outfit each night, or I don't think I would make it to work on time or have time to eat breakfast. So, you see, I am shooting myself in the foot. And now that I have written about it, I can see how stupid it is. So I'm gonna stop reading before bed. If I read, it will be after dinner or during my workouts (that 20 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical is excellent reading time when you have a kindle that lets you increase font size and you don't have to worry about holding a book open). I can't do anything about having to pick up Alex, but I can control my literary addiction. BTW, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie is an excellent little light history. Not exactly an academic source, but it has a good narrative structure, and I've already learned a lot about her after just a quarter of the book. And don't bother with Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Macneal. It's rubbish. I couldn't even get past the fourth chapter. Which is a pity, because the premise is so promising. But the author tried to write a historical novel with a female protagonist that would be more suited to a modern chick lit. There is nothing wrong with chick lit, and I read it often, but it doesn't really belong in World War II Britain, does it? Anyway, I just wanted to check in and assure all those people who have supported me through this process that I am, indeed, alive, well, and on track. And thank you all for being so supportive and helpful. This has been a really great experience, even after just a week and a half.

Alas, this is my situation as well. I've put a lot of effort into making our apartment a place of comfort and peace, and leaving it for the gym is not easy. At least I have the hubbie, so we push each other. As long as both of us aren't being lazy, which is a big challenge when one is in law school, and the other works 9 to 5 with at least a 30 minute commute each way. Motivation has always been my weakness, I'm afraid.

I feel your pain, Shewlace. While this website is full of helpful, kind, and considerate people, when it comes to diet, a lot of people are prone to extremes. No bread! No grains! No gluten! No processed food! No oil! No _____! On and on, into the sunset. It's enough to make me feel like my diet isn't good enough, isn't healthy, that I'm going to die if I let certain things pass my lips. You have to remember that diet is about being good 80% of the time, not 100%, and about doing what works for you. I love breads, pastas, and beans, and as a vegetarian, I can't cut those out without dipping too low, calorie-wise, and feeling weak and woozy (This happened when I first became a vegetarian). Also, no meat makes paleo very difficult (not impossible, as some have proved, but difficult) for me. So I embrace the principle of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and I try to get at least 3-5 servings of each every day. Beyond that, I choose whole grains and wheats over white/processed, and try to stay away from anything that has a ton of sugar or salt. That is what works for me, and that is what I stick to. Paleo is not for everyone, and you don't have to follow it to lose fat/gain muscle. Weight lifting can do that with very little change to your current diet. If you don't have a weight problem, and you feel good/don't have any gastro-intestinal issues, I say stick to what works, and make small changes over time, as you find time. Listen to your body. It generally knows what it wants and needs, and if it is lacking something, it will let you know. You're already ahead of the game.

Yeah, I'm thinking of setting a minimum, like 500 words or so. There was a challenge on another website to write 500 words every day, and it seemed like a very reasonable goal, especially since I've done NaNoWriMo before, and it was about 1700 words a day. And I'm definitely gonna work on finding/making up new recipes, because I know that when I am excited about a new dish, I can't wait to get into the kitchen. I am actually gonna try a bean burrito tonight. We'll see how that goes.

I can usually avoid the sweet and sour. It's the duck sauce that gets me. I love Asian so much, and we have a nice little place down the road. It's so hard not to call in every other night. They do have a General Tso's tofu that's pretty good, but it doesn't come as a "combo", so I only get that when we eat in.