Wednesday Weigh In: Week 9

This week I'm down...

1 pound!

Not quite as big a loss as last week, but I'll take it!

That officially brings me to 10 pounds since I started this little weight loss experiment. I'm behind on my original timetable, so I'm going to tweak it, as listed below.

My revised goals/timetable:

• 5 pounds lost by 08/29/12. Reward: new nail polish (1-2 bottles) (Accomplished on 08/29!)
• 10 pounds lost by 10/10/12. Reward: new earrings (Accomplished on 10/10!)--Time to go shopping! ;)
• 15 pounds lost by 10/31/12. Reward: new workout socks
• 20 pounds lost by 11/21/12. Reward: new Threadless t-shirt (have some designs in mind...just depends on what's available at the time)
• 25 pounds lost by 12/05/12. Reward: another new Threadless t-shirt because there are several I like! =)
• 30 pounds lost by 12/19/12. Reward: new Pandora charm
• 35 pounds lost by 01/16/13. Reward: new expensive-ish sports bra (I know, between this and the socks, I'm super exciting, right?)
• 42 pounds lost by 02/14/13. Reward: new Toms shoes!

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 157 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Slowly but surely I'm getting there! Also, according to the stats myfitnesspal.com is keeping, I've lost 18 pounds overall since March. I'll let you do the math on how big that made me when I was at my highest weight ever. :-/

A review of the Bride-to-Be Vox Box from Influenster

This was my first box from Influenster, so I didn't know what to expect. This is the "Bride-to-Be Vox Box," so it contained items that a bride-to-be like me should find useful.

Here's my Instagram shot of the contents:

This box contained:

• Kiss brand Premium eyelashes
• Bach Rescue Gum
• Dream Water
• Schwazkopf BC hairtherapy shampoo, conditioner, and repair rescue

Here's my take on things:

• The eyelashes: Never used these! Oops!
  
• The gum: Honestly, I'm still not sure what to think about this. It contains ingredients like "Helianthemum nummularium" that's supposed to give courage and presence of mind and "Prunus cerasifera" that's supposed to give a balanced mind when losing control. My main thought, despite all of these things, was that the flavor doesn't last very long. It's not bad gum, but it never really made me feel calmer, more soothed, more focused, or anything like that. It just made me feel like I was chewing rubbery gum.
  
• The water: This was supposed to make me sleep better, but I couldn't really tell a difference in my sleep quality that night. It did taste decent, so I'll give it credit there.
  
• The shampoo: I have thick hair that isn't really damaged because I hardly ever use heat on it, so I didn't know how this would do with my hair. It wasn't great for my particular hair type. It weighed my hair down so much that it looked greasy and unwashed by the middle of the next day (I'm a nighttime showerer). Someone with thinner and/or more damaged hair might have better luck with this shampoo.
  
• The conditioner: The conditioner felt thin and watery. I used a healthy squirt of it, but it didn't get through my lion's mane. I had to add some of my regular conditioner just to get the tangles out. Again, someone with thinner and/or more damaged hair might have a better experience with this.
  
• The repair rescue: Never used this one. Oops!

Overall, I give the products in this box a 2 out of 5 stars. I hope to receive more boxes from Influenster, but this wasn't the best start!

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 8

This week I'm down...

3.6 pounds!

I don't know what I did differently over the last week, but I'd like to do it again. Repeatedly.

This takes me to a 9 pound weight loss, so I still haven't achieved my second goal from my original posting about my weight. I'm listing my goals below to re-motivate myself. Also, I'm starting a challenge at my gym tonight (well, it started Saturday, but this is the first time I've been back since last week) where the person who loses the most body fat in 3 months wins money. I like money, so this should really motivate me!

My original goals/timetable:

• 5 pounds lost by 08/29/12. Reward: new nail polish (1-2 bottles) (Accomplished on 08/29!)
• 10 pounds lost by 09/19/12. Reward: new earrings 
• 15 pounds lost by 10/10/12. Reward: new workout socks
• 20 pounds lost by 10/31/12. Reward: new Threadless t-shirt (have some designs in mind...just depends on what's available at the time)
• 25 pounds lost by 11/21/12. Reward: another new Threadless t-shirt because there are several I like! =)
• 30 pounds lost by 12/19/12. Reward: new Pandora charm
• 35 pounds lost by 01/16/13. Reward: new expensive-ish sports bra (I know, between this and the socks, I'm super exciting, right?)
• 42 pounds lost by 02/14/13. Reward: new Toms shoes!

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 158 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Health progress

This post is basically a case of me using the blog as my journal since I'm sitting at the computer. It's also a way to encourage me on the days when I'm frustrated about the whole weight loss process and health journey.

Since I've started working on my weight back in January, I've lost around 15 pounds, which is not a whole lot, but it's a decent start. More importantly, I've made strides in my health and athleticism and things I can do. Here are some of them:

1. Have steadily improved my 5K times. Even from July to today, I've shaved a little over 3 minutes off my time and will just continue to get better.

2. Can jog for entire songs now (such as "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. Guess that makes me Sporty Spice...ha).

3. Can do at least 5 legit, on my toes push ups in a row. I could possibly do more than that if I haven't done any arm/upper body work before I start them.

4. Can almost get my heels on the ground when I do the downward dog pose in yoga, instead of having my heels raised in the air and my weight on my toes.

5. Consistently improving the amount of weight I can lift when doing various exercises.

The list goes on and on, but these were the ones that popped into my head immediately. I am getting fitter and stronger, even if I haven't changed my diet enough to see drastic weight loss. It's time for that phase now. I'm doing a challenge at my gym where the person who loses the most body fat by December 29 wins money. That sure would go a long way towards a new skinny wardrobe! So, like I said, this is mainly for my own encouragement, but on the off chance that anyone sees this, I wanted to say that progress is definitely possible. I still have a long way to go on some of my fitness goals and my weight loss goal, but it's doable! If I can do it, anyone can! =)

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 7

This week I'm down...

-1 pounds.

Another 1 pound gain over the last couple of weeks.

This is getting really frustrating. Less than 6 pounds down in 7 weeks. Give me a break.

I need to get back on track with my eating because I'm missing goals left and right.

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 161.6 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Also, I completely missed this yesterday because I didn't get home until later than normal last night. Hope my fans aren't disappointed that this is a day late... ;-p

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 6

This week I'm down...

???

I missed weighing in this week because I had to work late on Tuesday. I like to try to weigh in at the same time and on the same scale every week for consistency. Oh well. I also missed my target 10 pound loss date.  I may need to do some reconfiguring. Sigh...

The great closet experiment: One month follow up

I'm one month into my two-month experiment to wear everything in my closet and not buy more clothes, and so far, I'm doing eh on it. I've been wearing things that I haven't worn in a while, and I've gotten rid of a few things. I'm doing better about planning my clothes in advance, but even when I look at some of the outfits I've worn (and post on my new fashion blog that I'm behind on maintaining), I'm not super thrilled about what I've put together. I know some of that comes from being frustrated with my weight, but I think some of it also comes from not having good basics in my closet and from just buying things haphazardly without any thoughts about what they will go with.

Also, I've bought a few new and new-to-me items. I went to the Under Armour outlet and got a new workout t-shirt and pants, and last week, one of my neighbors had a yard sale, and I bought a few things from her. She has fantastic clothes that I can wear to work, so that makes it okay, right? Okay, okay, I'll work on this a little more.

I love clothes, but I am starting to realize that I have a lot of uncoordinated pieces. I also don't really have a style, so it makes it difficult to really shop. I browse and buy instead of shopping with a purpose, and it's bad on my wallet and my space. Plus, I'm not really sure what looks flattering on me, so I buy things that I think are cute, but may not really look good on me when I wear them in real life. It's hard being a girl.

I have one more month of this experiment, but I do intend to wear everything in my closet. We're just now starting to experience autumn-like weather, so I have a lot of winter items that I haven't yet worn. I will continue trying not to buy too many items either, but we'll see how that goes!