I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Last night one of my favorite people, the very cool Budgeting Babe Nicole Mladic (http://thebudgetingbabe.com) told me that I need to get back on the ball with regular blogging. Everyone needs a vacation now and then (which I have clearly taken this summer) but now that fall is here and the urge to go out every night to street fests, parties, BBQs and other calorie-laden spots is subsiding, my weight loss is once again kicking into high gear.

So here I go. Blogging on the regular again. Thanks Nicole, for the push I needed to start writing more than once a month.

So while Nicole has been the push I needed to type out my feelings again, I have to give some props to one of my besties who has been the most supportive friend I’ve had through this weight loss journey, my good friend B.

B is enviably beautiful. Gorgeous, long, blonde hair, killer figure, amazing style and sparkling personality, she’s the kind of person you would meet and immediately hate because you know there’s no way you’ll ever be as amazing as her. You immediately think, “Bitch” and move on with your life. However, for some reason, B and I clicked right away and developed a close friendship. Once you get to know someone, the exterior shell of fabulousness melts away and you see a person for what they really are; and in this case, B has shown herself to be a loyal friend who also has insecurities about her weight.

When I kicked off this diet, I spoke to B about it in detail. She said something interesting. “Angie,” she said, “I’m not a naturally thin person. I can’t eat whatever I want and gain weight. I have to watch every single bite that goes into my mouth and work out a lot to maintain my figure. I have a feeling it’s going to be the same way for you.” For some reason this clicked with me. I’d always, irrationally, I might add, that just because a person is beautiful and seems to have it all pulled together that they don’t work for it. I’d always been jealous of thin girls because I thought they were all just naturally thin. The truth is a majority of thin girls work incredibly hard to maintain their figures. B is one of those girls. It made her seem so much more accessible. It also made getting down to a weight where I can be happy seem so much more achievable. It’s something you work for rather than something you’re just given.

Not only has B been honest and open with her body struggles, she’s also one of my only friends who will do any crazy work out class or diet out there without complaining. Prime example: We’ve done spin, Pilates, gone walking and incessantly discuss how to keep our calories low while maintaining our sanity. It’s cool because in our close-knit group of four girlfriends, we seem to be the only two that think about our diet plan on the regular. We joke about how we can “creep out and be diet losers together.”

B’s support this year has been priceless. I know she knows I feel this way, but the message to you, dear readers, is no one can make life changes on their own. Whether your support comes from a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, sister, or in my case, good friend, it’s very important.

Cheers to you, B, for giving me the best support I could ever need.

Making Some Changes.

It’s hard to believe, but my membership to Chicago Fitness Center expired a few days ago. CFC will always hold a special place in my heart. I lost a lot of weight in that gym. It contains my blood, sweat and tears… literally. It’s where I worked on myself and my fitness for the past 12 months.

Even though there are good things about CFC, the bad far outweighs the good. It’s dirty. Half the machines don’t work. There are no amenities and the group class schedule is laughable. I joined CFC because Rob trained me there and I was able to take advantage of a special membership fee of $18.50/month so at the time, the right decision was to go with CFC. However now that Rob has left for another gym and I don’t have a contract holding me at CFC, I too am jumping ship and heading for greener pastures.

Enter ID Gym.

Rob now works at ID Gym, which is just down the street from CFC. He does both personal training and teaches group kettlebell classes at ID. I was lucky to score a You Swoop coupon to ID, so I’ve been working out there this week and I’ve been loving it. The gym is clean, uncrowded and the group class schedule is stacked with cool things like spin, yoga, fly yoga, crossfit, and aerobic-type stuff on top of Rob’s kettlebell classes.

I was running some numbers this afternoon and decided to make a very tough decision. While I have loved my one-on-one time with Rob this past year, it makes more financial sense to join ID and take advantage of Rob’s group classes a few times per week than continue to pay him a personal training fee. I’m able to get my workouts with Rob in AND combine the cost with my gym membership. Win for me. The tough thing, though, was telling Rob about my new plan. I explained the situation and he was so cool about it. He told me that I’ve been one of his most loyal clients and he’s so proud of our hard work together. And he understands that I have to do what makes the most sense for me. Plus, I’m not ditching him. I’ll still see him two times a week.

So I have a new home at ID and a new workout plan. I’m looking forward to it!

Lame.

I now know that I absolutely, positively cannot take a week off from working out and two weeks away from Rob. Its amazing how quickly I lose my stamina, strength and coordination.

Backtrack.

Last week was bananas. I had to cancel my weekly Wednesday session with Rob due to a conflict known as Illinois Life and Health licensing classes and I wasn't able to reschedule it because the next day was my birthday and then Rob was out of town... It just wasn't going to happen for me last week. So for the first time in a year I had a full two week break from working out with Rob.

I strolled into the session today feeling pretty good. My eating has been on point, so I'm still slimming down, but my hectic schedule has kept me out of the gym for a longer stretch than I'd like. I anticipated a challenging session, but I had no idea I would be so weakened and pathetic. I needed far more rest between sets than normal and I battled through my Turkish Getups. My form was horrible on my snatches and I could barely stay up on my side planks. Sad. Embarassing. LAME!

It was a serious wakeup call that I can't rely on diet alone and that excersise is critical. It aslo made me remember what it felt like to be out of shape. I don't like it! I know I'm not actually out of shape. One week out of the gym isn't going to ruin me, but I'm not at my peak. I'm looking at a some serious gym time every day this week so I can back on my A game.

Making My Television Debut

Guess what? Kettlebells are going to be featured on WCIU’s morning show this week. And guess what else? I was there for the filming!

WCIU’s morning news show (a local station in Chicago) contacted Rob and his beachfront boot camp co-teacher Jen to do a piece on their Chicago Beach Fit workout sessions held at North Avenue Beach. The TV crew wanted to tape a segment showcasing kettlebell workouts, which is pretty cool. When I talk about kettlebells with people, they tend to look at me like I have three heads because let’s face it: Kettlebells are still a fairly new workout style. I was amped for Rob to get more exposure because he’s busting his butt every day at the beach. It’ll be nice for a Chicago station to spread the kettlebell word around a bit.

Rob asked me to come to the taping so the class would be as full as possible with participants. I took a few hours off in the morning from work to support him. Heck, he has done so much for me, it was the least I could do for him! Plus, I thought it would be fun.

Turns out it was a lot of fun!

Thanks to the unpredictable Chicago weather, it was raining a bit right when taping was scheduled to start, so my two friends I had recruited to tag along with me ended up bailing out. I felt horrible because I know Rob really wanted the taping to go well and unfortunately it was NOT looking good. Luckily, though, the clouds parted, the sun started shining and our class of fifteen kettlebellers got down to business.

It’s weird to work out while being taped. On one hand, you have pressure to make sure your form is as perfect as possible, you commit to being really energetic and you pay attention to the instructor. On the other, I make ridiculous, squishy faces when I exercise, so I felt like kind of an asshole. And I know this is ridiculous, but I’m still not 100% confident in my body and there are some kettlebell moves I have to do that don’t make my stomach look its best. Not the most flattering look for TV.

In the end, I did it and I’m happy I showed up. The host of the morning show was smokin’ hot (and quite shirtless), which was fun to watch and it was cool to be in the company of so many other people dedicated to working out with kettlebells. Since I do my workouts alone for the most part, getting energy from a group was super cool.

So look for me on TV next week!

I Ran. I Mean... I Ran!

For someone who firmly believes her big ass should not be bouncing around a track, I think it’s a pretty big deal. Some people are made for running. They’re long, lean and have one important trait: Small boobs. I do not fall into any of the above categories. I’m neither long nor lean and I have a body type that’s more on the curvaceous side, even after I’ve lost weight. It’s funny that I’ve lost many inches around my rib cage, so my band size has drastically decreased, but my cup size has remained exactly the same. People say the first thing you lose when you lose weight is your bust. I have not lost the bust. Not at all.

So imagine my horror when Rob told me I was going to start running. I gave him my patented “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me” look and he explained that I’m plateauing again and we need to kick up the intensity and switch up the drills we do and running is now going to be a part of the workout routine.

I’m frustrated with my plateau. I’ve been sticking to my diet and working out really hard and have been fighting for every single pound. I’m somewhere around the 75-80 lbs lost mark but I cannot seem to drop weight quickly anymore. I feel like my body is strong and healthy but I’m definitely still a chubby girl. I need to drop more poundage. So after bitching and moaning a bit, I agreed with Rob that I had to start running to kick the metabolism into high gear.

So around the track my big butt went. About ¾ of a mile to be exact. For someone who’s never run in my life, I think it’s a pretty good start. Granted it was broken up (I took a lap around the track in between squats, swings, flutter kicks and see saw presses) so I did four laps on each circuit and did the circuit three times, but I still had to haul myself around the stinky, smelly track without stopping.

I was proud of myself. More and more I’m finding out I physically do more than I ever thought possible. It’s pretty cool.

There's No Can't In Push-ups

If I have an Achilles heel in working out it's push-ups. Can't do em. And let's be honest; I don't like doing them, either. I feel like there's a reason it's a man exercise... women just aren't built to do push-ups.

Sadly, Rob makes me do them man style, which means I'm on my toes. No knee push-ups for this girl! I'm totally pathetic when I do my push-ups. I can barely get half way down and battle the whole way up. I'm seriously sweating profusely and grunting after doing 30 seconds of push-ups. It's sad.

But every day I get better. I've gotten to the point now where I get mad at myself when I can't do something so I'm just that much more determined to get my body to do a solid set of real push-ups. I'll get there.

Summer summer summertime!

I’ve found all kinds of random things that are exciting about slimming down, particularly when it’s warmer outside.

First, I look better with fewer clothes on. I’d always been really self conscious about my summer wardrobe because let’s be honest; no one who’s as overweight as I was looks good in sundresses and tank tops. I’ve bought a few really cute strappy, short sundresses and I look pretty cute if I do say so! Along with those sundresses comes the conundrum of what do with undergarments. Last year I would wear dresses, but would be forced to wear some kind of Spanx type armor under my dress for a few reasons. One would be to hold my gut in. Another would be to prevent the oh so unappetizing inner thigh rub. Yes, my inner thighs still touch, but there’s definitely room to breathe down there, so I’m happily sporting sundresses sans Spanx and its pretty liberating.

Second, I can handle the heat MUCH better now. I no longer start sweating profusely upon stepping outside, which is nice. Yes, I still have what we lovingly refer to as the Meredith Sweating Gene, but I’m MUCH more comfortable in the heat.

Last, but certainly not least, my appetite has diminished quite a bit. I’ve been craving fresh fruit and veggies lately which has made the diet easier. And really, who wants to turn the oven on in 90 degree weather? Not me!

Yay for summer!

I'm not NOT writing...

I'm just suffering from writers block. I feel like I've already written about everything on my mind.

So until I find some inspiration...

Refocusing

So… lots happening which equates to not a lot of time to write the ole blog, but I need to recommit to blogging. And losing weight.

Because I lost such a huge amount of weight in such a short period of time I decided to take a bit of time off from the extreme weight loss plan. Yes, I still dropped some pounds but I was definitely not losing weight at the rate I was losing it in previous months. I slacked on the diet. I allowed myself some cocktails. I didn’t work out as often as I should have worked out. And as a result, I didn’t really lose much poundage. But I did have fun and was able to relax a bit and give my body a break.

I knew I needed to get back on track, but sometimes I need a little push to make it happen. Like he was reading my mind, Rob said to me last week, “We need to talk. You need to start losing weight again.” It’s never a good feeling to get called out on your slacker ways so I was kind of embarrassed. But honestly? It was the push I needed to get my butt in gear and buckle down again. Of course Rob is right. He usually is.

So I’ve been buckling down. My diet has been on point. I’ve been back on the veggie soup for many of my meals which worked really well for me in the past. I’m not eating at restaurants. I’m hitting the gym. I’m laying off the booze. I’m refocused.

The truth is I really like myself when I’m hardcore on the diet. I’m really in the zone. Because I’m eating really healthy and working out a lot, I sleep much better at night. This means my work is better, I’m happier and I’m not tired during the day at all. I just have a lot of energy. It’s a great feeling.

So… here’s to kicking off Phase II of “Angie’s Weight Loss Journey.” You can expect more frequent blog entries and a soon to be slim Ang coming your way soon!

Losing the Dead Weight in My Life

I'm a bit overdue for an update, eh? Forgive me, I was on vacation and fully enjoyed relaxing with some of my oldest and best friends in (partly) sunny Florida.

I was REALLY happy because I was able to sqeeeeeze into my friend Megan's bathing suit for the trip. Granted, it was a little snug, but honestly, not too bad. I was very proud to wear a suit that is just a bit big for a girl that I think looks great. Yay!

Spending quality time with friends made me realize how lucky I am to have friends in my life that love me and care about my best interests. You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned my weight loss buddy, M for awhile. Well, that's because our friendship ended. I thought I would be really upset, but honestly, I feel really good about the negative influence being out of my life. It's very difficult to say good-bye to a friend, especially one that was a part of a big life change, but I have to do what's best for me.

Rob is nothing but professional about the "friendship break-up." We've been training on our own, now, and he says my workouts have never been better. Looks like working out solo agrees with me!

Street Cred at the Gym

I’ve been going to Chicago Fitness Center for awhile now. I’m actually there all the time since it’s where Rob trains me and I have my gym membership. Yet, oddly enough, I don’t have any gym friends. I mean, no one really talks to me. I’m not sure if that’s normal, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I go in. I work out. I go home. I’m either swinging kettlebells with Rob or hitting the treadmill or elliptical on my own and I always use my iPod so it’s not like I’m begging for people to come strike up conversation with me.

Basically, I like to think I remain pretty anonymous at the gym.

Think again.

I was in the locker room yesterday and this perky gal started chatting me up talking about how nice it is outside and how she’d rather be anywhere than at the gym. I laughed and told her that if I hadn’t already paid my trainer for the week I’d be doing something outside, too. Then she said, “You train with Rob, right?” I said, “Yep, I sure do!” She then told me that her friends in the yoga class at the gym were talking about me and how great I look, etc. She asked if I’d lost all the weight by working out with Rob and doing kettlebells. I told her indeed, I did, and that she should check it out.

It was cool to be recognized by people I don’t know and don’t talk to or for my weight loss achievements. And who knows? Maybe I met an actual gym friend!

A Pretty Big Deal

This blog post is going to be short and sweet.

On Wednesday I needed to pick up a new pair of jeans because the jeans my older sister gave me at Thanksgiving are way too big now. And all the ladies know that baggy jeans is just a sloppy look. Denim needs to fit your derriere. And my denim was doing my backside no favors, so I scooted over to the land of cheap clothing: Kohl's.

I don't understand the designer denim trend. Why pay $200 for jeans when Levis do something magical to pretty much every person's butt? I hit the Levis section at Kohl's and grabbed a few sizes to see where I'd land.

I landed a FULL five sizes smaller than I wore when I started my diet. And keep in mind this is the same brand of jeans!!!

I'm so happy. Big day, big moment!

No Fun Furnace

I’ve gotten some flack from my parents about not updating this blog frequently enough, so I’m going to do my best to write more. But the truth of the matter is that there hasn’t been an overwhelmingly huge amount of blog-worthy stuff happening right now.

Other than the introduction of The Furnace, that is.

Lately at training, Rob has been KILLING me. Not actually killing me, of course, but he’s been making me do a lot of what I consider to be unsavory workouts. Unsavory because they’re really damn hard. And I sweat a lot while I’m doing them. Looking like Patrick Ewing in the 4th quarter is the sign of a killer workout.

I’ve talked about the 5 minute kettlebell drills in detail in previous blog entries. Yes, Rob still makes me do those, but he also makes me do what I call suicides, which are starting with one exercise, getting a short break and then starting that exercise again and adding another drill, then resting and then start from the beginning and adding yet another drill. Confused? Me too. Here’s an example:

Swings
Break
Swings, clean to press
Break
Swings, clean to press, clean to squat

Rinse and repeat three more times.

It sounds easy, but trust me, it is anything but.

To add insult to injury, Rob introduced the furnace to me on Monday. It’s basically a deconstructed get-up with all the elements done separately with a bunch of swings in between. The drills are 45 seconds ON EACH SIDE and the breaks are 15 seconds. Since there are 4 elements to the get-up and you have to do 45 seconds of each element on each side, we’re talking a solid minimum of 17 minutes of intense, calorie burning workout happening at the tail end of my training sessions. NOT EASY. And not fun. I was shooting Rob all of these “You crazy!” looks when he was explaining the drill to me, but you know what? I got through it. Granted, my shoulder started to give out towards the bitter end, so I dropped the kettlebell and finished up one part of the furnace without a bell, but I’m not going to feel guilty about it. I’m damn proud of myself for doing something I never thought I could do.

Strong.

This whole weight loss thing is hard. It’s not easy to constantly watch every single bite of food and drink that goes into your body. It’s not easy to work out all the time. Basically, it’s a complete life change and you have to have some mental toughness to get through it.

Which makes me think I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought I was before I started losing weight.

When I’m training there are times where I legitimately think there is no way I can a workout segment Rob tells me to do. Like get-ups with a 26 lb kettlebell. Or two five minute sets of uninterrupted kettlebell drills on my own with said 26 lb bell. Granted I have to mentally psych myself up for these types of things, but I do them. And I’m not dead when I’m through doing them either. In fact, if anything, I’m more pumped because I just completed something I never thought I could achieve.

I went to work out with my sister Molly at her gym a few weeks ago and we were working out on some kind of new elliptical machine. This thing is no joke… full strides and lots of resistance. It was hard, but I did my workout. Molly, who is not someone who says things she doesn’t mean, told me that she’s impressed that I don’t give up when working out gets hard. It’s a big change in me since I used to crumble whenever something got slightly challenging.

Not only am I mentally in the zone, but I’ve found my body can take a licking and keep on ticking. As a member of the I’m Uncoordinated club, I bang myself with kettlebells all the time causing huge bruises. I’ve got a weird shoulder thing that still bugs me a bit if I’m not focused on my form. And of course, I have my bad knee due to having ripped two ligaments and most of the cartilage removed back in college. But you know what? None of this stops me from getting to the gym and doing whatever Robs tells me to do.

At the end of the day I’m a much stronger person both physically and mentally. I dig it.

Getting Everyone on Board!

When you lose weight it kind of takes over your life. Not only is it a big time commitment because you’re at the gym all the time, making healthy meals in your downtime or backing out of plans that include calorie-heavy activities like trips to bars and going for pizza with friends, but it’s all you can think about. I know I obsess about my diet and workout plan constantly. Right now, my life is all about this change.

It’s only natural that the one thing that rules your life is a major topic of conversation amongst friends, family and colleagues. I was on the phone with one of my brokers named Mike a few weeks ago and he asked what was new with me after we had discussed business. I told Mike I’d been on a huge diet and exercise kick and had lost 60 lbs. He was totally floored, especially since he’s hot to lose about 20 lbs. When he asked what I was doing to lose all the weight I honestly told him it was diet and exercise. He wanted to know what I was eating, so I forwarded him the diet plan Rob gave me when we started working out together. I was skeptical Mike would follow the plan. Hell, I’ve known this guy for years and I know all about relationship with whiskey and pizza. But I sent along the diet anyway and wished him the best.

Today I got a call from Mike (business related) and when we’d sorted things out on the insurance end I asked him how the diet was going. He’s already lost 10 lbs and feels great! I’m so happy for him. He’s really excited and can’t wait to drop the rest of the weight. Go Mike!!

My friend Stephanie has also been looking for some at-home things she can do for her arms and abs. I was like, “Girl. I gotcha covered,” so I bought her 10 lbs hand weights for her birthday this month. I gave her a tutorial on how to use them so she can do some of the things I do at the gym on her own at home. She’s really pumped to start pumping the iron. Go Stephanie!!

I think it’s awesome that my life change is helping change other people’s lives, too. Really… I should be on Tyra or Oprah or something. :)

The inevitable slow down.

There comes a time in every dieter’s life where they hit a plateau. I think I’m hitting mine now. After a monstrous weight loss (60 lbs!) since October, I’m slowing down a bit. I think my body is catching up to me and is fighting the rapid lose of fat. Now, I’m still dropping pounds, in fact, a recent bout with bronchitis and strep throat helped bump me up to the 60 lb mark since I was pretty much on a diet of tomato soup, dry toast and hot tea, but I’m not losing weight as quickly as I was in prior months. It’s frustrating!

It’s frustrating because not only have I been extremely focused on my diet and exercise plan since the new year (I gave myself a bit of leeway in December) but because everyone is expecting great things from me. I have Rob kicking my ass at the gym. I have my parents so proud of me for getting in shape and trying to lead a healthy life. I have my friends excited to see me in cute clothes and trimming up. I have my co-workers who have been supportive by not pressuring me into going out for fatty lunches and eating the goodies people bring into the office. I have a dream team of folks rooting for me to succeed.

I know I’m going to get over this hump. I just need to stay completely on task with the diet and pick up the exercise even more.

Rob does an informal kettlebell class on Saturday afternoons where he’ll teach people how to swing and do getups and allow folks to work out with his bells. He suggested I stop by and work out during these informal classes and I’m going to do it. Rob says that kettlebells are a perfect workout because they combine a strength AND cardiovascular workout. Not to mention, they’re a highly efficient way to work out, to boot. Right now I need all the cardio and strength training I can get! I think if I up my kettlebell workouts to three times a week I should start seeing more results.

While the numbers on the scale haven’t been dropping as fast as I’d like right now, I think I’m still whittling away. My clothes keep getting looser, so perhaps there is something to be said about muscle weighing more than fat. I’m thinking that my weight may be shifting so I’m not seeing the results on the scale as much as how my clothes fit. Funny story: All the new clothes I bought, i.e. a suit to wear to work meetings, are WAY too big now. I almost lost my pants at a recent meeting in Ohio. I’m not kidding. But it’s a small price to pay to the weight loss gods, eh?

Snatching It Up

And the workouts just keep getting tougher.

I’ve incorporated snatches into my workouts with Rob. It’s basically a kettlebell swing where instead of ending with the bell out in front of me, I bring it all the way up above my head. Then, I roll it back down and go into a swing and then bring the bell back up above my head. I’m sure I’m not explaining this well, but the bottom line is that they’re hard! I feel crazy muscle fatigue in my arms and shoulders and I get a good butt and leg workout when I’m doing the swing portion of the exercise.

The problem with snatches is that when you go through the motion of bringing the bell above your head, you kind of have to flip it so the bell ends up resting on your forearm. When I was learning (and let’s be honest, I’m still learning) how to do snatches I kept banging the bell against my forearm with, um, a lot of force. So much so that even though I was wearing dorky sweatbands on my wrists to protect them, I was still puffy and bruised the next day. Rob apologized in advance because he knew I’d get a little banged up when I was learning how to do snatches. I’m glad I was prepared, but at the same time it’s tough to willingly slam kettlebells into your forearms during training sessions.

Now that I’ve been doing snatches for about a week and a half, I’m getting much, much better at it. No more bruises and my flow is improving. Rob told me he’s proud of my effort. I’m proud of myself, too.

The other thing that’s changed is that I no longer work out with special tools. You know… dumbbells, weighted bars, medicine balls. That was equipment we needed to get in a decent workout because I was too weak to do an entire kettlebell workout. Now I exclusively use kettlebells in my workouts with Rob. It’s cool. I like that Rob is so happy to have Mandi and me working out at the level that makes it fun for him to train us, since kettlebells are his specialty. Never once did I feel like Rob was annoyed with my pathetic fitness level when I first started working out with him, but I know he’s happy to just have me working out with the bells the entire hour.

Lots of good things happening on the training front, everyone!

This is Me... Now

At just over 1/2 way past my weight loss goal, this is me. My good friend Matt was nice enough to take a few pictures of me at my weight loss buddy, Mandi's store opening last night. She's decided to open her own business, the first and only plus-size resale shop in Chicago. Great for her because she's realizing her dream of being a business owner and great for me because now I have a place to sell all the clothes that don't fit me anymore!

Looking Like a Fool with my Pants on the Ground

Poor Rob. Not only is he subjected to my constant self doubt, bitching about the diet and complaining that I can’t do any more reps during our workouts, but he had the unfortunate situation happen where he had to see my undies at the gym. No, I’m not making it a habit to flash my trainer, guys. The panty flash occurred simply because my “fat” yoga pants are too big and were actually falling down when we started our workout on Monday.

Alright, so they weren’t technically on the ground, but they came dangerously close. Since I’m fairly certain Rob wants to see my underwear less than I wanted to show them to him, I borrowed his hair tie and actually had to bunch the waistband of my pants together in the front and tie em up to prevent a total depantsing. Not my best look ever, but hey, you have to do what you have to do, right?

Needless to say, those yoga pants have been retired to the “too big” pile that is now taking over an entire corner of my bedroom. I’m at the point now where almost every article of clothing is either new, came from a friend or was given to me by a family member. The rest is stuff that’s really far too big, but I’m hanging on for dear life so I have SOMETHING to wear. Never before has a frumpy, tiny wardrobe made me feel so fabulous.

I’m well past the 50 lbs lost mark and I’m entering into the 2nd half of my weight loss phase. Wish me luck!

Bloated Belly Blues

Uuuuuuugh. I just ate a total ‘fat kid’ lunch at the Palace Grill down on Madison by United Center. You know the one… Obama likes it and Oprah raves about their hashbrowns.

Well, I’ve found my tummy can no longer handle a tuna melt and fries, my friends. It’s been 2 hours since the greasiest meal to cross my lips in months has settled in my belly and the belly is NOT HAPPY.

Salads and lean proteins for life!

Cook It Up!

I’m becoming a cooking machine!

I picked up this great turkey chili recipe from my friend Anne, who made it at a chili cook-off. It placed second, behind a gal who made some crazy chili that had pork cooked in bacon fat, tomatillos and was topped with avocado cream and bacon. Fatty, eh? Good to know that healthy chili can be delicious, too! Here’s the recipe. It serves 6 people, so I’m making sure I portion it out to keep the calories in check. Also important to note is that I threw in some granulated garlic just for fun.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 10-1/2 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can black beans, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

PREPARATION
In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-low. Add the onion and saute until soft (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the turkey and brown it (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Calories: 292 calories
Carbs: 32 g
Sodium: 787 mg
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 30 g
Fiber: 11 mg

The other recipe I’ve really enjoyed is something my friend Adam made for me last week, bruschetta chicken. It couldn’t be easier! The best part is that if I want to make plain baked chicken breasts, this is an excellent way to cook them… just eliminate the bruscetta topping and use a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Foil-Pack Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COMBINE tomatoes, stuffing mix and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.

PLACE 1 chicken breast on center of each of 6 large sheets of heavy-duty foil sprayed with cooking spray; top with basil, stuffing mixture and cheese. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in 15x10x1-inch pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Cool 5 min. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.

Sounds yummy, right? Cook on, everyone!

The Health and Emotional Benefits of Slimming Down

Truth? I’ve NEVER felt better.

Remember all of those back problems? Gone.
Low energy levels? Not any more.
Stomach problems? No longer.
Stress levels? Seriously diminished.

I guess there’s something to be said for a healthy diet and exercise program.

Before I started this weight loss journey I was NOT feeling well. Because I’d been eating so poorly and rarely, if ever, working out and not to mention carrying around a lot of extra weight I was suffering from a bevy of health problems. In my completely unprofessional capacity, I can only imagine that what I was experiencing was strictly because I’m overweight.

It’s kind of like a chain reaction. If you’re fat, of course your diet isn’t great. Definitely the case with me. Not to release too much information here, but because of all the greasy eats I was taking in, my stomach would act up all the time. So much so, it would wake me up in the middle of the night. This, of course, lead to some messed up sleep patterns leaving me tired almost every day. Being tired every day obviously leaves you with no energy.

Oh wait, there’s more! Because I was carrying around so much extra weight, my back was all out of wack. When you’re in pain, you’re crabby all the time, making you far less than pleasant to be around. This causes stress because you know you’re not at your personal best.

Seriously. Being fat is just a big old mess.

Now that I’ve dropped some serious poundage, I feel 150% better. My super-healthy diet of proteins, veggies, fruits and a few carbs has regulated my stomach so I’m sleeping soundly through the night. The diet also provides me with far more vitamins, minerals and all the healthy stuff I need to live an active lifestyle. I have so much energy now compared to the old Ang.

The back? SO much better. I still have a few random days where I’m a little sore, but I’m equating it to PMS more than anything. And because I’m not in constant pain anymore, my mood has improved. I’m so much more happy and fun to be around. I’ve shelved my crabby pants for good.

I’m looking forward to continuing on with this weight loss journey so I can see how I feel when I get down to my goal weight!