Ok. First of all the video above is an example of the workout class I have been taking. It is the new fitness craze called Zumba where you "dance" in a Latin-inspired way as a form of exercise. And yes, this class is kicking my butt. For a full hour I dance (if that is what you want to call it), shake and jiggle my fat to fast paced Latin music along with about 60 other "Zumbanites" (people who Zumba.... and yes, I made that word up).
The good news? I LOVE Zumba. It is loads of fun. The bad news? I seriously have not danced much since the 80's and although I have always felt like I had rhythm, I realize I basically look like an uncoordinated Latin hippo in black stretchy pants. More good news? At least 2/3 of the people in the class look as stupid or even stupider than I do. Therefore, whenever I feel like I can't do the steps or that I look like a bumbling idiot, I just look around the room and I instantly feel better. The hour flies by, there is a lot of smiles and laughter, and my shirt is always drenched with sweat when I leave. I recommend this if you have a class offered near you!
The best news? I went to the doctor last week and guess who no longer has to take Coumadin? Yep, I laugh in your face Coumadin fairy because I am finally free! The doctor said everything looks good and he therefore sees no reason why I can't come off the blood thinners. He also was happy to see that I had lost over 10 pounds since I was last there. I am beyond happy, especially since it means I can eat "diet" foods with no limits and drink alcohol again. Although I am not a big drinker, it had been 9 months so I rushed out and sucked down a frozen mudslide only to figure out the gynormous amount of calories I had consumed when I got home and searched the internet. Oh well, it sure was darned good.
Now for some really bad news (are you sitting down). *sigh* I stayed the SAME. Yes, I said it. For the 3rd week in a row I have stayed the same. Crap a duck. I exercised 5 days last week! I drank enough water to fill a bathtub and I felt like I ate good (no I didn't journal my food. It was journal or work on dissertation and the dissertation won). But overall I felt I had done well and expected to lose at least 1 pound. I don't know what has been going wrong. I feel like I only have a few options:
1) Decide I like being a big girl and work it like Queen Latifah.
2) Check my bank account and hit the mall for a "I'm buying crap I don't need to compensate for
my large rump" shopping spree.
3) Find a new tool or method to help get my weight loss back on track so I can get into those
skinny jeans before I become a grandma.
All pretty good options, but I decided on number 3. February has been such a waste for me in terms of weight loss. I will just have to realize that and move on in order to make March a stellar month. First I analyzed my problem. I am exercising pretty well and am therefore burning some calories but apparently I am taking in enough calories to balance it out since I am NOT losing weight. So I did some research. What I need is something that can help me figure out if I am burning more calories than I am taking in.
I stumbled upon the GoWear Fit (see picture on the right) and spent over 3 hours reading reviews and looking at their website. This little gadget is worn on your arm under your clothes and tells you how many calories you burn throughout the day (whether you are working, grocery shopping or exercising). It also counts your steps, tells you if you meet your daily goals (in terms of calories expended and steps) and gives you a full readout when you plug it into your computer of what you have done for the day and what you still need to do in order to lose weight for the week. It is made by the same company that makes the Bodybugg worn by the contestants on The Biggest Loser. It was expensive (they have packages ranging from $159 to $234) but I feel it will give me the accurate data I need to get this "lifestyle change" in gear. I will let you know how its working as soon as I get it (Its backordered or sold out on most sites so it will not ship until the 1st week of March). I hope the reviews are right and this will work for me. Lets all click our heels together and chant (like Dorothy in the wizard of Oz): "There's nothing like technology... there's nothing like technology" and hopefully we will all be transported to a place where everyone's thin and skinny jeans grow on trees.....
YaY on all the positive points to your post and really it's all positive. You're an excellent example to follow. You are PRO-ACTIVE. I love it how you rethink the situation when presented with a kink in the works. Keep persuing it X.I.R. You're on the winning side! All the BEST! (((hugs))) ~ Ux a.k.a. 30mins3xweek blogger
Hey Ux! Thank you for your positivity! I am determined to lose this weight and that means coming up with solutions when weight loss is stalled. I just hope something starts working for me before I go broke :)
P.s. I hope you are having a positive experience with your fitness goals!
Little Gray pixel, thanks for commenting! I will be sure to post my review and (hopefully) my progress when I get it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and trying to keep my lips clamped shut.....
Queen Latifah is my hero....Okay so I know I have been too short in my responses and I am sorry. I have just entered the seventh ring of dissertation hell, also known as comps. So I will have to keep this short, since 80 pages of essay answers still await my tired typing hands.... I...must...have...the...new...technology!!! Okay spill it where did you get it so I can backorder it?
I have put my large rumpus on the treadmill everyday at 5am for one hour for the past 5 days (goal is 14 days). I am sore and grumpy and I pop Tylenol like candy....but I am also determined. At the end of these 14 days, I expect to have lost some weight or I may just become homicidal.
So where do I go to order this new thingy? Someone's life might be depending on it!
I already talked to you sis but for anyone else wondering, you can use the link at the bottom of the post (the one highlighted orange that says website)
Zumba is really great! I'm sure you would like it. There is a wide variety of people in my class (young, old, fit, non-fit) and they all have fun and get a good workout! The class is packed every week. If you have a class near you I highly recommend it!
Whether you are chubby, fat, thick, big-boned, obese, retaining water, mammoth, or fluffy, this is the place for you. Hang out with this chubby artist as I figure out how to conquer the chub and faithfully follow the Reduction Principle!
I am a full-time working artist, art teacher and designer. I received my BFA in art/graphic design at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I also received my Masters in Art Education there and eventually (after many years of hell... oops, I mean after a lot of hard work) received my doctorate. Yes, I am finally Dr.Chubby Artist. I love learning (pretty evident I guess), hanging with my family, snuggling with my black pug Moe Moe (grey beard and all), playing (ok, sometimes working) on my mac laptop or ipad, watching television, eating good food, anything with great humor (or a good dose of sarcasm), and of course creating art.
5 stars (*****): Delusionville! Makes you think eating low-fat is fun!
4 stars (****):
Almost made my toes curl!
3 stars (***):
Pretty good, I may have another.
2 stars (**):
What in the heck fire am I eating and why am I still chewing it?
1 star (*):
I should have eaten the packaging instead, it probably would have tasted better.
Chubby Sister's Roasted Romanos & Tomatoes with Tapenade
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- 3/4 lbs. green or yellow Romano beans, cut into 2-inch lengths (3 cups)
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
-1-1/2 cups assorted-color cherry tomatoes
-1 tsp minced garlic
-1 tsp fresh thyme leave
-1 recipe easy Tapenade (below) [you will want to go ahead and have all these ingredients prepped and ready to put in the food processor before beginning to cook the beans]
Instructions:
ONE: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the beans in the water until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Drain well.
TWO: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the beans in a medium bowl, toss with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, and season with 1/2 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. spread the beans in one layer on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, leaving space for the tomatoes.
THREE: In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, garlic, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. spread the tomatoes on the baking sheet.
FOUR: Roast the beans and tomatoes just until the tomatoes start to split, 7 to 10 minutes. Slide the beans onto a serving dish, topped with the tomatoes and dot liberally with the tapenade. Serve, with additional tapenade on the side.
FIVE: [we made this while the beans and tomatoes were roasting - see note above] Yields one scant cup:
-1/2 cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives (pitting these is no fun so anti-up for the pitted version).
-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
-2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
-1 medium shallot, quartered and peeled
-1 large clove garlic, quartered and peeled
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the olives, lime juice, anchovies, shallot, and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube and process until you have a smooth paste. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Being Kreativ is both fun and fat free. Thanks Glitzer!
As I see it
The 2nd day of a diet is always easier than the 1st. By the 2nd day you're off it.
-Jackie Gleason
The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through street grates.
-Dave Barry
If I had been around when Rubens was painting, I would have been revered as a fabulous model. Kate Moss? Well, she would have been the paintbrush.
-Dawn French
Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.
-Robert Anthony
Stuff to Know
The Reduction Principle: The Reduction Principle is based on the "if they can do it, I should be able to do it too" theory (this applies to all those weight loss stories in magazines, people on the Biggest Loser show & people you have not seen in a while who are suddenly skinny). Combine it with the "I think I can" theory (yes, kids book featuring a train with a face), add a dose of "get the heck fire out of my way" and you have the gist of it.
1 pkg (6 oz.) Stove top stuffing mix for chicken (I try to use the whole wheat with fiber if I can find it)
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced (I buy the already diced stuff in the jar since I am lazy)
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves (probably would have been great but I didn't have any so substituted parsley flakes and was still great)
1 cup low or reduced fat Mozzarella Cheese (make sure you use a good cheese, not rubbery! The two times I have made this I used Sargenteno's and weight watchers and it was good both times).
1) heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.
2) layer chicken, basil, cheese and stuffing in 13x9 inch or 3-qt baking dish. ( I like to sprinkle cheese as the last layer on top)
3) bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.
This is so easy, so tasty and low fat. I like to serve it with a light caesar salad. Yum.
Serves 4. Hands-on time: 10 minutes. Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (which includes 1 hour marinating)
Ingredients: -1/3 cup balsamic vinegar -1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil -3 tbsp honey -1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped -4 (5 oz) lean boneless pork chops, trimmed of visible fat -Olive oil cooking spray (optional) [I used 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil] -Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste -4 peaches, halved and pitted [I quartered them] -Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
Instructions: ONE: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, honey and rosemary. Reserve 2 tbsp and add the rest to a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Add pork to bag and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning occasionally. TWO: Preheat broiler to high or coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high over stove. Remove pork from fridge, discard marinating liquid and season pork with salt and pepper. Broil pork or cook in grill pan until pork is opaque throughout and feels firm to the touch, or until internal temperature reaches 160° F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
THREE: meanwhile, cook peaches under broiler or in a grill pan over medium heat until tender and juicy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, season with pepper and brush with reserved 2 tbsp marinade [I reserved a little extra to go on the pork chop too]. To serve, place a pork chop on each of 4 plates and top with 2 peach halves. Garnish with thyme leaves.
Chubby Sister's Homemade Cantaloupe Sherbet
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups cantaloupe
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp honey
-1 cup fat free milk
- 1 cup fat free creamer (Land O'Lakes fat free half and half works great)
Instructions: Put all ingredients in the blender and blend. Then pour ingredients into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions (mix for about 25 minutes).
