If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: Habits
- Are you proactive, or do you procrastinate? It depends! If I’m super excited or it can be taken care of quickly, I will just get it done. But, if i’m not looking forward to it or know the process will be more intensive, I often procrastinate as long as possible.
- Do you eat breakfast everyday? If so, what’s a typical meal like? Yes! I typically have a homemade fruit and almond breakfast bar and a banana or other fruit.
- How much time do you spend watching TV on an average day? My work schedule is so unpredictable that I’m not sure I have a typical day, but on average I probably watch between 30 minutes to an hour of tv per day.
- Do you talk on the phone, or do you prefer e-mail and/or text messages? If it’s a quick question or message to be communicated, I much prefer texting/email. However, I severely dislike having full conversations via text. In that case, I would much rather talk on the phone.
- Do you exercise in the morning, afternoon or evening? Evening. My zumba classes are Monday and Thursday from 6:30-7:30pm and Saturdays at 11AM. I might also start going to an afro-caribbean fit class or delirio class on Wednesday evenings.
- Do you take time for yourself regularly? If so, how do you spend that time? I definitely try to. I feel like zumba has become some of that “me” time I look forward to. And, my office environment is very supportive of a good work/life balanace which really encourages me to find that time for myself.
- How often do you make your bed? About once a week when I change the sheets.
- Do you plan meals? If so, how far in advance? Yes! On the weekend I make my food/meal plan for the week, do all the relevant grocery shopping, and as much of the cooking/preparing as possible.
- Do you wake up at the same time everyday? Pretty much except Sundays I sleep in, and Wednesdays I go into work late so I sleep in a little bit late then too.
- How often do you brush your teeth? Always in the morning and at night. Depending on whats happening, I will often also do it once in the middle of the day.
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to visit www.alltheweigh.com and link up in the comments! Happy Monday friends!
AH! Such excitement this week, friends!! I lost 5.6 pounds this week!! That means my current weight is 317.4 and I’ve lost 32 pounds so far! I celebrated by going hard at zumba this morning after my weight watchers meeting and spending the afternoon with friends! I’m only about 4 pounds away from my 10% goal! I’m excited to reach that goal because my next mini-goal after that will be to get under 300 pounds. SO EXCITING! I know that everyone gains sometimes and this progress is slow but today I’m feeling really motivated, proud of myself, and on track. Here’s hoping you all are sharing in this feeling motivation as we head into SuperBowl Sunday 
Speaking of which…what are you all making? How are you going to manage eating what you want and not going overboard tomorrow? Please share any tips!!
Hey Y’all! Went to my weigh in this morning and it showed that I lost one pound exactly. That means, current weight: 323.
My initial reaction was relief, honestly. Even though I did pretty good all week with my eating, last night I went to a wine social, out to dinner with friends, and then to several bars (including an after hours bar). So…even though I think I behaved pretty well and drank more water than alcohol, I definitely could have done better. And, a good night’s sleep is very important as well, which I definitely missed out on. I got home at 4AM and had to be at my weigh-in by 9:30AM. Not cute.
But, then I went right to zumba afterward so I started this week off right again! Gotta get back in the saddle. Plus, I actually really really like zumba. And my favorite instructor was teaching today. She actually lost 140 pounds doing zumba. Definitely an inspiration.
What do you do to get back on track again? How do you handle social/drinking situations (especially if you are in your 20′s!)?
Hi Friends! So, as you can see…I’ve arrived a little late to “Friend Makin’ Mondays.” But, as they say, better late than never, eh? Here we go!
So, my answers are provided to the questions below. If you want to participate, all you have to do is answer these questions on your own blog and add the link in the comments section here: http://www.alltheweigh.com/2012/01/friend-makin-mondays-short-answers/. Please join me!
- Mac or PC? PC
- Do you paint your own nails? No, I cannot at all. I am usually able to recruit one of my besties to paint them or I give in and get a manicure.
- Beach or mountains? Mountains! I live by the beach, so it’s lost a bit of its novelty…
- What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading? The Glass Castle, its my book clubs next pick
- Do you dance? Yes, and I love it. I’ve recently taken up zumba. And I’ve been told that my Dougie is pretty amazing – just sayin’
- CNN or Fox News? CNN, mostly because Anderson Cooper is my future gusband. Not that I spend a whole lot of time watching either of those networks, I usually get my news online.
- Do you ride a bicycle? I can, but its definitely not something I do with any sort of regularity. I don’t even own a bike anymore.
- Do you get a yearly flu shot? Yep – I do not want to get sick!
- Best movie you’ve seen in 2012? 2012 is still pretty new! I think the only movie I’ve seen in 2012 is Iron Lady. It was real good though!
- Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym? The dance studio where I take zumba (and maybe starting Delirio soon)!
- Last airport you were in? Minneapolis, MN
- Married or single? Single…
- iPhone or Android? iPhone
- Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures? Taking them!
- Favorite brand of sneakers? mmm…I have some pretty epic sneaks right now. I think they are New Balance, actually.
- Do you like snow? Like? LOVE!
- Do you have/want to have kids? Maybe someday – I’m still undecided on this front.
- Summer or Winter? Oohh, they both have a certain appeal. I’ll go with Summer though because I get to work 4 days a week instead of 5.
- Do you know how to swim? Yep. I love it!
- Do you prefer to shop in store or online? Mostly in store…I like to try things on their instead of having to return later. What an inconvenience!
The scale says: 324
YAY! Actually, i’m really excited about this one, friends. I’ve been doing the old version of weight watchers, so this weigh-in means that I officially lose a point from my daily points target. Exciting!!
Really though, it will of course be a challenge to have a lower daily points target. I’ve been planning all my meals for the week ahead of time (over the weekend), so I’m trying to think positive and looking at this as a great opportunity to try some new recipes. Plus, I’m keeping up with zumba, so that will hopefully help as well.
What new challenges are you encountering with your goals? What strategies are you employing to overcome them?
A few weeks ago a friend and I bought a groupon for 10 zumba classes. Now, I’ve never done a zumba class before or event attended a fitness class of any kind. But, I have heard so much good feedback about zumba, plus I love to dance, and the time and location of these classes couldn’t get much better. So, we did it. This week we finally started using them and turns out: I LOVE ZUMBA!
It is so so fun. I went three times this week.
I even found out from the instructor I enjoyed the most that she lost 140 pounds doing zumba! How amazing is that?! I’m pretty excited about using the rest of my groupon. However, the classes are normally really expensive so I’m going to try to find a way to keep it up. Its really fun and I believe its also a really good investment in my health and myself in general. Besides, who said working out has to be a chore?
Today was another weigh-in and I was quite nervous going in. This week was not full of my proudest food moments. Last Saturday I went out to eat wtih a friend and ate a HUGE stromboli (not what I needed, exactly, but tasted really good!) and then on Sunday I had a work function and ended up eating WAY too many coconut shrimp (a definite weakness of mine), and finally yesterday we had a work retreat and I ate SO MUCH! I didn’t know how I could not gain, but I guess the working out I did this week helped and offset some of it because the result was:
-2.2 lbs.
YEAH! I lost what I gained last week and then some. Woot! Definitely celebrating that little victory today.
Today I had my first meeting with a bariatric surgeon. He was really nice, really honest, and they whole staff was so helpful. Navigating insurance requirements is quite the process and they all dived in to make sure I understood everything accurately and helped me navigate some obstacles I was encountering. He said I’m a great candidate for surgery and we talked about which surgery method I was interested in. There are 3 options:
Lap-Band: they laproscopically install a small band around your stomach that can be loosened or tightened to restric how much you can eat. Its the lowest risk surgery, but also shows the least dramatic results in terms of weight loss over time.
Gastric Bypass: They cut out part of your stomach (making it smaller) and reconnect it, allowing food to bypass part of the small intestine. Because part of your body is bypassed, it changes how food is digested and causes weight loss. However, because it also creates a change in your bodies digestion, this method is also the highest risk but does show the most significant weight loss the most quickly. It can also result in your body adversely reacting to certain types of foods and you cannot take certain types of medication afterward, such as motrin and tylenol.
Sleeve: They lop off the part of your stomach that sticks out and leave the part that is about the size of a banana and a similar shape to a banana as well. This option is in the middle in terms of both risk and weight loss results. However, it is also the newest option, so there is the least data in terms of long term effects. Since there is no object installed into your body and nothing bypassed, it allows the patient to live the most “normal” life after the surgery in terms of what you can eat, how it is managed, etc.
I think I have decided that if I move forward with the procedure, I will get the sleeve done. While I am on the path to getting the surgery, I am also very committed to the diet requirements (I have to complete a 12-month supervised weight loss program and am doing weight watchers). So, if the results from that are significant enough, I may not end up needing the surgery because I feel I can reach my goals without it.
My next appointment with the surgeon isn’t until May. Until then, I have to have a psychiatric evaluation to make sure I’m emotionally able to handle the transition and continue with the supervised weight loss program. Will keep you all posted!
The scale says: 329.0
Boo!! Needless to say, I’m not impressed with a 1.6 lb weight gain. However, I do know exactly why it happened. So, that is the bright spot: I can identify the behaviors that produced this result and change it for this week. If you’re wondering why it happened — I was out of town Wednesday – Friday this week and didn’t have a choice but to eat out 3 meals a day. I made a lot better decisions than I would have if I wasn’t working on my health but some of them still weren’t great decisions. Plus, I used all daily points and went over on my flex points without having the time to get any activity points!
In other news, I went to my first zumba class on Saturday and LOVED it! Hoping to go back this week
Thinking back, 2011 has been a crazy wonderful year. I started off the year still being new to this place and have come out of it with a truly outstanding group of friends. I am still getting to know the area, but I have a real support system where I live now and friends who I will hopefully keep in my life forever. I also had a boyfriend for a few months this year. While that didn’t exactly work out, it did teach me a LOT about what I want/need in a relationship versus what I think I want/need. I’ve had lots of career success, and am heading into 2012 with lots of new challenges in that area of my life. And finally, I have closed out the year by starting to focus on getting my life together. I recently extrapolated lots of the junk from my apartment and donated SO MUCH to charity. It made me feel good that someone will get good use out of those things, and that they are OUT of my apartment! Regarding my health, I have really tried hard at that and been successful by losing 20 pounds so far.
2012 is going to be a great year, at least I think it will be. I am planning to attend three weddings this summer, which will be a great excuse to have reunions with so many old friends (and a pretty good incentive to stick with this weight loss journey, too!). I am committed to my weight loss goals and feel strongly about where I am on this journey so far. I have lots of career goals that I’m looking forward to working on. I bought a groupon for Zumba so I’m excited to give that whole world a try — it seems to have swept the nation, so I have to at least figure out why! And, I’m super excited to continue to nurture all the friendships I have here.
I really would like to find love this year, but I think that goal will be fulfilled more naturally if I focus on continuing to improve myself and pursuing the things that make me happy. This way, I can be the best version of myself when I give my love to them. This might be a longshot, but its a theory that works for me at the moment.
What are your goals for 2012?
