Well hello there!

It's been awhile!  Life has had a few changes so I'm trying to get back into a routine... a riding routine, chores routine, work routine and, yes, a weight loss routine.

I got a new job, three months ago.  You'd think that would be long enough to settle into a new routine but my hours are a bit all over the place, not to mention my boss only gives the schedule for a week at a time.  Things seem to be settling into a more predictable pattern though.

I've lost 10 lbs since my last post, which puts me at about 30 lbs down.  Actually I've lost more than that because I regained a few of that 20 lost when I started working.  I was eating off the menu at work and had to have been underestimating my calorie intake.  :(
Not to mention I am moving WAY less than I did during that time I spent at home!  I averaged 12,000-15,000 steps a day then.  Now, between work & winter, I am really lucky if I hit the target of 10,000. 

You'd think being on my feet 8 1/2 hours a day would get me some steps but I get very few standing behind the desk at work.  So I take ANY chance I have to move.  And that's where today's post is going... moving.

(The job, I'm working as a front desk/guest service agent at a new hotel in The City)

Almost everyone at the desk takes the elevator for every. little. thing.  Not me... we get to park in the hotel's carpark (for free, & it's enclosed & heated, bonus in a Saskatchewan winter!) and I take the stairs to and from my vehicle.
Have to take something up to a room?  Take the stairs up & down.  Stat rooms or do floor checks?  You got it, take the stairs!
I used to take the elevator up and then walk down, because for some reason my knees really don't handle the UP part of stairs well.  But if I go up a few flights I'm okay, and I can walk all the way down from the 11th floor without a problem so I've just tweaked my routine and work from the lowest floor and go up.

I'm also trying to walk more at home, which means getting back on the treadmill.  That's tougher though because I am very tired after work and often don't have time before work.  You'd think I wouldn't get this physically tired, it's not a hard job.  But I find that standing in basically one spot is more tiring than getting to move around!

And I'm still planning to snowshoe, gotta find the time & the energy.  Plus I have ponies that need riding, so I'm trying to find time to fit that in. 
The riding will be tougher to fit in, I need to have enough time to ride plus cool out the horse in time to put it back out before I go to work.  Snowshoeing I'll be able to do day or night, as long as I have the energy and it's not too darn cold!

Another thing I've changed is that I'm packing my "lunch" (it's usually supper lol) and eating healthier that way.  I didn't get to garden this summer, and I'm super picky about veggies but I found nice greens that Walmart & Superstore both carry for a decent price.  I pack that, some grilled chicken breast cut into small pieces and have a nice salad.  Add in some fruit, carrots or peppers and a yogurt and I'm good :)

I'm not too far off from a big milestone that I set for myself, and I'm pretty excited about that!  As long as all this holiday food doesn't interfere ;)

-20

You read that right, -20.  Yep in July.  Because that's -20LBs baby!!

I'm feeling pretty confident that it will stick too, or rather that I'll keep making progress because 20 is about 1/3 of my rather loosely created goal.  I know I'm due for a plateau, and I know it will suck, but I'm still hopeful.

Really a lot of it is due to my little Fitbit.  Four months later and I still faithfully log in anything I eat/drink.  I wear it (almost) all the time.  One thing that was a bit discouraging... I switched my settings from "normal" to "sensitive" for the sleep tracking.  Watching my average drop like a stone and looking at that little blue sleep bar which now had big chunks of red.  Oh heck yeah, now I know why I feel tired so often! 

I still eat "junk" at times, but I'm developing more will power than I've ever had before (even with my darn sweet tooth!)

According to the settings I've put on my Fitbit I should be hitting my next big milestone before the end of the year! 

It's been all too quiet over here lately... what's up with y'all?

Fitbit

I was skeptical at first, but now a month later I have to say I love my Fitbit!

It tracks my steps, floors climbed, sleep patterns, calories burned.  If you put in just a few minutes of time entering what you eat/drink throughout the day it takes care of all your calorie counts.  And when you first set up your account you enter your age, height, weight, gender and goals so it takes care of the math in figuring out how many calories you should eat each day.
You can manually enter a variety of activities in addition to what the fitbit tracks.
I'm finding it very motivating, at a glance I can see where I stand that day.  If I'm craving a cookie but I have almost used up my calories I find it easier to say no (or run around until I've bumped up my activity enough to justify more calories).
My only complaint?  That the user can't adjust the day.  At midnight a new day is automatically started, my "normal" day has me going to bed around 4am.  Not a big deal, but it would be more user friendly for people that work non-traditional hours if that could be changed by the user.

Best of all?  With the help of my fitbit keeping me on track and honest, I've lost 10lbs in the last month! :D

Gonna be a 'gadget girl'

I'm not normally into gadgets, or am I?  Hmm... cell phone, cameras, iPad... yeah I have those but I still wouldn't call myself a gadget person, and I'm definitely not a fitness gadget person.  Until I saw this:

What is it?  Its called a Fitbit Ultra and it claims tracks your daily movement through 3D sensors, not just steps like a pedometer.  It also can track your sleep patterns.  Its small,  seriously its TINY, so you can wear it discreetly (suggestions include tucked in a pocket or onto your bra)

Here's the lowdown on what it claims to do:
*Tracks daily steps, number of stairs or hills climbed, distance traveled, calories burned & overall intensity of activity (I'm hoping that riding will show up as well)  
*If you wear the tracker at night (there's a wristband included) it will monitor how long & how well you slept.  It monitors when you fall asleep & how many times you wake throughout the night to provide a 'sleep efficiency index' (something I'm very interested in as I'm a tosser & turner)

I ordered this because I wanted to see how active I really am daily and where I can fit more activity in.  I was curious how much I move at work (although as of recently that is null and void)  I know I go through periods where I don't do a heckuva lot and I'm hoping something like this will help me get my rear in gear during those times.
I liked that its compatible with the Endomondo app I have on my cell phone and that I don't have to sit down and plug in the data, it wirelessly uploads whenever you're in 15' of your computer.
After using it for a bit I'll give an updated review on it, I ordered mine off Amazon and it just came in the mail today so I'm off to tear open the box and check it out! :)

 

Hmmm

So, I stumbled across this article today: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9091628/Test-tube-hamburgers-to-be-served-this-year.html

What do y'all think?

Ready...

Go!

Rant

I posted this evening, over on my main blog. The post could belong here as well. So, if you feel up to it, and aren't cowering in fear because I was quite hot when I wrote it, wander on over to here and join me in discussion.

If it's not there when you see this post, it'll be back after the SOPA protest is over on 1/19/2012.

Now That The Resolutions Are Waining

Hi guys...It's BEC here. So kindly invited by Cdn to contribute.

Here we are in the middle of January already, the 'newness' of the New Year already starting to wain...

Are those get fit resolutions dimming in memory?

Myself...I've been hitting the gym pretty regularly for the past few weeks. Mostly working on the weights.

I haven't noticed any dramatic disappearing of cellulite dimples on my backside yet (sigh) and my old nemesis, the sore shins are flaring up (oww!), but on the upside...

The back, shoulder and arm pain I was suffering from is about 99% better. If for no other reason...the relief from that pain will keep me going back at least 3 times a week.

Right now, I am still in the muscle building phase. Trying to get my back and arm muscles balanced (got about a 10 lb. difference going on) and start building some leg, hamstring and glute strength.

So are there any other weight lifters or body sculptures here? Anyone interested and just not sure how to get started?

Being an Angel

About a month ago Pie & I watched the Victoria's Secret fashion show... that holiday one they always air late November.  While I will never be a smoking hot, sexy, leggy model, and don't aspire to be, I do like the show.  I like the creativity behind it.  And the wings, gotta love the wings lol

There was one segment though where I paused it and turned to Pie to say "What the hell  were they thinking?" 
There was a song playing that to me just seemed wrong.  Sure it was a catchy song, but with all the focus on the fashion industry/modelling and eating disorders/body dysmorphism I just didn't get why they would put a song like that in.  The lyrics that caught my attention were:

"You make me wanna die.  I'll never be good enough.  You make me wanna die."

I actually do like the song, its by Pretty Reckless (I've never heard of them, clicking the link brings up the lyrics)  I just don't get why the show producers would pick a song where the most discernible lyrics are those ones.  And I have to wonder, if I found the song online and listened to it would it play the same way?  Or did they pump up those lyrics in the show?
Anyway, enough about the song.  Still want to be an Angel?  Not only do you have to be genetically gifted - face it, no matter how much a person diets & works out, if you don't have the genes to achieve it certain things won't happen. But it gets pretty extreme.  Adriana Lima, pictured above (via Google image search), dished on what it takes:

Daily workouts starting months before the show

Workouts become twice daily a few weeks before the show

A gallon of water a day

No solid food for 9 days before the show

2 days before show she will start drinking water 'normally'

No water for 12 hours before the show

Daily workouts, that's not so bad.  Twice daily doesn't sound bad either.  But from what I read of Lima's interview those aren't just workouts, they're hard-core w.o.r.k.o.u.t.s  Water is a good thing, but chugging a gallon a day?  That's approximately double the "drink 8 glasses a day" standard (don't even get me started on that lol)

The parts that really concern me are the no solid food for 9 days and no water for 12 hours.  How many young girls (boys, women, men) with eating disorders saw that advice?

Yeah I want to lose weight, I want to be in shape.  But doing that?  Not healthy.  And that's my main goal!