Trouble with the Curvy

We are almost out of the woods to Grandma's house but the trail has been lined with cookies, cakes, and all things anti-achievement. I can see the light at the end of the sugar frosted tunnel and I am more ambitious than ever and eager to get into a fitness groove. I've realized recently that planning is the most important aspect of doing this well and I need some time to put a plan and system together so that I can start creating good habits. I will be back with new entries on January 9th. The upcoming year is going to be a good one but the end of this year kicked my ass. Officially on the mini hi-ATE-us <3 <3 Katie 196.4lbs (Got a new digital scale!) Day 202 Feeling like this triangly monster dude

November through December is mostly known among those trying to lose weight as the enemy. Between cookie swaps, holiday meals, drinking, and parties with all kinds of things to make you a naughty weight loser it is extremely difficult to hold your own if you don't have will power. The not so great thing about will power is that it is subjective. Sometimes it is easy to say no and other times it is like an obsessive compulsion that won't go away until I give in. I am happy to report I haven't gained back enough weight to take away my "I've lost 20lbs" mantra but I'm circling the drain. Luckily, after this week, I'll only have to battle the winter instead of winter and holidays. Yay. I feel like I am living the fitness equivalent of asking for a Red Rider BB gun and being told you'll shoot your eye out. When I joined Anytime Fitness I felt like it gave me a destination and a workout purpose. When I started walking around my neighborhood this summ

I've learned something about myself in the past 2 weeks. I got skills... Mad booty shakin' dance skills. Alexis Wright could be seduced by the dancing that is Zumba.... Zumba really brings out the narcissism me. I think it is because I just look so damn cool doing it... I mean, I really can see how Hehehe Just kidding. I look like this when I dance... and for the record I do not condone prostitution of any kind. Just to be clear... I do LOVE to dance though. Regardless of what I look like I love it. And in Zumba it doesn't really matter if you look cool because everyone is looking at the instructor trying to figure out if you're doing the right move. This is kind of a critical aspect of Zumba for me. It is a "monkey see, monkey do" kind of workout so whatever the instructor does, you try to mimic it as best as you can. I have a few moves that I do really well. They mostly consist of turning in a circle. My feet are kind of slow and half the workout

I ate too much sugar all weekend long. That is the most profound statement I have for the night. Belly ache ensued and I felt like a fool. So now I am on my way to Zumba it off!! <3 Katie Day 188 189lbs Feeling excited to shake my ass for weight loss

One of the reasons that weight loss failure runs rampant is because it takes a lot of thought, I'm finding, to lose weight. I joined Weight Watchers more than a month ago and really thought it was going to help me control what I eat. As it turns out, I never enter my information so I signed up for it and now I never utilize it as a tool. I'm also finding that I am always looking for processes that allow me to "set it and forget it" so that it becomes part of my routine. The best example is prepping meals on Sunday nights. If I put the effort in on Sundays I get to be kinda lazy on weeknights and focus on work and making it to a Zumba class. It works because it doesn't make me tired. Trying to remember to write down everything I eat and enter all that into weight watchers just makes me tired. I am still losing weight and I'm not writing anything down except for in this blog. The therapy of the blog is so much more important to me than breaking down what I e

Recently I've noticed that when I see friends or family that are active online and on social networks in person, they have one question for me. "What is that Curvy thing? I don't read it all the time but what IS it?" Every time I hear this question I squeal a little with glee. I'm really thankful for people that read my posts. That means any of them. I feel incredibly lucky to have a few people that seem to read every post but even if you care enough to read even one, I am grateful.  The question is a good one though. What IS "Trouble with the Curvy?" Sometimes when I answer "Oh! It's my blog!" I get this blank look that seems to say "Umm.... yea that isn't helpful in trying to figure out what the hell this Curvy thing is..." In fact, I have yet, to come up with an answer that really gets to the heart of what I am doing. I think this is because I'm a little embarrassed to talk about it in person with people. It is reall

Today is one of those picturesque days when I feel thankful for everything. A light snow is falling outside and I realized that if I rearrange my office I'll have a nice view of a window. I am also really looking forward to my workout tonight. Mondays and Wednesdays I will be hitting my new favorite Zumba Class. My first night there, I made a friend! She was also there for the first time and we got a reputation for being the new girls in the back row. There was such a feeling of community instantly. It made me think " I could get used to this." When I went home last Wednesday night Ben had dinner cooking and I felt like something just fell into place. Why stress myself out about a breakup with the gym when there are options that are just as good, if not better?  Thursday I worked from 6:45am and got home at 10:30p. At the end of the day (while there was no way a blog was going to get written) I didn't feel as exhausted as I should have and I realized it was because

Please pardon the brevity of tonight's post because I need to make it to my Zumba class! Luckily Skowhegan is awesome and has a class twice a week with two different instructors. Tonight is my first night and I'm pretty excited. There is something magical about dancing in a room full of strangers that don't care if you look like an idiot. Of course in my mind I dance like I'm JLo so I think I rock it every time :) The last time I did Zumba it kicked me into high gear and it has been about 4 years since I've been going on a regular basis and it is about time. The break up with my gym has been grueling but I think I just need to go out and meet more workouts. Tonight I'm taking the plunge. Until then enjoy a Zumba Blooper   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjzhhBcYWPA <3 Katie Day 176 193lbs Feeling Dance-a-licious

Day 175! Woop Woop! I wish you could see this happy dance I'm doing... I'll start adding video with my sweet dance moves soon.... It is the time of year that pot lucks and holiday parties kill fitness plans. I just can't behind that because I love pot lucks and parties and yummies so who is to say that you can't make party dishes that keep you off the naughty list? My all time favorite party food is spinach dip. Preferably in a bread bowl but whole wheat pita chips and veggies are perfect for dippin' too. Check out my stellar recipe below! Ingredients: 4 cups frozen spinach 2 16oz blocks of fat free cream cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese 1 cup low fat Shredded mozzarella cheese 2 packages of  laughing cow french onion (or herb and garlic) spreadable cheese 2tbs garlic powder 1tsp salt 1 more cup cup low fat Shredded mozzarella cheese Makin' it Happen: 1. Cream together the cheeses, garlic powder, and salt 2. Mix the frozen spinach with cheese mix

Tomorrow is day 175! I am 20lbs lighter and I think I've learned a lot. I still have a ways to go though. When I started my journey this blog was meant to be my best tool along with Anytime Fitness in Fairfield. So far it is the only thing that has been consistent for the last 175 days. It started as a way to track my progress and give me something to do, every day, to keep my goals in the forefront of my mind. It has evolved into a support system. Moving forward it seems my arsenal of tools and resources has changed. One of my favorite new additions is Holly. Holly Rae is a former radio extraordinaire like me and is studying Health Education. That makes her pretty perfect for being Trouble with the Curvy's residential Health Guru. I don't mean to overstate her credentials but I've got to be honest, most of my "expert" advice comes from the internet... The same place that reports with digital certainty that there is a Bigfoot. Holly has graciously agreed t

Admittedly, I am cheating a little bit tonight. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and since the weekend was kind of a gorge-fest I want to make sure I am responsible tomorrow. The day will have to start with a work out and then I'll have to be conservative about what I eat. I found this great article on Forbes about how to curb weight gain on Thanksgiving. I was going to pull my favorite points but I think the article really speaks for itself. Find the original article  here  or check it out below. Thanks to Melanie Haiken for saying it as well as I would have myself:  Here’s an unpleasant reality check: The traditional American Thanksgiving meal packs an average of 3000 calories. Considering that the recommended  daily caloric intake for women ranges from 2000 (over age 25) to 1850 (over age 50) this puts one meal at approximately a third more than a full day’s requirement. And that’s just one meal; most of us at least eat breakfast on Thanksgiving, not to mention that time-honored lat

The word of the year is "Selfie."   Last weekend was awesome! Ben and I took a weekend excursion, ended up in 4 different states, randomly got lost in the middle of Dartmouth College's campus, saw Stephen Kellogg and had an amazing road trip together. When I got ready on Saturday I weighed myself and I came in at 189lbs! I was so psyched that I allowed myself to have a weekend free of rules and "making good choices" (fitness choices I mean because how does one have a good time without making inappropriate choices??) Yesterday I was too scared to weigh myself and find out what kind of damage the weekend did to my progress. This morning I bundled up for a walk and weighed myself upon returning and found a nice surprise: 190lb looked back up at me from the scale. The weekend included a lot of beer and drinking, bacon,  fried food, and a visit with 5 Guys. I ate like crap and I felt it yesterday. It made me appreciate my new lifestyle and value my progress.

Today has been the kind of day that makes me what to throw my hands up and surrender. Ever have one of those days where everything that can go wrong does? That was today. Perhaps the universe is punishing me for not getting my workout in this morning... I am dedicated to this whole not being too curvy thing. Really, I am but there are only so many hours in the day. Work is eating up a lot of those hours and I can't seem to get my footing again where I feel caught up on stuff that has been piling up since August when my work partner completely deserted me. Too whiny? I'm sorry. I am sort of getting to a point. Life doesn't stop or make something easier just because you're dedicated to it. In fact, Life often seems to keep throwing road blocks at you hoping you'll crack and that is why I am not the only American struggling with weight issues. It is a lot to juggle and I am beginning to wonder if stressing out to require a work out to keep up with my progress is ca

Generally speaking, I am proud of my work ethic. I like being the go-to girl that people can count on. I take pride in what I help my team accomplish and I really want to make an impact with what I do. The down side to being a hard worker is that I tend to throw myself, head first, into my work. When sh#$ gets busy I go balls to the wall and I'll keep going until it's done... sacrificing everything that keeps me fueled up and then I get burnt out and slide back into bad habits.  As Christmas approaches, I get busier at work because I have a retail schedule. It just so happens this is also the time when cookies, cakes, and delectable treats make their way to everywhere tempting the crap out of me. Clearly this is a recipe for disaster.  Having just broken up with my gym I have to be more diligent about finding good work outs and that is work in itself. To make sure that I don't slide into bad habits because of work I've instituted a new practice. This Sunday I spe

I finally did it. I'd been putting it off and putting it off and I finally did it. I broke up with my gym. I am actually pretty devastated. I wish the location would allow me to go and then head home for a shower then head to work. I would love that more than anything in the whole world because I really did love my gym. We just wanted different things in life... So what now? When I started this blog I said that Anytime Fitness was going to be a pillar of my success and it really has been so far (up until the show heebie jeebies reared its ugly head). Now the real challenge starts. Now I have to be  proactive about what my workout will be and I have to be honest, I've SUCKED at that so far. I need to be better about it and I have a few ideas... Before sending the email I reached out to a couple "resources" that I think can help me. The first is Holly Rae. Holly and I know each other from our days back in radio. Once upon a time she turned her radio show over to

As you've probably noticed, this week hasn't been great for blog writing. Turns out I'm taking the break up hard.. the breakup with my gym... and work is monopolizing most all of my time. I shall return on Monday at the latest with some profoundlings. If you've got any encouraging words, now would be the time!  :)

Inspired by the new weight lifting knowledge I acquired yesterday, I woke up and went to the gym this morning. It has been a while since I have actually be to the gym because I've been walking and finding other ways to get my workouts in. Today I remembered why the gym just is not working for me. It is the shower. When I joined the gym last September I was in a different living situation and it worked out pretty well because it was on my way to work. I'd go, shower there and head right to work. Over time the bathroom/shower situation at the gym kept gnawing at me more and more. It isn't that the bathrooms are dirty, it is the THOUGHT of how dirty it is. Anytime Fitness does a great job maintaining their shower rooms and there really isn't anything they could do to make me feel better about this. The thoughts that freak me out are seeing the guy that goes in there before me all sweaty, then going in after him and smelling the soap or cologne he's put on. It gags

Daylight savings time has actually had a pretty positive effect on my workouts. My inner clock is still set to wake up happy between 6:30- 6:45a except the actual time now is 5:30-5:45a. I  don't feel groggy or like I'm missing out on any sleep AND it is light out earlier so I don't get intimidated by the darkness and use it as an excuse to go back to bed. When I wake up earlier I feel better about the workout. It makes me feel like I'm one of those fitness bad asses that actually enjoy waking up early to workout. I feel like I set myself up for more productivity when I've already been up and worked out before I get to work. The one downside is that the "fall back" happens in November when it gets super cold in the mornings. This morning I woke up and enjoyed all of the aforementioned things and then I stepped out onto the porch and felt how cold it was. I pushed through and did some running just to warm up! When I finished my walk I was chilled but comf

 Last week I went into work every day at 7a. I made up all but 1 of my workouts that got replaced because of going in early. I also moved my office and that was a workout in itself... This weekend I raked leaves on Saturday and stacked wood on Sunday. I was curious how many calories I'd burned and was a little shocked. I felt like my heart rate was higher raking but the stacking made more of my muscles sore. The calorie count is interesting. Raking leaves for an hour burned 400 calories. Stacking wood for an hour burned 300 calories. Both of these activities helped keep me on track this week. My Weight Watchers venture isn't going so well. Keeping up with that tracking feels like just one more thing I have to pay attention to. I've wanted to download the app because I think that will help keep it more at my finger tips but wouldn't you know I have to clean out my phone before I can upload another app. It just doesn't seem to be coming together. All I really ne

It is baking season and yesterday I passed along a couple of cake recipes that are "healthy." Let's be honest. Cake ain't healthy no matter how you look at it. It's as healthy as it is a breakfast food (you know, with egg in it and all). So what's a girl to do? Turn to substitution? Precisely. The last time I had success at this, I was able to bake some great things and cut a whole bunch of calories and guilt inducers out of my baking. My favorite substitution I found back then was apple sauce in place of cooking oil. I loved this trick because it actually makes cakes and breads more moist. It improved every recipe I try it with except for brownies. I was never able to find a good brownie recipe that didn't taste like it was a "healthy brownie." So I went out looking for more of these little tricks I can try in my baking because deer hunting season is coming right up and it happens to coincide with my baking season. There is something magica

Tonight's blog is going to be short and sweet. Short because I have some more plans to wrap up for Ben's birthday celebration tonight and sweet because I've found some great healthy birthday cake recipes! The chocolate fudge pudding cake might have to be tried before my next birthday.... Chocolate Decadance Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake....  <3 Katie 193lbs Day 140 Feeling Sweet!!

I began Weight Watchers. So far, it's been a slow start. I'll admit I was hoping that it was going to be something that will help me easily keep track of what I'm putting in my body every day. While I still see it as a huge benefit, this isn't as easy as I thought. It takes a lot of thought to make sure you enter everything you eat into a system of some sort. By the time dinner arrives I barely remember breakfast which means I have to track it as I do it. What's that you hear? Is it... Whining?? No. My point is that even though I know better, I still believed there was a magical tool I just hadn't tried yet. Though it is more work I think it is the key I've been missing. Nothing about this is easy because if it were, I wouldn't have ever been Tubby McChubster. Easy is where the cheese puffs go. I've had a hard time with motivation lately. It takes so much more effort to get out of bed before the sunshine peeks though to beckon me outside for a wa

This morning I rose before the sun and while I was too wimpy to go out walking in the dark, I cranked my music and did a Boot Camp workout this morning. I LOVE this routine and I am sore as hell. I love it because most of the exercises are doable at my strength level (weakling). I also love it because the space needed to complete these exercises is very minimal. I worked up a hell of a sweat and am feeling all of the new muscles I worked. This can be found at: http://exercise.about.com/library/blbootcampcircuit.htm Bootcamp Circuit This bootcamp circuit workout works your entire body with cardio, lower body, upper body and core exercises. You won't need any equipment, which makes this the perfect workout for small spaces, travel exercise or for anyone who wants a challenging workout using their own body weight. Precautions See your doctor if you have any injuries, illnesses or other medical conditions. Equipment Needed None How To Perform the exercises in each circ