Bread Pudding and Bourbon St.

The big easy: what a wonderful and happening city. I know Philadelphia is the city of “Brotherly Love” but I find New Orleans so be much more loving, friendly and caring. After looking at various plantations and other venues for my future event, I felt as if I had already worked out thanks to the hot weather and the immense perspiration on my face and back. Yummy.

The after hours are definitely the most difficult as when traveling with co-workers or friends, you cannot always make the best options for you. We went to K-Paul and even the salads were doused in calories. I tried to keep it lean and ordered buffalo frog legs and onion rings for an appetizer (with my colleagues, you are expected to have a 3-4 course meal at dinner). I did not partake of the onion rings and frog legs are not a large serving of meat, so that was alright (given the situation). AND THEN for dinner, I ordered rabbit and shrimp jambalaya. I strayed from much of the rice and basically ate the accompanying veggies and a small portion of the rabbit. For a first timer with rabbit, it was like eating schnitzel and surprisingly delicious. When I get home, I’ll have to see how lean the animal is, but it didn’t sit heavy in my stomach. For dessert, each of us ordered the three desserts available (cheesecake, bread pudding and a chocolate bundt drizzled with white chocolate). I am proud to say I had one small bite of everything and was finished.

I managed to not get stuck drinking grenades and mango daquiris on Bourbon St., nor did I have to go out with colleagues for mint juleps and gin J With a small cocktail accompanied with escargot for a midday snack, I feel pretty good all considering the fried food extravaganza that is New Orleans.

French Quarter

Overall, it was a splendid trip. My bank account was more of the glutton than myself for amazing and, naturally, MUST-HAVE Saints attire and accessories, and spending time chatting about football with the locals was remarkable. At one point, I sat on a wooden crate with some old dudes outside of the convention center for a couple hours talking about the town, its history and the departure of beloved Reggie Bush from the Saints. I think it’s important to note that EVERY person I encountered knew about the politicians in the areas from local to state, the town’s history, and its important passersby from years past. Not many towns can boast about the education of even the simplest of man living in the community and yet, bums and concierges were walking, talking tour guides. Impressive.

Workout-much much walking throughout the city became my biggest cardio. I did some minor workout at the hotel, and have therefore decided that I will workout on Sunday (my usual day off) just to keep on track and motivated.

I’ll be missing the big easy, it was such a great and memorable time-even if only for 36 hours.

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Two Months Down!

2 Months ago, I started working out and made the choice to change my lifestyle. As I reflect upon the last month and even month one, I realize that this is tough business. My struggle this month is that, one day of the week in addition to my day off, I didn’t work out. I had birthday parties, holidays, business trips, and dinner outings that not only put me in front of temptation, but basically allowed larger portions to magically make its way into my stomach. My feelings about this extra day are two fold: on one hand, there is that old Catholic guilt I have and this nagging feeling that I failed somehow. On the other hand, life is not perfect and neither is a program that doesn’t have any give to it. It is life and what can I say, things don’t always go as planned.

For accountability sake, I have failed in that I was supposed to not drop the ball an additional day each week; however, each week as I weigh-in, I feel a renewed sense of determination. I was excited this morning to wake up and weigh myself. Usually I feel like I haven’t lost anything and then POP! 2 more pounds have been shed. This week was different in that my results were the exact same as last week. Working on my positivity, I’d say that this is decent. I didn’t gain any additional weight and for me, that’s always a goal reached. And I have extra determination to succeed next week.

As promised, I said I would give updates on my business trip in New Orleans on my progress in keeping fit. For breakfast, I had a bagel, egg and cheese sandwich. For lunch, I’ll be having fruit and a turkey sandwich and dinner, well, that’ll be the kicker. My colleagues and I are going to K-Paul and the restaurant specializing in traditional Louisiana food. Turtle soup, jambalaya, gumbo and etoufee can all be huge traps. Moderation will be the name of the game as I grew up being told that I had to finish everything on my plate which now I know was not the right way for a person like me to get trained proper eating and portion control.

After walking the town with our event planners and seeing various venues for a Gala, we will go to K-Paul restaurant and then I intend on working out at the gym. I’ll let you know how it goes and report out soon!

Week 8 (Month 2) Results:

Weight: 195

Body Fat %: 42%

BMI: 32

Water weight %: 42.3%

Weeks til goal: 60

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

YOU Can Change the Norm: The Oompa Loompa's Hard & Necessary Task

There once was a story about the little Oompa Loompa's working in a glorious, magical chocolate factory. While everyone loved to look around and eat all they could ("Augustus! Sweetheart! Save some room for later!") we were taught that excessive eating was a no-no. I don't think anyone would want to be shoved into a tube and stuck in it while revealing that they are too fat to go through the device. No one wants to be exposed in such a manner and yet, for overweight people, there are always snickers and teasing, disgusted faces, and the general sense of "Eww! They need to put the fork down and stop eating." The mirror is incapable of hiding as obese people see themselves through other people's disgusted expressions in most public places. I am fortunate in that the most teasing I get is from myself, but some people can't help but lack compassion for obese people. I'm not saying that some obese people don't need to workout and watch their nutrition but I am saying that perhaps everyone should attempt to walk ten miles in that person's shoes to not only feel the struggle but to also see what got them to that point. To generalize obese individuals into one category of wheezing, sleep apnea suffering, chip stuffers with no control over anything just seems ludicrous. 

Back to Willy Wonka's workers. I was always glad to see that the Oompa Loompa's were not skinny little elves working around all that chocolate and goodies. It's rare that we see Santa's elves as tubby and I appreciated the realism of the Oompa Loompa's as we suspect that they had to nibble and taste test their products every now and then. Or try the old days of the Guinness factory in Ireland. Arthur Guinness permitted his employees to drink and have weekly rations of "take home" beer. Who would turn that down?! And who would not be overweight from that beer (sans potato famine)? 

The point of all this is that when you put yourself around temptation, it is likely that you'll cave to what is considered the 'norm' around your social setting. There was an article in Men's Health that states by simply being around temptation or unfit people will make you more likely to give in to the temptation and are 57% more prone to being obese when socializing with overweight friends/co-workers. The Oompa Loompas are surrounded by sweet treats and therefore are bound to have a few extra pounds on their body. The Guinness factory workers had to have had the beer belly. I have that own version of the Chocolate Factory right in my office. My former boss used to relate to me that when she worked with an association related to diabetes, there were always sugar-free cakes for birthdays, etc. and that many of the workers themselves suffered from the disease. That sounds logical. For 3 1/2 years I've worked with a health organization. Saying that conjures the image of people staying fit, not smoking, etc. On the contrary, I have never seen so many goodies and temptations at any other office. 

For one month at my office, I took pictures of everything that made it's way onto the staff kitchen table. See the images below: 

Cupcakes

Not just one, but a CASE of Crunch and Krispy Creme

Peanut Brittle and Goo Goo Clusters

Carb overload-bagels

Peanut Butter M&M's

Mystery Bread

Chocolate Stash

Chips x3, Soda x2, and chocolate covered graham crackers

Ice Cream Cake

It was inevitable that after the item was placed in the morning, regardless of the treat, by lunch that same day the goodies vanished. Even more notable is that no one in the office ever sees anyone actually in the kitchen snacking on it. I call it the "snack and run" dance. And birthdays are worse because everyone stands around the kitchen for the cake and if you decline- you are given dirty, judgmental faces for not eating the cake and for making the person who has not one, but two slices (extra frosting) feel bad. PLEASE. While working in this office, I was at first surprised by how many treats made its way to the kitchen. And I used to delight in a snack here and there because let's face it, it was RIGHT there. However, after weeks of working my bum off (or at least attempting to), seeing those cupcakes vanish by 10 am both horrifies and stupefies me now. Eating healthy in an office setting is quite difficult-especially in an environment I described above. I know this is not the only office that has similar environments either. 


When you eat right, others may judge your decision to eat right because it makes them feel guilty. Bring out a homemade turkey wrap, carrots and a glass of milk and hear

"Is that ALL you are eating?"

 "Wow-no need to starve yourself" 

and the "Should"ers I described in a post last month takes the cake: 

"Way to make me feel like a fat-ass while I eat a bag of chips, a lean cuisine, a coke, oh! and pudding....I should eat what you do." 

Of course, the next day/week/month the same half-assed attempts of healthy meals remain and the same people voice/dirty look their judgement and their "should" excuses.  

I liken myself to the Oompa Loompa. They can be fit, but with so many temptations around, it's so easy to instead "fit" into the norms around them. To bring this around full circle, I was quite shocked to finally realize that obese or skinny, judgement is all around you, what you wear, and what you eat. Those societal norms are so difficult to mitigate. Two personal examples: 

1. I actually had a friend worry that our friendship was going to change/die because I refused to eat out.
2. I even had a friend say they wouldn't 'follow' my blog because reading it was too real for them and made them uncomfortable (i.e. they knew they had 'should'er tendencies but was reluctant to face those demons). 


Now, my methods may not be the 100% perfect way to go about getting fit, but I am out there and trying my hardest to make a change. Like I've said before, you cannot complain if you refuse to get a solution. I was so thoroughly disappointed in this person and their a) lack of self confidence to either come to terms with themselves and be okay in their skin and own it and/or b) that the person KNEW they needed to do something about their health and refused to do something about it. And then it hit me. I realized that so many of us are Oompa's: we allow ourselves to be bound by these societal norms and are reluctant to break them. 


To fellow Oompa Loompa's, it's understandable that you gained a bit from the job and became more loquacious sitting at a desk all day, but you can change the norm. You have the power to say no and suggest difference. I implore you to make a difference in yourself and then exemplify what you preach. Offer to bring in the dessert for birthdays and bring in fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt to dip it in, suggest a picnic with friends at a park and take a long walk around the grounds, go dancing and don't drink that evening, go for a bike ride with your husband while discussing your day. Basically, "be the change you want to see in the....house/office/social circle/world." Hopefully one day, others will drop the misplaced judgment or "should"ing and follow suit.

_________________________________________

Epilogue: 

This was a lot to digest in one post, and I thought about separating them into vignettes of the topic, but I just had to throw it all out there and dissect and add in later posts as we move along in this journey.

Question: How many of you have been in similar situations? Share some stories and insights to these problems! I'd love to see some conversation come from the topics shared.

Anywho, I love you bum supporters out there! I encourage you to share the blog with your friends or anyone who might benefit from reading. A lot of this is about me and my journey, but it can be yours too if you interact with it. How's that for promoting? :)

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Oh Thank Heaven, Week 7

I have a confession to make. On the Sunday following my journey to San Francisco I weighed myself. I felt embarrassed and didn't want to share that on that trip I had gained 2 pounds. I know it sounds so minor but at the same time, when you are trying to lose a pound or two every week, gaining 2 is as if I threw away an entire week of hard work and determination. As you read on my last post, I had already gained .6 lbs from the previous week and felt like it really wasn't anything to scoff over. But I knew I had been pretty unhealthy in San Fran. 


This week, I was determined to do it right. I stayed on schedule and made all of my dinners and made pretty healthy choices. My energy level peaked back and I felt the difference a few days makes. So when it came to weigh day, I figured that the scale wouldn't have much fluctuation but inside, I knew and felt I was healthier than last week. And wouldn't you know, I actually lost the extra 2 lbs plus an additional 1! Results below!

Week 7 Results:

Weight: 195

Body Fat %: 42%

BMI: 32

Water weight %: 42.3%

Weeks til goal: 60

Comparison to Initial Weigh In:

Weight loss: -12.8 lbs

Percent of Body Fat: -2.3%

BMI: -2.2

Water Weight: +1.4%

Weeks dropped: -13 (ahead of schedule by 7 weeks!)

I'm just a touch under losing 13 lbs. Determination this week is what made me a winner and I'm 7 pounds away from reaching another milestone goal of losing 20 lbs and being considered to myself "serious" about being fit permanently. Speaking of goals, I have decided on 2 more mini goals that I'd like to share. One is a vanity goal and the other is a fitness goal. 

Vanity Goal:

I am going to get my bum in a beautiful dress and attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball (Nov. 12)

Last year, I did not attend because I did not feel comfortable getting dolled up at the weight I was.

This year, I AM going because I WILL reach this goal: I would like to be in a size 10-12 dress. It seems realistic and would be fantastic. A tough goal, but it would be so worth buying a gorgeous dress I feel fantastic in. I think I need to lose 20-30 lbs to get in that size in 4 months. I'm guesstimating this, so hopefully I'm right on target. Sizing depends on how/where you carry your weight, so we'll see. I've lost close to 15 lbs in 2 months (fingers crossed I'll reach 15 lbs next week) and in keeping with this I would drop 30 lbs in 4 months (give or take) and be around 165 lbs total. Wow-that sounds nice! 

Oh and by the way, Justin Timberlake accepted an invitation to attend with a female-marine from my hubby's battalion. So yea, I'll be there no matter what.

I'll thank him for making Bringin' Sexy Back for my motivation theme song!

Fitness Goal:

I am going to complete a Warrior Dash!

The Warrior Dash in Virginia is slated for October 1st.

It is a 5k obstacle course of craziness in Charles City, Va (just south east from Richmond).

To get the real feel of what a Warrior Dash is check out this rockin video:

It's mud, fire, running and success! Click here for my specific course map and details on the obstacles I will face. 

In order to complete this, I need to get into some major cardio and definitely MEGA-endurance to complete the run. But I have the mindset I am going to do this, so that's step one. I'm trying to confirm if my hubby will be available to do the run with me-or at least get a fan to watch! I could definitely use all the support I can to do this so if you are in the area, or planning to be-please let me know and come run or come cheer!

That's all for now. Have a healthy week fellow bum followers! I appreciate all your feedback and support!

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Week 6 (pick up stix)

This week was not the greatest week of all as far as weight training and exercise goes; however, it was a mouth orgasm of farm-fresh, organic and local eats in San Francisco.

I had a business trip from Wed-Fri and thus weighed myself on Wednesday instead of my usual Thursday. I gained .6 of a lb. Nothing to scoff at but it was a little kick to my morale. Although, I did manage to sneak in a run and a dvd workout whilst I ventured the West Coast again, I know I was bad overall on portion and control of what I ate. As event planning goes, tastings are required and so are the multiple courses for days at a time. Very tough stuff-especially when the food is delectable. I tried to walk as much as I could, but In-and-Out would fight and win that battle as would clam chowder bowls and things that are only accessible in my home state. To make progress even farther reaching, time change and jet lag did not permit work-outs this weekend and I feel like mush all over. For the last couple of weeks there has been one day a week (on top of my off day) that ‘something’ comes up and I don’t work out. I cannot make this a habit.

5 Guys has nothing on In-N-Out

Having come back from a foodie mini-nation, I felt inspired to make some delicious, low cal foods. On Sunday, I made an arugula salad with balsamic vinagarette, filet mignon (healthier red meat choice), white asparagus (Spargel as I know it to be)  and petite boiled red potatoes. Amazing. Then for the sweet tooth in us all, I made homemade, berry filled crepes with light vanilla custard filling. Mouth-watering is definitely the correct verbiage when now thinking of the treat.

Custard and Berry Filled Crepe

Next week, I will venture to The Big Easy (New Orleans Saints Nation-i.e. my fan-version of Mecca) for business again and am hoping to get in more work out time than I did in San Francisco. I don’t want to let what happened in San Fran happen again so I am going to do my best to blog each day that I am out there for accountability sake. Wish me luck and I’ll touch base here soon enough!

Week 5 Results:

Weight: 196.6

Body fat %: 42.4

BMI: 32.3

Weeks til goal: 62 weeks

Initial Weigh In:

Weight Day One: dropped 10.4 lbs (uh-oh)

Percent of Body Fat: +.4%

BMI: -2%

Weeks to Meet Goal: -11 weeks

Anyways, I am off to Sh’Bam to dance these calories away!

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Mini Goal Reached!

Just a quick snippet to share today. As you see by the picture and the subject-I reached and surpassed one of my mini-goals this week! 

I.RAN.2.MILES.WITHOUT.STOPPING. 

I know one of my mini goals was to reach one mile without stopping, but what the heck, might as well feel like dying that much more and doing two, right?! It felt horrible and wonderful all at the same time. I was happy to both accomplish and finish it (so it would be over and I could stop sweating). Now, I need to keep it up and push a little harder to getting a little faster each time. I'm currently at an 11:30 minute mile-not so great, but not bad either!

Celebration! 

Have a wonderful weekend all!

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Post Holiday WeeEEK!

Yay Freedom!

What a rough, yet fun week this has been! Last week, I hit the one month mark. Like I said, I know I am not in "habit mode" yet and this weekend proved it.  It was a beautiful 4th of July weekend filled with fireworks, food, and frosty mojitos all of which were at my fingertips. I worked out on Saturday morning and spent a decent amount of the day in the pool playing around on Sunday (I got in as much cardio as I could without looking like I was doing straight-up laps). Monday and Tuesday, however, got zilch workouts. Boo me..............BOOOO! But the good ol' Catholic guilt got me motivated to workout on Wednesday. I think my body enjoyed the rest and recuperation though. After being so lacks on the workouts over the last couple of days, I was certain in my mind that I had either:

A) Lost no weight

B) Gained weight

My results of this week below:

Week 5 Results:

Weight: 196

Body fat %: 42

BMI: 32.2

Weeks til goal: 61 weeks

Initial Weigh In:

Weight Day One: dropped 11.8 lbs (yippee)

Percent of Body Fat: -1.3%

BMI: -2%

Weeks to Meet Goal: -12 weeks

Soooo, now that I managed to still lose weight this week. I'm going to share some tips for surviving the weekend without adding to your waistline. 

Food:

Sure, BBQs are fantastic and are often quite healthy options when putting items on the grill, but the key here is moderation. With pasta and potato salads in abundance, marinades full of calories, extra bbq sauce, toppings, etc. it's easy to go overboard. I read an article from "Eat This, Not That" awhile back on the best and worst when it comes to BBQs. On the 4th of July, I opted for 1 rib, 3 grilled shrimp, a very small serving of potato salad and a slice of watermelon. It would have been entirely too easy to grab a hot dog, cheeseburger, corn on the cob, etc. but I've noticed that my appetite is (thankfully) not what it used to be. Other dining during the weekend included fresh sandwiches for lunch, 99% fat free Hebrew National hot dogs, cut up fruit, and 1/2 corn cob with minimal butter. Knowing that I wasn't going to be eating the best of the best, my breakfast for the weekend was Green Machine by Naked Juice. That juice packs a mean punch of vitamins and superfoods! 

Drinks:

Hydration is key on a long weekend in the sun. So make sure to water it up! There are now plenty of low-cal options out there if you still want a cocktail or two. I have made a few Guilt-free Concoctions that should meet your cravings without meeting your bum!

Crystal Light Mojito

Mix a packet of the new Crystal Light Mocktail into a large pitcher (makes 8 servings). Switch out 2 of the 8 cups cups of water with two cups of Mango Rum. Then add some fresh mint and meld it altogether for one amazing and refreshing drink! The Crystal Light Mocktail mix is only 5 calories per serving! The Crystal Light Mocktail also comes in Appletini and Margarita flavors.

Mio Mango Mixer

Coming in several flavors, this cocktail can please anyone! Mio is designed to enhance water flavor without calories, fat, sugar, etc. I make a water and vodka (or rum) in a glass and then squirt your little buddy, Mio, into the glass. Mix and drink. This is a wonderful option as you are basically drinking a water with some vodka in it. LOL. Hydrate at the same time :) And it's much better than getting a light cranberry juice or mixing with any other juice for that matter as the sugar content in juice can be ridiculous!

Ok Bum Followers, that's all I have for now. And please, comment on the blog and let me know how you liked my cocktails!

Love w/ all my bum,

CH