Fashionable Friday

Today's post is going to be full of frivolity and fashion. I love fashion like most women do. Presently I am unable to truly enjoy the fashions I love. Why you ask? Well fashion designers don't think women larger than a size 14 are worthy of wearing their brands. So us plus size gals must conform to their designs and lose the weight if we want to "fit in."

So here is some "eye candy" I have been spying for a while. Some of my favorite brands are Lilly Pulitzer, J McLaughlin, Milly, Nanette Lepore, Lacoste, Kate Spade and J. Crew. So I have a strategy and tell me what you think. First off I planned that by June 2, 2012 I will reach my goal weight of 136 pounds. Now here is where my strategy comes in. I am going to begin shopping for my new size (ideally will be a size 4/6) at the end of summer season clearance sales. I think it would be a win win situation. I can start shopping now and build a wardrobe at a fraction of the original prices. And that will be very motivating for me. Being able to look forward to a fashionable wardrobe is THRILLING! So here are some looks I am loving right now.

Love the tee shirt, cardigan, and jeans look.

3 pcs from Lilly Pulitzer. 

Party Dress. Oh yeah!

Kate Spade

Fashionable Friday will be a regular post for me. It will provide inspiration and motivation. Let me know what brands you like. Post a comment below! 

Have a great weekend!!!

Coping with stress and sticking to the plan

I have to say that these last few days have been pretty stressful for me and today seem to reach epic proportions. Most people, and this is my perception, most people may experience stress at work so they go home to relieve the stress. Some people experience stress at home and have their job to offset their stressful home life. So what happens when you are faced with stress at home and at work? How do you cope? How do you alleviate the stress? How do you find balance so you can have some peace in your life? Well those are issues that I am facing and I don't have the answers.

I have a dear friend that told me a while ago that you "Choose" to be happy. Happiness doesn't just happen by chance. And I can see that theory being tested in my life at the present moment. I am going to CHOOSE to be happy/content and not allow the stress to take over and slowly kill me. So I ask you again how would you deal with stress in your life? I would love suggestions. I've tried counting to 10, deep breathing, and saying prayers. While they keep me distracted at the moment they don't typically make me feel any better. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

On a brighter note I have been able to stick to the plan and I am still at 228.8 pounds so that is a great thing. I remember the days when I used to eat my weight in Little Debbie cakes to make the "pain" go away. Honestly that is no longer an option for me. Now I use reminder cards that list the reasons why I want to lose the weight. At first I didn't think it would work but it really does. Just taking a moment to really think about why I am reaching for something that is not a part of the plan has helped tremendously. Also when I get an urge to eat something (even if its on plan) but its past 9pm I will walk in place right by the sofa to fight off the urge to eat. What do you do to stay on track? Post your comments below. I look forward to reading them!

My Daily Rant: Am I wrong?

Let me preface this post by saying it is primarily a rant about why girl's clothing is so expensive. Okay so am I wrong to think clothing for girl's sizes 7-16 is too expensive? Especially at that clothing store Justice! In two weeks is my little "me's" 7th birthday. She has been requesting that most of her gifts come from Justice and from American Girl.

So last night I went to Justice to purchase a few of the items she had requested. Well I had a heart attack when I saw that the price of the layered shirt she wanted with the peace signs and animal print was a whopping $29.00!!! Okay call me a cheap ass but I was just at Ann Taylor and they had two tee shirts for $20 bucks! I have a hard time spending that much money for clothing that is going to end up covered in food, paint and what not! So am I wrong for saying that I don't want to spend that much money on her clothing? I have to find more alternatives. She is not in love with Gymboree clothing like I am. And then there is boutique clothing whose prices are in the stratosphere!

So what is a mother to do? I hardly have time to do laundry let alone make her clothes. But it looks like I am going to have to make the time. Ugh! Okay stepping off the soapbox. Thanks for listening. If you have any suggestions regarding where I can find cute 'tween girl clothing, please post it in the comment section below! Oh! And I know there are thrift stores and garage sales...don't call me a snob but I can't deal with shopping in chaos just to get a top for $0.25 and when I get home find out there is a stain that cant come out. Okay stepping down now... Thanks for listening!

My arse hurts and my heart hurts

Today was a busy crazy day at work. I'm not going to go into why it was because my job is "Mistress of Everything" so I should expect it to be crazy! There are just times when it seems like it gets the best of me and today was one of those days. Well today was a co-worker's birthday and in our office our CEO's wife makes delightful confections to celebrate with. The confection Du Jour was a yummy fluffy not firm cheese cake with blueberry's on top. Well, let's just say Erika slipped and fell head first into a slice of cake!!!

Okay so here is where I felt set up...After I devoured that delightful piece of cake I proceeded to send a text message to my friend and tell her how delicious her cake was and that I fell off the Atkins weight loss wagon. The return text stated "Do you want to spin with me tonight to sweat away your cheese cake?" See! Oh wait you don't "see" for as long as I've known my friend she has been a loyal devotee to spinning. She has asked me numerous times in the past if I wanted to go to class with her. And my answer has always been a resounding "NO!" I don't want my arse to hurt! Well since I committed a diet sin I thought it was time for me to repent and "work off " that sin. So that is why I agreed to attend class with her. My friend didn't believe me at first, she did when I showed up in class ready to be tortured! And torture it was. I don't think my arse will ever forgive me for what I've done to her this evening. It was more torture for my posterior than my legs. I've been invited to attend Saturday class and honestly I don't know if I can make it to the kitchen let alone outside of the house and to that torturous class again. I will keep you posted. Oh! and I would have taken a picture of that yummy slice of cake but I inhaled it so quickly that it barely got my plate dirty.

Now for the reason why my heart hurts...So after 40 years Border's bookstores have decided to close it's doors and liquidate their assets. By far that was my favorite place to buy books. The reasons are endless why I loved going there. I especially loved the events they had for kids on Saturdays. My little "me"attended an Easter parade and numerous other activities there. It was fun, free and educational entertainment. And now that will no longer happen. <Sad face> Now my options are shop online at Amazon or visit our local B & N. I still love Borders more. Oh well, I guess good things always come to an end. Speaking of end...my arse still hurts!

I did it!!!

Yay me!!! This morning I got on the scale and it said I was 229.8 pounds!!! I made it!!! I am so excited and motivated. I honestly didn't think I would ever make it to this weight. Achieving this goal really motivates me to stay focused on the diet now more than ever. So now that I am at this weight my next weight goal will be 219 by July 31. That will mean I should be a size 16. Which will be great because my dress for the wedding is a size 18W but the chest is a bit tight. So if I can lose an inch or two between now and then the dress will fit perfectly.

My game plan will be the following: Go to the gym everyday from now thru the 30th and walk on the treadmill for 45 mins. I am not sure if want to commit to doing to C25K program the whole time but I will dedication to the program. In addition, I will do crunches, jack knifes, push ups, and lunges. I want to really focus on cardio while doing a bit of resistant and weight training to get me to my goal faster. So I will report my progress right here!

Good luck on YOUR journey!

My Atkins starter kit

Hello all! I got a surprise in the mail today! It was my Atkins diet starter kit. I signed up for it a few days ago. To be honest I don't remember the exact date, but I'm more than sure it was about a week ago.

Anyway, so I received a box containing the following:

The Atkins Quick Start Guide

-Includes details on the new book, The New Atkins for a New You, and a great rebate offer to save you $3.00

-Also includes a $1.00 off coupon for any Atkins Bar 5-pack or Shake 4-pack

Pocket carb counter and acceptable foods list

Atkins Chef Recipes

3 Atkins Bars

-1 Atkins Day Break Bar- part of a perfect "Grab n' Go" breakfast or mid-morning snack

-2 Atkins Avantage Bars- great as a meal or snack any time of day.

So I got all of that for FREE! I registered on the website and so can you if you are interested in starting the Atkins diet.

In addition to receiving the starter kit today I lost another pound!!! Woo Hoo!! So I'm down to 230.8 pounds!!! I am less than a pound from my first weight loss goal!! Yay!!

Gained a pound, oh well

Not much news to report today. Other than I gained about 6 ounces which put me at 232. I have to admit that I haven't had nearly enough water within the past 36 hours and I know that slows down the progress. So now I am trying to play catch up with my water consumption. I have to come up with a better system to get my 8-10 glasses of water in per day. If you have any suggestions please feel free to comment below.

Happy Sunday!!!

Another pound and inspiration

Hello everyone! I am proud to announce that I lost another pound!!! I'm now down to 231 pounds! Its been so long. I am so happy!!! I am now only 2 pounds away from my first milestone weight which is 229 lbs! I'm so happy! Now that I'm down to a weight that is motivating me to lose more. I thought I would search the web for some dresses to motivate me. In my search I found an article about a remarkable inspiring woman who lost 112 pounds and just won the Miss South Carolina pageant!

Her name is Bree Boyce. She is truly an inspiration!!! She lost her weight the old fashion way. Eating right and exercising. I was especially inspired because she would wake up at 5:30am to work out!!!! I can barely wake up at 7:00am for work! Anyway, she's really motivated me to get off my butt and get moving! I have been wanting to become a runner for the longest time because I think it would help me not only lose the weight but help me manage the stress in my life. That is one activity I want to be addicted to! I can start tonight when I go back to the gym. It's been 2 months since I've visited the good ole gymnasium. You know it's sad that I belong to not one but two gyms and I can barely make it to either of them. Well that is going to change tonight.

Another woman who currently inspires me is Catherine Middleton. I mean she is just stunning and I don't use that word for alot of people. This commoner has truly brought class to the royal family. I have to admit I don't get tired of viewing pictures of her and her smart sense of style.

Here are pictures of a couple of Lilly dresses I wouldn't mind seeing in my closet...



So I found the right opportunity this evening and headed straight to the gym! I did 15 mins on the treadmill and I did a mini version of the C25K program in those 15 mins. I think I am going to need to train 6 days a week to really get the blood pumping and the pounds melting. I did upper body weight training today. So tomorrow it will be all about the cardio. I am going to do weight training 3 days a week and cardio 3 days. I am still debating doing Chalean Extreme. I think I may stick to the gym for a while until I get bored with it. I'm curious to see how my body will change doing the Atkins Diet with exercise instead of just doing the diet by itself. I will keep you posted. I will also post before pictures when I am more comfortable publishing them online.

Tell me what you are doing. What motivates you? Is a style icon you like to follow or want to dress like? Post it in the comments! Good luck with YOUR journey!

I've fallen and I have to get up!

Well folks things were going well for a few days. I mean I slipped a little but today I crashed. Sort of. A manager at my job brought Panera bagels for breakfast and I couldn't resist having a half of the cinnamon and half asiago cheese. I took the top half with all the "stuff" on it not the bottom stuff. So my carb intake was off the "Induction" chart! Yikes! Tomorrow is a new day...I know I'll do better.

Have a great night folks!

I eeked a little progress

Today like other days in my recent past have been quite stressful at work. Tasks and projects come from everywhere and I am expected to handle it. Ugh! Don't get me wrong I truly appreciate the job I have and I do love my job. It's just one of those days that completely breaks you down when you already feel broken.

Okay so enough of my pity party. My weigh in today was 232.4. Not too bad, not spectacular but I will take it because the number is moving in the right direction.

I had 5 sausage links for breakfast and I broke down and had a Zbar as a snack. For lunch I had tuna salad and dinner I have to say spam and cheese. I consumed about 6 glasses. That is my downfall is not consuming enough water. I will continue to work on that weakness. Since I was feeling under the weather I wasnt able to workout with little me. I will have to make it up to her tomorrow.

Well I will check in tomorrow!

Check in!

Well this post is going to be pretty brief. I wanted to report that my weight this morning was 232.8 pounds! I am well on my way to losing this albatross called weight. Okay so my start weight was 238 this round so I'm down almost 6 pounds! Yippee! My goal is to be 229 pounds by Saturday, this Saturday. So 4 pounds is the goal for this week. My challenges this week will be following a planned menu. I haven't prepared a menu nor do I have food that's convenient. I've learned in my years of dieting that I have to have foods easily accessible. I always gravitate toward foods that I can grab and go. Typically those foods are never good for you. Other than fruit, and those foods are not allowed during the Induction Phase of Atkins.

Well I'm going to do some Wii activities with my little me, she is my new personal trainer!!!

Progress!

Hello friends!

I hope this blog post finds you well. So I am on day I dont know of the Atkins diet. I think its day 5 and I am down to 233.6 pounds. In order for me to keep track of my progress I am going to be a bold woman and post my weight! I know bold!

So in order to do the Atkins or any diet effectively you need to select your foods wisely. Don't assume anything. For example, dont assume that just because it is meat without any breading that there are no carbs. Did you know a package of tuna in "water" actually contains vegetable broth? Also did you know that I have yet to find a deli/lunch meat that has NO nitrate or Sugar! I don't think it exists.

When I read the Atkins book and read the part that Dr Atkins wants you to take the time to read labels and estimate you may be in the store for 3 hours or more...they were not lying. Ugh! Talk about a chore! But then I have to think to myself that I have to stay focused on my goal and I have to do whatever it takes.

So far things are looking up and I can realistically see me being the size 14 I plan to be for the wedding and my daughter's birthday.

Things are looking up for me and I hope the same goes for you! Have a great weekend!!!

You have to get up when you fall...

So today's post is about overcoming setbacks. We all get them. I know I get more than my share. My brother's wedding is less than a month away and I am no closer to my goal weight than I was when I started this blog. I have to admit that maybe I was not as focused as I could have been but I feel that I've made progress in other ways than on the scale.

I have gone through rounds of different diets and no diets and this diet and that diet. None seem to work. So at the moment I am on the Atkin's diet. You know the one. Eat pork rinds till you explode or aspirate on one! Like I did the other night! Oy! Yesterday mom, hubby, and little me went to the mall to shop for dresses for the wedding. And as usual I tried something on and looked in the mirror only to be visually assaulted by the person staring back at me.

I found a couple of dresses that I liked but my figure didn't like them so much. So I put them back only to vow to come back in 3 weeks 2 sizes SMALLER! That's right you read it! TWO SIZES SMALLER! That would be a size 14. I think I posted back when I started this journey that I wanted to be a size 4 but I think settling for a 6 is okay too. I secretly wanted to be a size 2 but I don't think that is realistic. I wrote in my journal that instead of focusing on the pounds I am going to focus on the inches. So I gathered measurements from designers that I liked and all I need to lose is about 41 inches to fit into my favorite designers size 6.

Well I have been pretty religious about focusing on sticking to the diet these past two days. And it's paid off! Wow I have lost 3 pounds!!! in basically 24 hours. And I must admit I took a few swigs of Arbor mist to have a sweet taste swish thru my mouth a bit. And I had some potato chips...yes I figured I would confess all my sins! LOL.

So since I have experienced instant gratification with Atkins I will stick to it. Now comes the decision to do some exercise. I am not sure what I should do. Chalean extreme, turbo jam, treadmill, elliptical, or just plain old dancing. That is what does it for me is dancing. I look forward to dancing more than any other activity. So maybe I start with committing to about 30 mins of dance a day. That shouldn't be too hard. Well I will report back here in a couple days to let you know how me and Atkins are getting along.

Talk to you soon...