Life and Bleuets

Alright, so it's been awhile. And I have now been yo-yoing around the same weight for TWO AND A HALF months. It's so hard, now that the summer is here and the social calendar is so full of delicious temptations. Weekend getaways are the worst. Even when I've packed my own food, watching everyone else gorge themselves in beer and bbq ends up proving too hard to resist.

Added to which, I have to admit, I already feel pretty hot with the new body. It was so easy to motivate myself this past January because I was so dissatisfied with my body. Now, while I definitely want to lose more weight, I still feel attractive and confident with my current shape. It's making me lazy and I hate settling.

But Canada Day weekend I have another weekend camping trip with a massive group and I am determined to look as smokin as possible (especially since the ex-boyfriend is tagging along). SO, FOCUS. And resist the immediate satisfaction for the long-term gains.
 
Aaaah, sounds just like me! I've been staying round the same weight since December though :(

And I don't have social reasons... just my own self-sabotage to thank.

Oh well, at least we're still here, right!?
 
Ankebuzz said:
Aaaah, sounds just like me! I've been staying round the same weight since December though :(

And I don't have social reasons... just my own self-sabotage to thank.

Oh well, at least we're still here, right!?
Click to expand...

Lol, you're right. And I guess that as long as there's an active lifestyle the weight is maybe the wrong thing to focus on. I'll keep trucking if you will, Anke!
 
So my two and a half month rut is officially at an end (so says me....). And to help me move beyond this plateau that is completely self-imposed, I have instituted a variety of changes in my regimen.

1) New playlist!!! I realized that my music was no longer as motivating as it had been. In fact, it had merely become background noise that wasn't pumping me up or distracting me from the pain anymore. SO, new music it is!!! New favourite songs: "Burn" by Taylor Swift and "Fire" by Michael Franti. Shaggy has officially been outed.

2) New thinking about diet!!! Okay, so the restricted calorie diet has worked really well for me and I'd love to continue to see the same results. BUT, my body is tired of the exact numbers that never seem as satisfying as the food itself. I mean, 1300 calories sounds so upsetting to my brain, while in reality and with the right food choices, my belly can feel completely full on that. I'm going to relax with my OCD monitoring of calories while still aiming to keep the estimated number consumed relatively low. I think this will help me, too, once I'm off the diet completely and am trying to eat normally.

3) Weekend getaways with an active focus! I love the summer and the rest of the year is always so exhausting and time-consuming and stressful that I want the summer to be as much fun as possible. I love going for weekends: to the cottage, to a campsite, to a music festival, etc. But they've been killing me in the healthy lifestyle department. SOOO, I'm organizing two weekends of my own where being active will be the focus. A white-water rafting trip is planned as well as a hiking trip through the gatineaus. This way I get my mini vacation, I can have a great time with my friends, but I will also be staying active (and subsequently less likely to binge and ruin the good work).

4) Hiring a personal Trainer! Okay, so I haven't done this yet. And I've been saying I will ever since my Dad gave me a gift certificate to pay for 10 sessions two Christmases ago. I've been avoiding this opportunity because I wanted to do it all by myself. Which is stupid. Why is that a stricture on my weight loss? At this point, and after years of athletics, I know how to work out. But that's not my problem. I want someone to be my drill sergeant, to hold me accountable for my choices. Besides, they can also probably streamline my workouts and make them more efficient.

Alright, so that's my new game plan. If anyone else has any suggestions, pass them on!
 
Last edited:
Hi!

Hi Bleuet,
I am with everyone else who talks to you on here. You are hilarious to read and very motivating. I like your style, both writing and living. I like that you are planning active weekends. That is one of my goals too, once I have money. I'm a student too. Nothing says student like an exercise plan involving no money and 10 year old runners ;)

Thanks for posting. I hope to keep up.
 
Kaiser said:
Hi Bleuet,
I am with everyone else who talks to you on here. You are hilarious to read and very motivating. I like your style, both writing and living. I like that you are planning active weekends. That is one of my goals too, once I have money. I'm a student too. Nothing says student like an exercise plan involving no money and 10 year old runners ;)

Thanks for posting. I hope to keep up.
Click to expand...

Hi kaiser, thanks for dropping in :). Active weekends are my new plans on the go. Camping is always a cheapo option and, as you say, running is free (how wonderful...). If you're as poor as I am, you should check to see if your municipality is offering any programs. I play pickup soccer for ten bucks for the whole summer with the City of Ottawa.

And ten year old runners can rock if they're like the old classic nikes. In fact, twenty year old runners would be even more impressive. My dad still sports a pair (for men) where the swoosh is neon pink. Go Dad! I find them very inspiring.
 
Haha, I like the image of your dad's pink neon Nikes. Mine are nowhere near as cool.
Thanks for the tip about the pickup soccer. I'll check out some community things here and see what's up.
Have a good week!
 
Hello!

Here's to active weekends! As of this Saturday I will be doing my long runs in the AM as its the best time in the week for me. So WOOOOO!
 
Well, err... I just ran for the first time in a month again one Monday. Going to be running three times a week again, and my "long" run is going to be 8km this Saturday :p
 
Ankebuzz said:
Well, err... I just ran for the first time in a month again one Monday. Going to be running three times a week again, and my "long" run is going to be 8km this Saturday :p
Click to expand...

Dude, 8 km is super long. And three times a week? Very impressive. I only run for the bus.
 
Despite popular jokes, Canada is not always a freeze box and our igloos tend to melt come the summer. It was a 30 degree day today (celsius) and it's not pretty when it gets that hot, you live in the city, and you are too poor for air conditioning. My rollerblade just about killed me and I was as close to naked as I could get without being arrested.

So in terms of food, cooking - on a stove, which produces heat - was like a torture sentence. Ergo, I declined. Except for me, not eating is not an option. And who can eat plain salad (the only non-cooked meal on hand) without a little oomph like chicken when it's their main meal? I am not a rabbit. And dieting is hard enough without resorting to a lettuce diet.

SO, I was left with the ordering out option (where someone else can deal with the sweltering kitchen). Determined to stay on the plan, I ended up with some great choices. Earlier today as I was waiting for an interminable amount of time for the bus, I snacked on a McDonald's soft serve cone. Bad, right? Not so bad! According to the Mickdick's website, the average cone is 230 calories (of course that amount depends on the location, but still!). For dinner, I proceeded to Subway where I ordered a meal deal with a 6" ham sub, salsa sun chips and a diet coke. I felt like I was getting away with murder! It felt like such a cheat meal but it totaled only 500 calories!

Now this is clearly not a sustainable practice. My food budget won't cover it. AND, despite Jared the Subway guy, I'm not so sure about eating fast food as part of my regular diet. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised and ultimately satisfied with the heat-beating foods I devoured in the course of today. Especially that ice cream cone. There is nothing better than a dripping cone when it is disgustingly hot outside.
 
Yummm.
Sounds like a successful day, given the lack of cooking. I tend not to make those 'healthy' choices when I have fast food, so good for you!
 
So my best friend runs what she politely calls an outdoor fitness and nutrition camp but what her campers freely acknowledge as fat camp (they made tie dye t-shirts that said "don't feed the campers" haha). She has almost twenty girls between the ages of 12 and 20 that stick with her for a month at camp and get their butts kicked and their minds learned full of nutrition and other health stuff.

My friend asked me to come visit her camp and talk to her girls about my own weight loss struggle and successes. Really, I think it's because neither my friend nor any of the other counsellors have ever actually been fat. They just don't understand that not eating is not an option. Stupid skinny people.

Anyway, I had an awesome time. And it made me feel so good to get to be a motivator and role model for other girls. I brought a bag of my old clothes that no longer fit me and the girls were pretty pumped about that. I also went through their daily routine with them and OH MY GOD MY ASS IS SORE. AND MY HAMSTRINGS. AND MY ABS.

I told my friend that she needs to run an adult only camp. I would be there in a heartbeat. She gave me such a good workout, I almost died. And the best thing was that the "fat" girls thought the workouts were no biggie. Cheers to them!
 
That sounds so fun! It is nice that a "real" girl could shows the little ones what motivation and hard work can do. (I don't mean that your friend isn't real; it's just that I think you're right. Most people have issues with weight, and if they never have, how can they understand!?)
Kids are amazing. They can do so much more than anyone thinks.
 
Ok. So it's been awhile. I've pretty much slacked my ass on for the last three months. I've been all about the pizza and beers and the nachos and ice cream and gin and tonics. mmmmmm. And let me tell you, I was more than happy to slack.

BUT, then I got invited to go to Grenada with a friend of mine for ten days this Christmas and I refuse to go and not want to be in a bikini 24/7. Plus, the pizza dinners were starting to feel gross. So here I am: Plan lose-twenty-pounds-before-christmas-so-that-everyone-will-wish-they-had-your-fine-ass has officially started.

I went to the gym to weigh myself. I was pretty terrified that three months of junk would have killed my effort from last spring. INSTEAD a gift from the gods!!! I weighed less than I remembered. How often does that happen? So here I am. Day 4 of the Plan. Already craving nachos. And a gin and tonic.
 
Try some nachos with vegan cheese and soy ground burger. All of the tastiness of nachos, but very little of the fat and calories.

Here's a breakdown of a couple of the vegetarian substitutes I use for meat and cheese:

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Veggie Shreds (soy cheese) - 1 oz. serving
70 calories
4 grams of fat

Regular cheddar cheese (same serving size) -
119 calories
9 grams of fat

LightLife's Smart Ground (meat substitute) - 1/3 cup serving
70 calories
0 grams of fat

Ground beef (same serving size) -
182 calories
9 grams of fat


You should give 'em a shot if you really want some nachos. Add a little Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream on top and you'll be golden.

The vegan products are actually pretty delicious (and I was a hardcore carnivore). I've lost 40 pounds since I went vegetarian in June and I attribute a lot of it to replacing meat and dairy with non-animal alternatives.

Good luck getting into that bikini!!!!!!!!!!

:gnorsi:
 
Thanks for the tip, Maverick!

Ok, so as everyone on here probably already knows, the music you listen to is absolutely KEY to a rockin' workout. Now, I am certainly a fan of the music the group exercise lady puts on (even if I can't actually move properly to the beat. ever.), but the stuff they play is usually current music. While this is completely awesome and I will sweat my fat ass to anything by Lady Gaga, there are some workout classics that I think are due some limelight:

1) I Like to Move it Move it by Shaggy: I love shaggy. Not his name. But his stupid, senseless music that does, in fact, make me want to move it.

2) It's not right but it's ok club mix by Whitney Houston: Ok, so maybe this is more of an anthem for the ladies. But still, just substitute your fat for the implied cheater asshole and it works grrreat. As in, "Pack your bags up and leave (fat), don't you think of running back to me!" Love it.

3) Hey Baby (If You Be my Girl) by DJ Otzi: Sounds like music I would hear on the beach in my hot bikini that I will fit into once I've worked out to this song a few more times.

4) Believe by Cher: I know, I know - another anthem for the ladies. But can't you just see yourself: you're on the treadmill, dying, your fat bouncing, and then there's Cher....and she says to believe. Yes, Cher. I am strong enough.

5) Boom Boom I Want You by the Venga Boys: Ok, so this isn't exactly a classic. But it's certainly one of the motivators to feeling fit and sexy. Ya baby. Boom Boom!

6) Pump up the Jam by Technotronic: THIS is a workout classic. If you don't have it on your playlist, add it IMMEDIATELY. Reminds me of the pump up music we used to have in the dressing room before hockey games. Here we go, booty!

7) Breathe In/ Breathe Out by Kanye West: Ok, so this isn't a classic yet. But it will be. Only listen to it if you have a sense of humour.

And then to cool down - Luv me Luv Me by Shaggy and Janet Jackson. Again, only if you have a sense of humour and you're also okay with the fact that someone you can't understand (beyond his grunts and "sex machine!") is rich and famous.

Pass on more fun music if you've got it!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top