Tag Archives | BodyBugg

While We’re on the Subject…

By on July 9, 2010 in emotional stuff, R1P2

…of products, that is!  I finally pulled out my BodyBugg, which quit working several months ago.  At first I thought it was because my subscription had expired, but I renewed like a good little girl and lo and behold, it still didn’t work.  Because I’m busy (and sometimes a tad lazy), I kept putting off the phone call to customer service to see if I could get it fixed.

Well, today my friend mentioned that she’s decided to buy one, and raving to her about how much I love mine inspired me to call customer service about my problems with the Bugg.  Wanna know something?  Sometimes I’m really dumb.  All it took was 10 minutes on the phone with customer service and rebooting my Bugg to get it up and running again!

The exciting part is that I had to enter my new weight, goals, etc., and seeing how far I’ve come since I last wore it was great.  I’m wearing it now and will be interested to see, over the next few days, how much my calorie burn each day has gone down because of my weight loss.  I’m almost 30 pounds lighter than when I was last wearing it, so I imagine those numbers will have changed quite a bit.

This whole process got me thinking about what gets me pumped to continue challenging myself, whether it be with weight loss, running, or other goals.  Something many of you probably already realize is that I love toys!!  Gadgets make me happy!  (In fact, I just got my new iPhone 4 today, woot!)  Wearing my Bugg makes me more motivated to work out when I’m feeling lazy, especially if my burn for the day is low.  Wearing my Garmin makes me want to run just a tiny bit farther than I did last time.  Using my HRM makes me proud to see the number of calories I can burn in one hour of spinning.

Writing this blog is kind of like one more “toy” or “gadget” or “aid” in this journey to becoming a healthier me.  And contrary to what has happened with other gadgets in the past, I haven’t gotten tired of it.  Some days I don’t know what to write, but I know I’m not alone there.  Some days I just don’t write because it’s a weekend and I’m out living, or because I have nothing to say.  Other days I’m silly, sometimes I’m excited, thoughtful, deep, shallow, weird, and all sorts of other stuff.

The best thing about blogging, for me, is that I come as I am and don’t feel like I have to be anyone other than me.  I’ve continued to blog just for me, and I love that y’all have joined me.  But in a way, this blog has provided a kind of acceptance for me that I was always looking for in food, but could never find.  And before y’all rush in to say, “It’s not healthy to replace one addiction with another!”, hear me out.  I’m not saying this blog has taken the place of food for me.  What I’m saying is that through the process of blogging, I’ve come to know myself better, and I’ve come to accept and love myself as I am.

I am good enough.
I am smart enough.
I am loveable.
I am loved.
I love myself, right now, today.

So, yeah.  I started with my BodyBugg and this is where I ended up.  Now you know what it’s like to be in my head!  But you know what?  These days, being in my head, and in my body – well, it feels damn good.

Are you a gadget person?  What gets you excited to keep working towards a goal?  Any feedback  you want to share with folks about your BodyBugg or other toys?

HCG Update

HCG Start Date: 6/1/10
Starting Weight: 252.5
VLCD  Starting Weight: 255
R1P2 VLCD Day 35: 222
Total Weight Lost: 30.5 pounds

Comments { 8 }

Weekly Report (Beware, lots of numbers!)

By on January 23, 2010 in Uncategorized

Hello friends,

Happy weekend!  I hope y’all are as glad to see Saturday as I am!  It’s been an insanely busy week in my life, both personally and professionally.  My business is starting to grow a bit, which is wonderful, but having a full-time day job makes it hard to keep up.  My sleep has suffered this week, which I don’t do well with.  That’s okay – I’m taking today to do housey, personal stuff (and veg out a little) and tomorrow will be a productive hit-day so I don’t go into next week with a to-do list 3 miles long.

Without further ado, my official weigh-in for the week has me at 251.8.  Crap!  My weight chart, along with details about my workouts and calories, is below.

A few things pop out at me.  First, I need to cut down on those “off” days!  Because my schedule has been so busy, I’ve prioritized tougher workouts (strength training, zumba) but let my “active lifestyle” workouts (walking, biking, etc.) fall by the wayside.  Those puppies make a serious difference in my calorie burn for the week, so they are going back on the priority list.  Today I’m heading out for a run (40 minutes-ish) and tomorrow I’ll go for a walk at the very least.

Second, I really want to get a third day of strength training in each week.  I’ve made two per week which is great progress.  But I want more.  This means I’ll be doing strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Zumba is Thursday.  I’ll really only need 1-2 more workouts to fill in what I’ve done.  Anything more will be gravy.  (Yes, I just said that on a weight-loss blog…booyah! lol)

If you’re interested to know more details about my calories, here’s my SparkPeople Weekly Progress Chart:

Although I am tempted to cut back on my calories, I am not going to do that just yet.  As you can see, my calories are falling right around the 1800-2000 range pretty much every day.  These are high-quality calories; I’m not eating junk.  For the most part I keep my sodium down, too – except last Sunday – look at the sodium from the chicken teriyaki stir-fry at my sister’s place!

Here’s how my BodyBugg numbers are shaking out:

I don’t use the BodyBugg software to track my calories – it was just going to require too much effort to load all my favorite foods into their database, and I don’t see the point given that SparkPeople already has everything I want on there.

My average daily calorie burn is 2,970.  (Although, I would like to point out that Thursday I  broke 4,000 calories!) My average daily calorie intake over this time period has been 2,103.  That’s an average daily deficit of 867.  In the 15 day period I’m looking at, my total calorie deficit has been 13,005, which should translate into a loss of roughly 3.7 pounds.  I’ve actually lost 4 pounds in that time, so I’m sitting right about where I should be for the last two weeks.

If your head is spinning from all the math and you’re wondering why I just did all this (or why the heck I just told y’all!), I don’t blame you!  I wanted to do this for myself, so I could really grasp and understand the numbers behind where I’m at now.  Here’s what I’m learning:

  • Even though my calories have been 100% dialed in this week, my average over the last 2 weeks hasn’t been as good.
  • Even though my weight went UP this week, I’m down 4 pounds overall during this time period.
  • I’m not working out as much as I thought I was.
  • One super high calorie meal really does make a difference.  If my calories last Saturday had been at 2,000 instead of nearly 4K, my average calorie intake per day for this 15-day time period would have been around 1,900.  That’s a difference of 200 calories/day, or 1400 calories/week.  Over a year’s time,that’s a difference of TWENTY POUNDS, people!

I’ve recently run in to folks in blogland and IRL who’re struggling for one reason or another.  Folks who say, my diet has been 100% on track and I’m working out like a fiend, but I’m not losing weight.  I think there are many reasons for that.  Are you building muscle but losing FAT?  Are you measuring and tracking every bite, lick, and taste (BLT) you eat?  Are you, perhaps, eating too LITTLE?  Are you working out less than you think you are?

There are many reasons why we don’t lose weight in any given week.  One of them is self-delusion.  Another is that what we do OVER TIME matters as much as what we do on any given day.  And broadening our lens so we can see a larger chunk of time (like 2 weeks) can totally change our perspective on how we’ve eaten, worked out, and/or lost for that time period.

Anyhow, this sounds an awful lot like I’m trying to explain away my gain for the week.  And, in a way, I am.  I’m trying to understand why I gained so I can change my behaviors moving forward.  Here’s what I’ve got to do:

  • Keep up the work I’ve done this last week with my food.  I’m eating super well and I need to stay committed to that.  This means continuing to shop, cook, track, and pack my meals in advance of each day.  This also means I will have to give up some of my precious relaxation time this weekend to prepare some whole, healthy foods for next week.  (My inner rebellious teenager is stomping her foot now, but this time I’m giving her the finger!)
  • I need to make exercise, both high-intensity and lifestyle, an absolute priority in life.  That means I will have to schedule every workout in advance.  I’ll pull out my calendar today and do that from now.
  • Keep my weekly splurge meal to a more reasonable calorie total.  I’m thinking that since my daily calorie average (less that crazy meal last week) is right around 1,900/day, I will give myself one day/week where I can eat up to 2,500 calories.  That won’t throw my numbers off too much, but will still allow me to plan for a serious indulgence regularly.

What do y’all think?  Any suggestions for me, or am I on the right track?  Does taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture help you not go off the deep end when you have a week where you don’t lose?

Comments { 6 }

Weekend Report

By on December 21, 2009 in Uncategorized

Hello all!  How is your Monday going?  More importantly (because, really, who wants to talk about Monday?!?) – how’d your weekend go?

Mine was ab-fab!  I got in a great workout Saturday (jog around the neighborhood before the rain started), finished a ton of work for my business, did all the laundry, cleaned the house, and yesterday the HH (Hottie Husband) and I reorganized two rooms in our house – that was my Sunday workout.  My calorie burn for yesterday (love my BodyBugg) was over 3K – gotta love that!  We also went to see the movie Avatar, which we both absolutely LOVED.  I could have done without all the political references, but it was a good story and the visual effects were incredible.

Best of all, my eating was under control and healthy.  Amen to that!  Can you tell I’m in a good mood (from all the exclamation points? lol)?  It’s amazing the positive effect a good day (or a string of two or three) can have on my mood.  Especially since, according to my official weigh-in Saturday, I am up EIGHT POUNDS in the last two months!  That really snuck up on me me – I maintained for a LONG time after the wedding and saw my weight jump in the last two weeks.  Just goes to show that even though you THINK you might be getting away with the fudging here and there (you’re thinking, “how awesome, I didn’t gain any weight!!”), you’re really not – it just might take your body and the scale a few weeks to catch on to your behavior.

I almost feel like I should feel worse about this gain, but instead I’m just glad that it’s provided a nudge for me to get back on track.  I also started reading a great book over the weekend (review to come when I’m done) that just reminded me of a few things:

1. I have goals, people.  Said goals do not include drifting through life – they include CHOOSING the life I want to live.

2. I can do this.  Yes, you heard that right – losing weight, living healthily, and making good choice is not impossible.  Is it hard?  Hells, yes, at least sometimes.  But it is do-able, and therefore I can do it.  If I CAN do it, why the hell am I NOT doing it?!?

3. What you do 90% of the time is what matters most.  If you can get to a point where your behavior is healthy 90% of the time, your 10% splurges (planned and w/in reason, of course) won’t pull you off course.

4. I can choose to settle, or I can choose to pursue the BEST for myself – the best life, the best body, the best nutrition, the best FEELING within myself.  Um, okay, no-brainer?

5. Good things are worth sacrificing for.  Does my inner teenager wish I could eat chocolate ice cream every day (three times)?  Yes.  And guess what – I can.  I am an adult, and if I choose to eat ice cream every day (did I mention three times?), I can do that.  No one will stop me.  But I also have to be able to live with the consequences of making that choice, which will include not being healthy and not losing weight.  Is chocolate ice cream (or fill in the blank with your biggest temptation at the moment) worth NOT reaching my goals?  Nope.  At least not right now.

I wish I could bottle and save for a later date the way I FEEL right now.  You know what I’m talking about – those days when your motivation is high, your vision is clear, and you are able to honestly say, “I want this MORE than I want ________.”  Because sometimes, if I’m honest with myself, I want ________ (chocolate ice cream three times, maybe?) MORE than I want to lose this weight.  Not really, of course, but the wanting of that THING in the moment is so much stronger than the FEELING of wanting health for myself in that moment.

Am I making any sense?

In any case, I’m back on track and it feels great to have a few good days to build on.  I’ve got my food planned and tracked (and packed) for the day.  My gym bag is in the car for whenever I choose to go work out (I’ll be hitting the weights today).  I’m packing tonight for our trip and my running shoes and gym clothes will be in the suitcase for our time in Arizona.  As will my hiking boots; we’re hoping to hit Sabino Canyon for a hike on Saturday.  I’ll be tracking my food daily using SparkPeople and I will try to pop on here with an update at least once while I’m gone.

What are your plans for staying on track this holiday week?

Comments { 3 }

Sunday update

By on December 13, 2009 in Uncategorized

Happy Sunday, friends.  This will be a short post (again) as I have only another half day to enjoy and relax this weekend!

The party was fabulous last night!  I did great – I had one drink and then switched to water & diet coke.  I nibbled on a brownie for my “treat” and otherwise enjoyed the food in moderation.  Actually I didn’t eat a whole lot at all – I tend to eat a lot less when I am hostessing, something about cooking all day and making sure everyone else is taken care of distracts from the desire to eat.

I didn’t get a workout in yesterday, as expected, but my BodyBugg put my burn for the day at 3,793 – yowza!  It constantly blows my mind when I see the difference between my average weekday burn (2,400-2,600 w/o a workout, 3,200ish with one) and my weekend burn even when I don’t make it to the gym.  It just goes to show how much of an affect just MOVING all day can really have.

My plans for the rest of the day involve my couch, a book, my journal, and either the gym or a jog through the neighborhood.

How is your weekend going so far?

Comments { 2 }

Finding my Groove

By on November 4, 2009 in Uncategorized

Thanks for the comments & e-mails after yesterday’s post, friends.  It means a lot to know that in addition to my wonderful family and friends IRL, I have so much support in the virtual world, too!

So I am thinking this morning about grooves, ruts, patterns, etc.

Groove or Rut?

I’m in one now – one of maintaining my weight.  Can I just say that I am REALLY good at this??  lol  One lesson I’ve learned through my years of dieting, and then just trying to live healthy, is that once I lose this weight, I will be able to maintain the loss.  Oh, I know it will be hard in an entirely new and different way than losing weight is.  What’s that saying?

Being fat is hard.
Losing weight is hard.
Maintaining is hard.
Pick your hard.

As I’ve matured and learned how to make better choices, going “off plan” no longer results in thousands of calories more than I should be eating and the resulting “fast and furious” weight gains of my past.  Case in point: since about 2 months ago, without daily tracking of calories, and with sporadic workouts (at best), I’ve maintained my weight through wedding planning, a wedding, 2 weeks off work, packing up 7 years of my life, moving to a new place, unpacking, being sick twice, being pregnant, and having a miscarriage.

5 years ago, 2 months like that would have meant a 20 pound weight gain, at minimum.

Great!  Why am I talking about this then?  Just tooting my own horn?  Hardly.  You see, I’m finding that it’s VERY hard to break out of this groove/pattern/rut/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.  And I really want to, friends.  I want to get back to that place in my life where sugar is an exception in my diet instead of a daily indulgence.  I want to get back to that place where people in my life think I’m a rockstar for the workouts I do!  I want to feel strong and motivated and inspired to pursue a healthier, fitter life.

I guess for now I’ll settle for putting one foot in front of the other, celebrating the small victories, and heading in the general direction of “that place.”

Victories for the week:

  • I got a guest pass to a gym near my house (Gold’s Gym) on Monday and worked out Monday and Tuesday nights after work.
  • It’s supposed to be mid-60s and sunny (yes, I live in SEATTLE!) today, so I’m taking a long lunch to go buy new running shoes and take a walk/jog around a local lake.  Gotta get it while the gettin’s good!
  • I’ve started wearing my BodyBugg again.  I’m hovering around 2,800-3,000 calories burned per day.  I’m setting myself a goal of breaking 3,200 and 10,000 steps/day.

What are your victories this week?

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