Today I am 136.8 pounds at 27.0% body fat, which is 1.2 pounds down from last week. Happy days! I will soon meet my goal which, although I think it will not be the end of my body improvement journey, will be pretty awesome to say I finally met, considering I first conceptualized it when I was 13 and it ended up being a 50-pound goal.
My pants situation. I've been wearing these size 6 jeans for a while, since about 155. They are finally starting to get loose enough that I think I'd like to go shop for size 4 jeans, although they'll be perfectly acceptable for wearing for a while yet. I will look for some black jeans because I need something black for a performance I'm going to be in soon. Anyway, I also have these size 4 pants that I bought in order to have something "business casual" before my Europe trip. The 4Ps I tried on were too small, but the 6Ms were too long, so I settled for a 4M, and it's just not quite the right shape, so I haven't really been wearing those much, but anyway, a 4 has fit for a while. The sixth grade pants, size 8 in some mysterious system that is scaled way small, have gradually come to fit more and more, and they've reached a point where I can tell they're just never going to fit properly, because they are actually getting loose on the hips, but still are too tight in the thighs. So sad, but at least I can put that question to rest. I may try and patch the cool design they have onto another pair of pants. Finally - this morning I was wearing this size-6 skirt that was slightly tight when I acquired it and now fits perfectly, when my boyfriend brought me a size 2 pair of pants he found abandoned in the laundry room. I looked at them, thought "yeah those look a little small," but tried them on. If they were made out of an ordinary, not so stretchy material they would be wearable but too tight to move in, but with 3% lycra-spandex they fit perfectly. So apparently I now wear anywhere from a 2 to a 6. I find this really interesting because when I wore size 10 or 12 and even 8, I was just one size unless I was borderline and then one would be a little loose and one a little tight. Now, apparently, I span 3 sizes. So strange.
Showing posts with label clothing sizes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clothing sizes. Show all posts
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Day 99, round 2 - conclusion of phase 2 (posted late)
Yesterday was the last row of my second spreadsheet and my weight was 144.4 pounds. At 29.9% body fat, even! This means that in the past 99 days, I've lost:
18.4 pounds
6.3% body fat
2.5 inches off my waist
a little more than 1 pant size
as well as another 1.75 inches off my thigh. I switched my hip measurement to where it's supposed to be during this phase, so I don't have comparable measurements from beginning to end, and I haven't changed my bra size since the end of last phase.
I can't post a graph because the new Google graphs are funky and don't save properly, and my boyfriend's computer (my power cord broke) doesn't have the program I use to take screenshots. So, no eye candy - sorry.
I've refined my spreadsheet again for phase III. The biggest difference is that I split the exercise column into "calorie burn exercise" and "strength/toning exercise". I need to keep track of them separately, because I need to see clearly whether I'm doing my strength exercises or not. The sheet may look a little more confusing sometimes because certain things, primarily yoga, apply to both - but since it's my sheet, as long as I know what I'm talking about and put the right numbers in the right boxes, I think it's fine.
It's super awesome that I'm only 10 pounds away. I hope that I can meet the next microgoal - 139.6 - by the time school starts back up at the end of January. It will be a little slow-going during the holiday week, and my Europe trip will be a total wildcard, but the final week of winter break I have all the space I need to push for a couple more pounds.
18.4 pounds
6.3% body fat
2.5 inches off my waist
a little more than 1 pant size
as well as another 1.75 inches off my thigh. I switched my hip measurement to where it's supposed to be during this phase, so I don't have comparable measurements from beginning to end, and I haven't changed my bra size since the end of last phase.
I can't post a graph because the new Google graphs are funky and don't save properly, and my boyfriend's computer (my power cord broke) doesn't have the program I use to take screenshots. So, no eye candy - sorry.
I've refined my spreadsheet again for phase III. The biggest difference is that I split the exercise column into "calorie burn exercise" and "strength/toning exercise". I need to keep track of them separately, because I need to see clearly whether I'm doing my strength exercises or not. The sheet may look a little more confusing sometimes because certain things, primarily yoga, apply to both - but since it's my sheet, as long as I know what I'm talking about and put the right numbers in the right boxes, I think it's fine.
It's super awesome that I'm only 10 pounds away. I hope that I can meet the next microgoal - 139.6 - by the time school starts back up at the end of January. It will be a little slow-going during the holiday week, and my Europe trip will be a total wildcard, but the final week of winter break I have all the space I need to push for a couple more pounds.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Normal weight, overweight
Normal weight, overweight, normal weight, overweight...
It's just a number. In reality, the difference between 149.6 and 150.2 is completely trivial.
I think it's hilarious that I'm at the "overweight" boundary, with >30% body fat, wearing a size 6.
I went to the gym this morning and it wasn't enough. I burned a fine amount of calories, but I wanted to keep going, I want to exercise for at least an hour to burn through all the energy. After 32 minutes I had to hop off the elliptical and it felt like I hardly did anything. At lunch I went for a walk, it was nice.
And then I come home and my boyfriend has made dessert. He pulls it out after dinner and it is... peanut butter fudge. I look at it, raise my eyebrow in amusement, run and get my calculator. He tells me what went into it. I calculate and... FIVE THOUSAND CALORIES in the whole pan. 330 for a piece about 1-1/2 inches square. It's amazing you can even get calories that concentrated. Oh well, yum.
It's just a number. In reality, the difference between 149.6 and 150.2 is completely trivial.
I think it's hilarious that I'm at the "overweight" boundary, with >30% body fat, wearing a size 6.
I went to the gym this morning and it wasn't enough. I burned a fine amount of calories, but I wanted to keep going, I want to exercise for at least an hour to burn through all the energy. After 32 minutes I had to hop off the elliptical and it felt like I hardly did anything. At lunch I went for a walk, it was nice.
And then I come home and my boyfriend has made dessert. He pulls it out after dinner and it is... peanut butter fudge. I look at it, raise my eyebrow in amusement, run and get my calculator. He tells me what went into it. I calculate and... FIVE THOUSAND CALORIES in the whole pan. 330 for a piece about 1-1/2 inches square. It's amazing you can even get calories that concentrated. Oh well, yum.
Friday, November 5, 2010
New developments
I hit a new low today (152.0) and my body fat is remaining relatively low (33.5%). I'm very very close to normal weight, which is exciting! I was normal weight by a hair once before at my current height - that was right after losing 10 pounds in 9 days due to illness. At this rate, I'll expect to break 30% around 140.
My mp3 player apparently arrived yesterday, but I guess neither of us went in the front door so I didn't know. Oh well, I'm already on campus and if I went home to pick it up and add music, I wouldn't have time to work out at all. In fact, I already may not have time, blast it - where did the last hour go? At any rate, I now have music-ability. 500 calorie workouts, here I come.
Not just my size, but my shape is changing; I can tell from my pants. I put on the free-box 8s this morning, and ended up switching back into my jeans because they were annoying. In one place, they are indistinguishable in relative size from how they were when I first starting wearing them. In another place, they're developing loose pockets. Altogether, they're kind of starting to sag.
Today I Googled "fit female body" and when I did not get the results I was looking for, I elaborated and asked "what does a fit female body look like?" Still few results. Why is it so hard to find? I just want to see examples of healthy, fit women. Not Olympic athletes, not fashion models, just everyday women who are lean and from whom I could pick one who has a similar frame to me as a reference for what I can strive for.
My mp3 player apparently arrived yesterday, but I guess neither of us went in the front door so I didn't know. Oh well, I'm already on campus and if I went home to pick it up and add music, I wouldn't have time to work out at all. In fact, I already may not have time, blast it - where did the last hour go? At any rate, I now have music-ability. 500 calorie workouts, here I come.
Not just my size, but my shape is changing; I can tell from my pants. I put on the free-box 8s this morning, and ended up switching back into my jeans because they were annoying. In one place, they are indistinguishable in relative size from how they were when I first starting wearing them. In another place, they're developing loose pockets. Altogether, they're kind of starting to sag.
Today I Googled "fit female body" and when I did not get the results I was looking for, I elaborated and asked "what does a fit female body look like?" Still few results. Why is it so hard to find? I just want to see examples of healthy, fit women. Not Olympic athletes, not fashion models, just everyday women who are lean and from whom I could pick one who has a similar frame to me as a reference for what I can strive for.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Size inflation, like grade inflation, and taking care of my appearance
I went to the store to get some new pants yesterday. All the pants I used to wear are too big, and the size 8's I'm in now still fit fine, but are getting relaxed enough that I thought I might be able to fit into 8 jeans as well (I've noticed size X jeans are always tighter than size X other kinds of pants). I haven't worn jeans in a long time because the last jeans I had were 10s, which I wore for a while and then gained 20 pounds in, weakening a number of spots significantly, and once jeans spring a leak you can patch them over and over but it's hard to, for instance, climb trees without re-busting the stitches. I also thought I might get a new shirt since most of my shirts are getting loose and I'd really like to have a cute outfit.
The punch line of the story is I'm wearing 6P jeans right now and it's totally bullshit.
It's bullshit because my 8 pants are just loosening up, and because the 8-med of the other brand of jeans I tried was a bit tight. The 8-med of this brand fit great, but such that they'd loosen up too soon with a few more pounds. The 6P is snug, but by no means uncomfortable. More bullshit? There was a pair of 4-med Dockers that fit okay. I don't believe for an instant that I'm anywhere near a 4. It's hard to believe that 5 pounds ago the 8s started fitting but I could be approaching a 6 now, I mean come on, a size is at least 10 pounds. But most of all, it's bullshit that I'm in a "petite" size. My best-fitting jeans before were also "petites" in size 10. I know petite people, and they are like five feet tall, maybe five-two. I'm 5'5", one inch taller than the average U.S. woman. I'm not fuckin' petite. What do truly short women wear, when even for me regular jeans either sit too high or the hems drag in the mud?
Anyway, it's bullshit, but I'm still pretty happy to be wearing a 6. I also bought a purple long-sleeved shirt (I like purple, but my purple T-shirt wore out even before I gained all my weight) and a new bra, which is a 34/M in "barelythere" sizing. It's super comfy.
I also kinda decided to start taking care of my appearance more in general. I've been really busy with school, y'know, and I haven't had much of a social life, so having this break and seeing one of my old friends from high school has made me realize how I'm not just stressed, but also kind of neglecting my sense of self. That's not just in appearance obviously, but paying attention to my appearance I think forces me to pay attention to my self-concept more, and it's one method of modulating confidence. It's hard to care about your appearance when you don't HAVE cute clothes that fit, but having these new clothes makes me feel like I really can try to dress nice and look, for now just put-together, but later genuinely slim. I have been washing my hair with usually just soap for about 2 years, and while I was getting clothes I also got some Burt's Bees avocado butter and treated my hair with it last night. Then I washed it with the shampoo and conditioner that I will be bringing to the gym, which is where I take most of my showers lately. It's so much lighter, dare I say glossier, but mostly, it lies flat since last night. And my hair's getting long enough that I actually need to brush it sometimes. Hopefully this week I will get back in touch with wearing cute clothes, brushing my hair, keeping it pretty, maybe even wear a little makeup (nevermind that my boyfriend doesn't like it).
The punch line of the story is I'm wearing 6P jeans right now and it's totally bullshit.
It's bullshit because my 8 pants are just loosening up, and because the 8-med of the other brand of jeans I tried was a bit tight. The 8-med of this brand fit great, but such that they'd loosen up too soon with a few more pounds. The 6P is snug, but by no means uncomfortable. More bullshit? There was a pair of 4-med Dockers that fit okay. I don't believe for an instant that I'm anywhere near a 4. It's hard to believe that 5 pounds ago the 8s started fitting but I could be approaching a 6 now, I mean come on, a size is at least 10 pounds. But most of all, it's bullshit that I'm in a "petite" size. My best-fitting jeans before were also "petites" in size 10. I know petite people, and they are like five feet tall, maybe five-two. I'm 5'5", one inch taller than the average U.S. woman. I'm not fuckin' petite. What do truly short women wear, when even for me regular jeans either sit too high or the hems drag in the mud?
Anyway, it's bullshit, but I'm still pretty happy to be wearing a 6. I also bought a purple long-sleeved shirt (I like purple, but my purple T-shirt wore out even before I gained all my weight) and a new bra, which is a 34/M in "barelythere" sizing. It's super comfy.
I also kinda decided to start taking care of my appearance more in general. I've been really busy with school, y'know, and I haven't had much of a social life, so having this break and seeing one of my old friends from high school has made me realize how I'm not just stressed, but also kind of neglecting my sense of self. That's not just in appearance obviously, but paying attention to my appearance I think forces me to pay attention to my self-concept more, and it's one method of modulating confidence. It's hard to care about your appearance when you don't HAVE cute clothes that fit, but having these new clothes makes me feel like I really can try to dress nice and look, for now just put-together, but later genuinely slim. I have been washing my hair with usually just soap for about 2 years, and while I was getting clothes I also got some Burt's Bees avocado butter and treated my hair with it last night. Then I washed it with the shampoo and conditioner that I will be bringing to the gym, which is where I take most of my showers lately. It's so much lighter, dare I say glossier, but mostly, it lies flat since last night. And my hair's getting long enough that I actually need to brush it sometimes. Hopefully this week I will get back in touch with wearing cute clothes, brushing my hair, keeping it pretty, maybe even wear a little makeup (nevermind that my boyfriend doesn't like it).
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Weekly summary
Today, I weigh 160.2 lbs with 35.6% body fat. I also wore my free-box 8 pants out to breakfast.
Quick stats: average kcals/day 1714, 6 cardio, 2 strength workouts, 1 yoga class, average estimated kcal balance -707, -2.2 lbs.
Food journal:
Friday 9/17
2 toast with cream cheese, 1 oil-fried egg, 1/2 grapefruit, and 1 Emergen-C (220+90+80+30+25=445)
Chicken Caesar salad and coffee with cream and sugar (550+55=605)
Coffee with milk (20)
Brownie (200)
Emergen-C (25)
Rice and beans with cream cheese and cumin (230+120=350)
Pizza-dough bread and chai with cream and sugar (200+80+30=310)
445+605+20+200+25+350+310=1955
Thursday 9/16
Yogurt and granola (295)
Tangelo (70)
TLC sandwich and an apple (470+100=570)
Latte (160)
Salmon, sauteed potatoes, green beans and broccoli (260+150+120+50=580)
295+70+570+160+580=1675
Wednesday 9/15
2 toast with cream cheese and 1 oil-fried egg (220+90+90=400)
Broccoli cheese macaroni soup and a banana (400+100=500)
Fun size Almond Joy, Werther's candy, and Hershey kiss (90+20+20=130)
Most of an apple (80)
Coffee with mixed cream and skim (30)
Rice and beans with cheese and corn (230+110+50=390)
Frozen grapes (100)
Spoonful of cream cheese (45)
400+500+130+80+30+390+100+45=1675
Tuesday 9/14
Yogurt and granola (85+210=295)
Kiwifruit (50)
Broccoli, cheese, and black bean soup with tortilla chips (400+180=580)
Coke (140)
Coffee with skim (10)
Spoonful of cream cheese (45)
Pasta with red sauce and salad with cheese cubes and dressing (300+100+50+110+40+15=615)
295+50+580+140+10+45+615=1735
Monday 9/13
Scrambled eggs with sauteed toms and onions, toast, and kiwifruit with green tea (140+30+20+110+50=350)
Banana (100)
Cheese and cucumber sandwich and an apple (220+220+10+100=550)
Coffee with skim (10)
Celery sticks with cream cheese (15+90=105)
Frozen grapes (50)
Rice and beans with cheese and corn (230+110+50=390)
350+100+550+10+105+50+390=1555
Sunday 9/12
1/2 individual pizza (435)
Banana (100)
Coffee with milk and 1/2 PBJ sandwich (20+220=240)
1/2 PBJ sandwich (215)
Frozen grapes (100)
Broccoli cheese soup and bread (300+200=500)
Frozen grapes and ice cream (100+70=170)
435+100+240+215+100+500+170=1760
Saturday 9/11
Popcorn and string cheese (100+60=160)
Oatmeal with cream and sugar, 1/2 grapefruit with sugar, and 1 oil-fried egg (150+40+40+60+70+20=380)
2 slices bread and a chunk of cheese (200+110=310)
1/2 individual pizza and grapes (0.5*[500+320+50]+100=535)
Pumpkin spice latte (160+45+50=255)
160+380+310+535+255=1640
Quick stats: average kcals/day 1714, 6 cardio, 2 strength workouts, 1 yoga class, average estimated kcal balance -707, -2.2 lbs.
Food journal:
Friday 9/17
2 toast with cream cheese, 1 oil-fried egg, 1/2 grapefruit, and 1 Emergen-C (220+90+80+30+25=445)
Chicken Caesar salad and coffee with cream and sugar (550+55=605)
Coffee with milk (20)
Brownie (200)
Emergen-C (25)
Rice and beans with cream cheese and cumin (230+120=350)
Pizza-dough bread and chai with cream and sugar (200+80+30=310)
445+605+20+200+25+350+310=1955
Thursday 9/16
Yogurt and granola (295)
Tangelo (70)
TLC sandwich and an apple (470+100=570)
Latte (160)
Salmon, sauteed potatoes, green beans and broccoli (260+150+120+50=580)
295+70+570+160+580=1675
Wednesday 9/15
2 toast with cream cheese and 1 oil-fried egg (220+90+90=400)
Broccoli cheese macaroni soup and a banana (400+100=500)
Fun size Almond Joy, Werther's candy, and Hershey kiss (90+20+20=130)
Most of an apple (80)
Coffee with mixed cream and skim (30)
Rice and beans with cheese and corn (230+110+50=390)
Frozen grapes (100)
Spoonful of cream cheese (45)
400+500+130+80+30+390+100+45=1675
Tuesday 9/14
Yogurt and granola (85+210=295)
Kiwifruit (50)
Broccoli, cheese, and black bean soup with tortilla chips (400+180=580)
Coke (140)
Coffee with skim (10)
Spoonful of cream cheese (45)
Pasta with red sauce and salad with cheese cubes and dressing (300+100+50+110+40+15=615)
295+50+580+140+10+45+615=1735
Monday 9/13
Scrambled eggs with sauteed toms and onions, toast, and kiwifruit with green tea (140+30+20+110+50=350)
Banana (100)
Cheese and cucumber sandwich and an apple (220+220+10+100=550)
Coffee with skim (10)
Celery sticks with cream cheese (15+90=105)
Frozen grapes (50)
Rice and beans with cheese and corn (230+110+50=390)
350+100+550+10+105+50+390=1555
Sunday 9/12
1/2 individual pizza (435)
Banana (100)
Coffee with milk and 1/2 PBJ sandwich (20+220=240)
1/2 PBJ sandwich (215)
Frozen grapes (100)
Broccoli cheese soup and bread (300+200=500)
Frozen grapes and ice cream (100+70=170)
435+100+240+215+100+500+170=1760
Saturday 9/11
Popcorn and string cheese (100+60=160)
Oatmeal with cream and sugar, 1/2 grapefruit with sugar, and 1 oil-fried egg (150+40+40+60+70+20=380)
2 slices bread and a chunk of cheese (200+110=310)
1/2 individual pizza and grapes (0.5*[500+320+50]+100=535)
Pumpkin spice latte (160+45+50=255)
160+380+310+535+255=1640
Monday, September 13, 2010
Day 99 - conclusion of Phase I
Well it's day 99 and what do I weigh? 162.8. As I updated in my sidebar earlier, that means that in the first 99 days I lost:
21.8 pounds
3.5 inches off my waist
1, almost 2 pant sizes
and for a bonus:
at least 1 cup size
at least 2 band sizes
3.5 inches off the part of my hips that might not be where I'm supposed to measure, but at least I'm consistent
1.75 inches off my thigh
Here's my weight data over time in eye-candy form:
"Adjusted" simply means that weight entries from the analog scale were multiplied by 1.026 to align them with entries from the digital scale. See 7/23 for a more detailed explanation.
So, I'm excited about my progress so far and I'm also excited about new features in my spreadsheet for Phase II! I've added a column that calculates my BMR based on my body weight and then another one that multiplies by 1.3 for what I call my LMC, lifestyle maintenance calories. This assumes that, before the exercise I track, my basic lifestyle of being a student, walking around campus with books, and riding my bike to and from school is in between "sedentary" and "lightly active". I may tweak the multiplier on weekends or other days that I am noticeably less active. I'm also going to start estimating my calories burned during exercise, since so much of it lately is on machines that calculate it. For now I'll count running as 100/mile, and a yoga class as about 200 (harder than walking for an hour, but less aerobic & rhythmic, plus, the internet said no). Finally, my last handy dandy column puts it all together and calculates my estimated deficit. So each week, I'll now be able to compare the deficit I think I had to the weight I lost. It'll be fun!
And now, it's time to start over. My "high weight" is no longer 184.6, it's 166.2. I've gotten a little ahead already, but the name of the game is to get further away from that reminiscent-of-8th-grade number and close in on that juicy normal-weight number, 149.6. I'm really looking forward to breaking 160, although it could still be a few weeks away. Bring on the 5's!
21.8 pounds
3.5 inches off my waist
1, almost 2 pant sizes
and for a bonus:
at least 1 cup size
at least 2 band sizes
3.5 inches off the part of my hips that might not be where I'm supposed to measure, but at least I'm consistent
1.75 inches off my thigh
Here's my weight data over time in eye-candy form:
"Adjusted" simply means that weight entries from the analog scale were multiplied by 1.026 to align them with entries from the digital scale. See 7/23 for a more detailed explanation.So, I'm excited about my progress so far and I'm also excited about new features in my spreadsheet for Phase II! I've added a column that calculates my BMR based on my body weight and then another one that multiplies by 1.3 for what I call my LMC, lifestyle maintenance calories. This assumes that, before the exercise I track, my basic lifestyle of being a student, walking around campus with books, and riding my bike to and from school is in between "sedentary" and "lightly active". I may tweak the multiplier on weekends or other days that I am noticeably less active. I'm also going to start estimating my calories burned during exercise, since so much of it lately is on machines that calculate it. For now I'll count running as 100/mile, and a yoga class as about 200 (harder than walking for an hour, but less aerobic & rhythmic, plus, the internet said no). Finally, my last handy dandy column puts it all together and calculates my estimated deficit. So each week, I'll now be able to compare the deficit I think I had to the weight I lost. It'll be fun!
And now, it's time to start over. My "high weight" is no longer 184.6, it's 166.2. I've gotten a little ahead already, but the name of the game is to get further away from that reminiscent-of-8th-grade number and close in on that juicy normal-weight number, 149.6. I'm really looking forward to breaking 160, although it could still be a few weeks away. Bring on the 5's!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Weekly summary
Hey, yeah, I didn't forget about today's weigh-in. I was just busy with errands and suchlike. Today I weigh 162.4 and 36.1% body fat.
Quick stats: average kcals/day 1861, 6 cardio, 2 strength workouts, 2 yoga classes, -0.4 lbs.
Now admittedly, this was not the best week in terms of diet. Still, I have been doing cardio workouts almost every day - 1861 average should still be in the vicinity of 500 deficit. There is some serious WTF going on and this can be clearly seen by looking at my weight graph this week:
For perspective, the gray lines that these dots lie inside are the 160 and 170 lines on my graph. In two days I went from 162.2 to 166.6. Sure, 2400 was an intentional booster day and 2210 was an unintentional disaster, but 600 or 800 excess calories or even the whole 4610 total do not weigh 4.4 lbs. Nor does extra bulk of the food they come in. By Wednesday or Thursday morning, I should have been clean of the extra food weight and back to null calorie difference relative to my low weight, but that was not reflected in my weight as you can see. Since certain timing and certain physical signs occurred right about at the time I had those two high calorie days, I'm going to blame the discrepancy on hormonally induced water retention.
In other news, I am a B-cup again! I bought a new bra today and it is a 36B. The 34B of this brand is a little small in the cup, and the 34C is too big in the cup. I tried another brand, in which the 34C was too big in the cup and the 36B was too big in the band, but I couldn't find any 34Bs of that brand on clearance, so I just got the one 36B of the first kind. I'm lucky too that this particular bra is super cute, red with little black rosettes, and it happens to be a push-up bra. So I'm feeling really lovely after being basically used to band size 38, "large" "barely-there" bras that accommodated a 20 pound weight gain. Now I just need to lose about 3 more pounds to get comfy in the free-box 8's, and then ask someone how to take in the sides of that cute sweater from last winter, and then...
... and then post my food journal to round this whole thing off:
Friday 9/10
Oil-fried eggs, toast, and coffee with cream and sugar (20+140+100+35=295)
Peach (100)
PBJ sandwich and string cheese (200+190+50+60=500)
Bite-size Baby Ruth (50)
Ice cream and seasoned popcorn (70+165=235)
Rice, beans, and a quesadilla with salsa (230+120+80+20=450)
San Pellegrino Aranciata (80)
295+100+500+50+235+450+80=1710
Thursday 9/9
Yogurt and granola (335)
String cheese and coffee with skim (60+20=80)
Cheese sandwich, apple, and Coke Zero (420+100=520)
Coffee with skim (10)
Tangelo (60)
Tofu, rice, green vegetables, and miso broth (135+115+50+120+20=440)
Ice cream and espresso (140)
335+80+520+10+60+440+140=1585
Wednesday 9/8
Scrambled eggs with sauteed onions, cheese, and toast (140+20+20+110+100=390)
Banana (100)
Werther's candies (40)
TOC sandwich (470)
Latte (160)
String cheese and pretzels (60+20=80)
Coffee with skim milk (10)
Minestrone soup, ice cream, and port (350+140+185=675)
Banana, soaked almonds, and coffee (100+100=200)
Plum (40)
Mint rosemary chocolate (270)
Minestrone soup, 1/2 cheese sandwich, and coffee with skim milk (350+220+10=580)
Yogurt (85+25=110)
Tabouli, assorted vegetables and tofu (325)
200+40+270+580+110+325=1525
Monday 9/6
Banana and coffee (100)
Oil-fried egg on toast (80+110=190)
Ice cream (380)
PBJ sandwich (220+190+96+25=435)
1 bowl minestrone soup (350)
2 string cheese (120)
Coffee with cream (20)
Lentils and rice (230)
Espresso with cream and sugar (55)
2 string cheese (120)
Bread and butter (210)
100+190+380+435+350+120+20+230+55+120+210=2210
Sunday 9/5
Yogurt and granola and a pear (85+250+100=435)
Tofu, sweet potatoes, and peas tikka masala over rice (495)
2 toast with butter and jam (220+100+50=370)
String cheese (60)
Espresso with cream (40)
Spoonful of crunchy peanut butter (95)
1.5 bowls minestrone soup and ice cream (525+380=905)
435+495+370+60+40+95+905=2400
Saturday 9/4
Breakfast out (710)
-Blue cheese and caramelized onion quiche (500)
-Salad with vinaigrette and baguette slices (100)
-Coffee with cream and sugar (90)
-Andes mint (20)
Apple, string cheese and bread (100+60+110=270)
Milk chocolate (200)
Tofu and sweet potatoes tikka masala over rice (230+175+90=495)
710+270+200+495=1675
Quick stats: average kcals/day 1861, 6 cardio, 2 strength workouts, 2 yoga classes, -0.4 lbs.
Now admittedly, this was not the best week in terms of diet. Still, I have been doing cardio workouts almost every day - 1861 average should still be in the vicinity of 500 deficit. There is some serious WTF going on and this can be clearly seen by looking at my weight graph this week:
For perspective, the gray lines that these dots lie inside are the 160 and 170 lines on my graph. In two days I went from 162.2 to 166.6. Sure, 2400 was an intentional booster day and 2210 was an unintentional disaster, but 600 or 800 excess calories or even the whole 4610 total do not weigh 4.4 lbs. Nor does extra bulk of the food they come in. By Wednesday or Thursday morning, I should have been clean of the extra food weight and back to null calorie difference relative to my low weight, but that was not reflected in my weight as you can see. Since certain timing and certain physical signs occurred right about at the time I had those two high calorie days, I'm going to blame the discrepancy on hormonally induced water retention.In other news, I am a B-cup again! I bought a new bra today and it is a 36B. The 34B of this brand is a little small in the cup, and the 34C is too big in the cup. I tried another brand, in which the 34C was too big in the cup and the 36B was too big in the band, but I couldn't find any 34Bs of that brand on clearance, so I just got the one 36B of the first kind. I'm lucky too that this particular bra is super cute, red with little black rosettes, and it happens to be a push-up bra. So I'm feeling really lovely after being basically used to band size 38, "large" "barely-there" bras that accommodated a 20 pound weight gain. Now I just need to lose about 3 more pounds to get comfy in the free-box 8's, and then ask someone how to take in the sides of that cute sweater from last winter, and then...
... and then post my food journal to round this whole thing off:
Friday 9/10
Oil-fried eggs, toast, and coffee with cream and sugar (20+140+100+35=295)
Peach (100)
PBJ sandwich and string cheese (200+190+50+60=500)
Bite-size Baby Ruth (50)
Ice cream and seasoned popcorn (70+165=235)
Rice, beans, and a quesadilla with salsa (230+120+80+20=450)
San Pellegrino Aranciata (80)
295+100+500+50+235+450+80=1710
Thursday 9/9
Yogurt and granola (335)
String cheese and coffee with skim (60+20=80)
Cheese sandwich, apple, and Coke Zero (420+100=520)
Coffee with skim (10)
Tangelo (60)
Tofu, rice, green vegetables, and miso broth (135+115+50+120+20=440)
Ice cream and espresso (140)
335+80+520+10+60+440+140=1585
Wednesday 9/8
Scrambled eggs with sauteed onions, cheese, and toast (140+20+20+110+100=390)
Banana (100)
Werther's candies (40)
TOC sandwich (470)
Latte (160)
String cheese and pretzels (60+20=80)
Coffee with skim milk (10)
Minestrone soup, ice cream, and port (350+140+185=675)
390+100+40+470+160+80+1+675=1925
Banana, soaked almonds, and coffee (100+100=200)
Plum (40)
Mint rosemary chocolate (270)
Minestrone soup, 1/2 cheese sandwich, and coffee with skim milk (350+220+10=580)
Yogurt (85+25=110)
Tabouli, assorted vegetables and tofu (325)
200+40+270+580+110+325=1525
Monday 9/6
Banana and coffee (100)
Oil-fried egg on toast (80+110=190)
Ice cream (380)
PBJ sandwich (220+190+96+25=435)
1 bowl minestrone soup (350)
2 string cheese (120)
Coffee with cream (20)
Lentils and rice (230)
Espresso with cream and sugar (55)
2 string cheese (120)
Bread and butter (210)
100+190+380+435+350+120+20+230+55+120+210=2210
Sunday 9/5
Yogurt and granola and a pear (85+250+100=435)
Tofu, sweet potatoes, and peas tikka masala over rice (495)
2 toast with butter and jam (220+100+50=370)
String cheese (60)
Espresso with cream (40)
Spoonful of crunchy peanut butter (95)
1.5 bowls minestrone soup and ice cream (525+380=905)
435+495+370+60+40+95+905=2400
Saturday 9/4
Breakfast out (710)
-Blue cheese and caramelized onion quiche (500)
-Salad with vinaigrette and baguette slices (100)
-Coffee with cream and sugar (90)
-Andes mint (20)
Apple, string cheese and bread (100+60+110=270)
Milk chocolate (200)
Tofu and sweet potatoes tikka masala over rice (230+175+90=495)
710+270+200+495=1675
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Clothes shopping
I went to the store today to get athletic tops. I've been wearing cotton shirts during exercise, but that doesn't work when I have to leave my stuff in a locker to dry while I go to class. There was a cute style on sale, so I got 2 of it, one periwinkle, one red, for yoga class and sweaty cardio, respectively. (I've quit even changing for strength training - I don't sweat much and I don't need the flexibility so why take the time?) The small gave me great bra support, but was a little tight in other places. The medium was most comfortable overall, but the support wasn't as good. Now - silly me - I was actually going to buy the medium. I'm completely guided by comfort in my clothes shopping and pretty much live the credo to buy - and wear - what fits now. My boyfriend, thankfully, pointed out that I will be getting smaller and if I want my purchase to last I should get the small. So I did.
I also wanted to try on pants while I was there, and I got some Levi jeans, 8P and 10P. The 10P fit pretty well and the 8P wasn't going to go over my hips. It's not exactly what I would guess based on the pants I have at home, but jeans tend to be sized smaller than other kinds of pants. I didn't try on any other pants though because my boyfriend wanted to get on to the food shopping. I'm guessing a lot of 8s would have fit me a little tightly and most 10s would have been comfortable to loose.
Finally, I tried on a couple of bras. Now let me talk about my bra size history. I think I started out wearing a 34A when I first got a bra, but by the end of middle school/early high school I was wearing a 38B. When I went shopping for my own bras around junior year I was a well-fit 36C. Then those bras starting wearing out and the tightest one (which I still have) started getting uncomfortable - it was always a little stiff anyway. I got new ones that were thin, stretchy, soft, and not traditionally sized. By the time I reached my high weight, the old 36C was far too tight in the band, but I guessed the cups would have still fit alright. Now I can wear it, but the cups aren't quite right. At the store, I tried on a 36C, which seemed good but maybe a little too cuppy. Then I got a 36B, which seemed great but only fit tight enough on the tightest hook, and new bras are supposed to fit with the loosest one. Then I stopped trying on bras. I'm not convinced a 34B would fit, but a 34C might be the ticket. But I think I will wait until I AM a B-cup, since I'm clearly close, because then I know it'll last as long as I can expect something bought while I'm losing weight to last.
And again! Why are fitting rooms so unflatteringly lit? Fat and imperfect skin look so much worse under white fluorescent light than any other lighting conditions you'll be in.
I also saw a kind of creepy bit of advertising. Manufacturers have putting these "tummy slimming panels" in pants for a while, but today I saw a description of the feature that said it "invisibly controls natural variations in feminine form." Now that does NOT sounds like a good thing to me! That sounds to me like something you would read in a feminist essay criticizing the technology for distorting womens' body image. And frankly, I don't mind that tummy slimming panels exist, but the idea that variation needs to be controlled - that you wouldn't want to be slightly different from some standard figure, even if you're acknowledging (given the associations with the word "natural") that there's essentially nothing wrong with it... yeah that's a little creepy. More to the point, it's creepy that putting it so baldfacedly is what is thought to be appealing to women. Even if that's what you want, to control your figure and look like an external ideal, wouldn't it be uncomfortable and give one pause to be presented with the offer so straightforwardly? It's not the sort of thing you're supposed to want.
I also wanted to try on pants while I was there, and I got some Levi jeans, 8P and 10P. The 10P fit pretty well and the 8P wasn't going to go over my hips. It's not exactly what I would guess based on the pants I have at home, but jeans tend to be sized smaller than other kinds of pants. I didn't try on any other pants though because my boyfriend wanted to get on to the food shopping. I'm guessing a lot of 8s would have fit me a little tightly and most 10s would have been comfortable to loose.
Finally, I tried on a couple of bras. Now let me talk about my bra size history. I think I started out wearing a 34A when I first got a bra, but by the end of middle school/early high school I was wearing a 38B. When I went shopping for my own bras around junior year I was a well-fit 36C. Then those bras starting wearing out and the tightest one (which I still have) started getting uncomfortable - it was always a little stiff anyway. I got new ones that were thin, stretchy, soft, and not traditionally sized. By the time I reached my high weight, the old 36C was far too tight in the band, but I guessed the cups would have still fit alright. Now I can wear it, but the cups aren't quite right. At the store, I tried on a 36C, which seemed good but maybe a little too cuppy. Then I got a 36B, which seemed great but only fit tight enough on the tightest hook, and new bras are supposed to fit with the loosest one. Then I stopped trying on bras. I'm not convinced a 34B would fit, but a 34C might be the ticket. But I think I will wait until I AM a B-cup, since I'm clearly close, because then I know it'll last as long as I can expect something bought while I'm losing weight to last.
And again! Why are fitting rooms so unflatteringly lit? Fat and imperfect skin look so much worse under white fluorescent light than any other lighting conditions you'll be in.
I also saw a kind of creepy bit of advertising. Manufacturers have putting these "tummy slimming panels" in pants for a while, but today I saw a description of the feature that said it "invisibly controls natural variations in feminine form." Now that does NOT sounds like a good thing to me! That sounds to me like something you would read in a feminist essay criticizing the technology for distorting womens' body image. And frankly, I don't mind that tummy slimming panels exist, but the idea that variation needs to be controlled - that you wouldn't want to be slightly different from some standard figure, even if you're acknowledging (given the associations with the word "natural") that there's essentially nothing wrong with it... yeah that's a little creepy. More to the point, it's creepy that putting it so baldfacedly is what is thought to be appealing to women. Even if that's what you want, to control your figure and look like an external ideal, wouldn't it be uncomfortable and give one pause to be presented with the offer so straightforwardly? It's not the sort of thing you're supposed to want.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Pants-a-dance
My current pants, the ones that are labeled 13 but are obviously really 10, the ones that all of a sudden fit perfectly a week and a half ago, are starting to sag off my hips. The weirdest thing being, I've only lost about 2 pounds. I was 164.6 coming back from my trip, bumped up to 165.6 within a few days, wore the pants, now registering 163.4. It may be that they are loosening up from wear. If that's the case, they'll tighten again when I wash them. If not, I hope they last another 3-5 pounds because my next pair of pants, the free-box 8, are not quite to the point where I want to wear them. They fit, but if I wore them now I think I would stretch them a bit and I want them to last as long as they can because when they become big I will have to buy new pants. As an independent check, since I only acquired these two pairs of pants within the last month and neither of them new, the old 10P is a little loose. I would wear them if they didn't have a hole, and they would probably slip about as much as the current pants do. It's so weird to be between an 8 and a 10 now. I was briefly at that point last summer, but then I went to school and gained 20 pounds. To think that by the time I reach my goal weight I'll probably be a 6, or maybe even a 4 at this rate! I've never been that small. My mom, who's always been my model of slender beauty, wears 6s. It's pretty exciting.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Riding out the tidal wave of school
I swear every time I've lost weight, I must have gained muscle that follows me back up the weight ladder. I say this because my size-at-X-weight keeps getting smaller. When I weighed 165 in 8th grade, I wore a size 12. When I hit 180 around Christmas of my junior year, I was also a size 12, and when I got back down to 165 I was a size 10. Now I'm about 165 again, and I wear 10's, but I'm on the edge of an 8. And yet I'm still 36-37% fat?
Maybe the sizes are actually changing, like grade inflation for pants. They've certainly changed since the 60's, but do they change perceptibly over a 7-year timespan?
Anyway, school starts next Monday and it throws a whole new wrench into the gears. I've lost 20 pounds over the summer (yowzers!) and I may be able to claim 25 by the end of the 99 days. Right now it seems easy. It's never been about willpower, just ignorance - there is nothing difficult about limiting myself to one peanut butter cup when I know the exact numerical damage it will do. It's even easier to pass up the seconds of rice and beans (haha, I never get tired of this example do I?). And frankly, I'm not worried as much about my diet. I'm not living in dorms this year and won't have the money to buy a lot of on-campus food. What's more likely to go out the window is my exercise routine. So I've got a plan.
First, on the diet front - I'm in an entirely new situation. I've handled my own food before, but only while going to state school or during the summer. Preparing my own food with 26 hours a week of class and more of homework is another thing. There's also the difference of living with my boyfriend, whose body works in almost the opposite way to mine. I could go on and on, but the best example is that, left to his own devices, he would eat an enormous breakfast and an enormous dinner with maybe a few nibbles in between. On the contrary, I like a small breakfast, small dinner, large lunch, and at least 2 snacks. So, we are going to do some meal planning and weekend preparation of freezable/storable foods. I'll have to prepare my lunch, snacks, and lay out my clothes before bed because I'm terrible at getting out on time in the morning if I actually have to be creative.
Getting out on time is important because on TR, I have a 7:45 AM yoga class. If I get my ass up at 6 and don't have to do much, I can probably get down to campus at 7 when the sports center opens and get a quick elliptical workout and rinse-off done before yoga, which would be real nice. MWF I have the options of still rushing over the gym in the morning, running in the neighborhood and leaving a little later, or... sleeping in and leaving a little later.
Sleeping in will probably win a lot. It's easy to get up at 6 when you go to bed at 9:30, but when you're kept up til 11 with homework, it's hard for exercise to beat out sleep for second priority. And sleep is important to both weight loss and academic performance. But if I don't do it in the morning, school will loom in its king position for the rest of the day. So here are my goals and safety nets for exercise:
I want to keep doing cardio 5-6 times a week. This means 4-5 weekdays and 1 weekend day. First choice is running or elliptical, but if it doesn't happen in the morning, the backup plan is to speedwalk on the treadmill, 4 mph or as fast as I can go without starting to run, at least 40 minutes, whenever I don't have a specific place to be. The advantage of this is that if I'm not bouncing up and down, I can lay a book on the display and do schoolwork at the same time. It's not ideal, but it'll burn calories and not time. However, because I like being fit to run, I want to do a minimum of 2 proper runs each week. I imagine I'll go down to the local high school and run on the track for my weekend cardio, so that means I need to fit in 1 run during the week. I think I can do that.
In terms of strength training, well, let's just say it'll be a whole lot easier once I can do the exercises on my own. Then I won't have to change into gym clothes and go to the machine and wait in between sets... blah. When all I have to do is stop in at the park for 10 minutes on my way home it will be much easier. For now, I'll be happy as long as I keep doing my pull-ups 2-3x a week. At this rate, I should be able to do a pull-up unassisted by the time I reach my weight goal. I'll probably work on push-ups sporadically, but hopefully they'll improve without much specific attention because pull-ups use related muscles. Anyway, since my mornings are mostly booked, strength training will have to happen in the afternoon. I'll do it whenever I have time, in proximity to my treadmill walk if necessary, it'll be that last thing I have to do before leaving campus, and if I didn't do it Monday I must do it Tuesday.
Finally, I'm going to make an appointment with the health/counseling center to discuss ways of not getting derailed from good habits (including exercise, less sugar, less caffeine, and taking time for myself) when I am so pressed for time.
Maybe the sizes are actually changing, like grade inflation for pants. They've certainly changed since the 60's, but do they change perceptibly over a 7-year timespan?
Anyway, school starts next Monday and it throws a whole new wrench into the gears. I've lost 20 pounds over the summer (yowzers!) and I may be able to claim 25 by the end of the 99 days. Right now it seems easy. It's never been about willpower, just ignorance - there is nothing difficult about limiting myself to one peanut butter cup when I know the exact numerical damage it will do. It's even easier to pass up the seconds of rice and beans (haha, I never get tired of this example do I?). And frankly, I'm not worried as much about my diet. I'm not living in dorms this year and won't have the money to buy a lot of on-campus food. What's more likely to go out the window is my exercise routine. So I've got a plan.
First, on the diet front - I'm in an entirely new situation. I've handled my own food before, but only while going to state school or during the summer. Preparing my own food with 26 hours a week of class and more of homework is another thing. There's also the difference of living with my boyfriend, whose body works in almost the opposite way to mine. I could go on and on, but the best example is that, left to his own devices, he would eat an enormous breakfast and an enormous dinner with maybe a few nibbles in between. On the contrary, I like a small breakfast, small dinner, large lunch, and at least 2 snacks. So, we are going to do some meal planning and weekend preparation of freezable/storable foods. I'll have to prepare my lunch, snacks, and lay out my clothes before bed because I'm terrible at getting out on time in the morning if I actually have to be creative.
Getting out on time is important because on TR, I have a 7:45 AM yoga class. If I get my ass up at 6 and don't have to do much, I can probably get down to campus at 7 when the sports center opens and get a quick elliptical workout and rinse-off done before yoga, which would be real nice. MWF I have the options of still rushing over the gym in the morning, running in the neighborhood and leaving a little later, or... sleeping in and leaving a little later.
Sleeping in will probably win a lot. It's easy to get up at 6 when you go to bed at 9:30, but when you're kept up til 11 with homework, it's hard for exercise to beat out sleep for second priority. And sleep is important to both weight loss and academic performance. But if I don't do it in the morning, school will loom in its king position for the rest of the day. So here are my goals and safety nets for exercise:
I want to keep doing cardio 5-6 times a week. This means 4-5 weekdays and 1 weekend day. First choice is running or elliptical, but if it doesn't happen in the morning, the backup plan is to speedwalk on the treadmill, 4 mph or as fast as I can go without starting to run, at least 40 minutes, whenever I don't have a specific place to be. The advantage of this is that if I'm not bouncing up and down, I can lay a book on the display and do schoolwork at the same time. It's not ideal, but it'll burn calories and not time. However, because I like being fit to run, I want to do a minimum of 2 proper runs each week. I imagine I'll go down to the local high school and run on the track for my weekend cardio, so that means I need to fit in 1 run during the week. I think I can do that.
In terms of strength training, well, let's just say it'll be a whole lot easier once I can do the exercises on my own. Then I won't have to change into gym clothes and go to the machine and wait in between sets... blah. When all I have to do is stop in at the park for 10 minutes on my way home it will be much easier. For now, I'll be happy as long as I keep doing my pull-ups 2-3x a week. At this rate, I should be able to do a pull-up unassisted by the time I reach my weight goal. I'll probably work on push-ups sporadically, but hopefully they'll improve without much specific attention because pull-ups use related muscles. Anyway, since my mornings are mostly booked, strength training will have to happen in the afternoon. I'll do it whenever I have time, in proximity to my treadmill walk if necessary, it'll be that last thing I have to do before leaving campus, and if I didn't do it Monday I must do it Tuesday.
Finally, I'm going to make an appointment with the health/counseling center to discuss ways of not getting derailed from good habits (including exercise, less sugar, less caffeine, and taking time for myself) when I am so pressed for time.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Oh, and two more things... pants
So, I had that free-box pair of 8's hanging out, and there was another pair of pants my boyfriend found (also in a free box) some time later, which are really cute. Strangely, they're labeled 13, which has me convinced it's a British 13, or else just nuts, because I have a lot of experience with 10's and 12's and it is definitely the skinnier side of a 10. Anyway, they were a little tight when I left, now they're just about perfect. The 8's are tight, and I wouldn't want to bike or go tree climbing in them, but they go on pretty easy and close without trouble. Sweet!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Clothing sizes
Clothing sizes are always interesting. They're only moderately correlated with body weight, though, for me. I remember being a 12 at 165, then a 10 at 150, then a 12 at 180, then a 10 at 165. Um?...
I found some real 8s in a free box on my run this morning. Kind of interesting how going out to exercise causes me to find smaller clothes! I can put them on, but I have to suck in to close the front and it wouldn't be comfortable to walk around in them. My stretched-out 8s and the straight 10 I have fit just about perfectly, but they both have holes and patches and weak spots because I gained so much weight while wearing them. Meanwhile, my 12s are loose, but it would be okay for them to be that loose if not for the fact that they are high-waisted pants. High-waisted pants of an appropriate size usually are in such a state that if the butt and especially thighs would stay about the same, but the waist could be pulled in about 2 inches, then they'd be perfect. Finally, I tried on my 10P jeans again, which were patched with denim and a sewing machine so their patched spot is much stronger. They are snug but comfortable, so I'm wearing them today, and that's an improvement over a couple weeks ago when I decided they were too tight. So in my drawer arranging my pants 12-10-"8"-10P-8, the middle three fit pretty well and I've got a loose one and a tight one. Great for tracking progress.
I found some real 8s in a free box on my run this morning. Kind of interesting how going out to exercise causes me to find smaller clothes! I can put them on, but I have to suck in to close the front and it wouldn't be comfortable to walk around in them. My stretched-out 8s and the straight 10 I have fit just about perfectly, but they both have holes and patches and weak spots because I gained so much weight while wearing them. Meanwhile, my 12s are loose, but it would be okay for them to be that loose if not for the fact that they are high-waisted pants. High-waisted pants of an appropriate size usually are in such a state that if the butt and especially thighs would stay about the same, but the waist could be pulled in about 2 inches, then they'd be perfect. Finally, I tried on my 10P jeans again, which were patched with denim and a sewing machine so their patched spot is much stronger. They are snug but comfortable, so I'm wearing them today, and that's an improvement over a couple weeks ago when I decided they were too tight. So in my drawer arranging my pants 12-10-"8"-10P-8, the middle three fit pretty well and I've got a loose one and a tight one. Great for tracking progress.
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