Category Archives: entertainment

the continual weight loss drama of my life

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I know I haven’t written about this much, but I feel like it’s time for an update. I’m still losing weight. The process is very, very, very slow, but something about the slowness of it gives me comfort. I think it might be some psychological thing where I think that because it’s taking so long to get off, it won’t come back. True or not…the psychological comfort is helpful.

You want to know what else is helpful? Getting sick for a week. Or at least I thought it was until all of that weight turned out to just be water. It was quite depressing…gaining 6 lbs over night. Seriously. But all in all the process is going well. I’ve gotten below “mission fat”, praise all that’s good and holy! In case you don’t understand the term “mission fat”, this was how fat I was when I returned home from being on a mission for my church. Over the course of 16 months I managed to put on 35 lbs; “mission fat” was my all time a high…a weight I swore I would never ever see on a scale again. And yet…and yet…

I am now below “mission fat”. It feels great. My goal is to never see that number again (including whenever I end up pregnant) so I have a lot more to lose. I’ve been learning a lot of helpful things in my classes at school (interestingly enough). It’s not that I’m learning about weight loss, but I’m learning a lot about how to change behavior. And actually one of the books I’ve had to read does talk about weight loss specifically. The book is called Influencer and the authors (one of whom is my professor) have found three key behaviors present in those individuals who manage to lose weight and keep it off. Are you ready for this? I think your minds might be blown. They are 1) weighing yourself every morning, 2) eating breakfast, and 3) doing cardio at home. (Seriously, the book is worth reading.)

I know those of you who struggle with any kind of long-term trial/addiction can understand what I’m talking about. Losing weight, in the long-term, is about a lot more than eating less and exercising more. I have years of habits that have to be altered. Not an easy task. But I really do think those three behaviors are helping.

The good news is things are going well. I’ve had some set-backs, but I am managing the discouragement that normally accompanies those much better than I ever have. I’m being patient with myself. It’s kind of nice. Plus, I don’t really have any other option. With as busy as I am with school and life, and as much as I travel (not conducive to weight loss chez moi), I have to be willing to accept setbacks.

But here are my fantastic accomplishments for the week. Push-ups; I can do them and not on my knees. That’s kind of a big deal. The other one just happened tonight. I clocked a mile under 10 minutes. I realize a number of you out there could do that in your sleep (almost), but considering how little I’ve been running lately and how much I weigh right now, that’s a great feeling. Sometimes I think about how fast I’ll be able to run with 20, or 30, or 50 lbs less to carry and I get really, really excited. That’s the best motivation.

Speaking of motivation, are any of you watching The Biggest Loser? (I watch a total of three hours of t.v. a week generally…this and Lost. That’s it.) Seriously, I love that show. It’s so inspiring to me. Now, I would love it if I could commit all of my time to losing weight (and I think I’d kick some serious trash), but that’s not why I find it inspiring. What does inspire me? The fact that I have so much less to lose than the contestants.

And speaking of The Biggest Loser, if you want a great workout I highly recommend Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Kicks. My. Trash. In less than 30 minutes. Seriously amazing.

And in case you were looking for some new tunage for your workouts…here are my latest favorites:

  • I Hate This Part – Pussycat Dolls (yes…I am kind of embarrassed, but whatever)
  • Welcome to the World – Kevin Rudolf and Rick Ross (I personally like the non-explicit version)
  • Jai Ho – From Slumdog Millionaire
  • The Way I Are – Timbaland (not new…but still fabulous!)
  • Crash and Burn Girl – Robyn (yes…Robyn…the one-hit-wonder of the 90s)
  • Le Disko – Shiny Toy Guns
  • Day ‘N’ Night – Kid Cudi
  • I’d Like To – Corinne Bailey Rae
  • Hypnotized – Big Gemini (this is more of a cool down song…but I’m loving it)

Where am I finding all of these…the radio. Yes, I’m listening to the radio these days and with the help of Shazam, I manage to find and remember the names of all of the songs I want to download.

For some other favorite songs (not necessarily workout stuff), I’ve updated my sidebar!

but first…the rest of london

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And this is the end of my trip to Europe…over a month later.

I’ve been to London before and I liked it fine, but this trip I fell in love.

We spent some quality time at Leicester Square. This is where discount show tickets can be purchased. And how many did we see in those last few days? FOUR! So, five in total. (We saw Les Mis at the beginning of the trip).


I love that Erika loves theater because it means we went lots. What did we see? Carousel – not fantastic but I remember watching it as a kid at my grandma’s house (my grandma also loves musical theater) so I was excited to see it. Wicked – phenomenal again! Hairspray – absolutely fabulous live…except for a small issue with American diction. And my favorite of the week (not including Wicked because I’d already seen it)? Billy Elliott. Incredible.

And…a food picture. Why I didn’t take my camera to Chicago is beyond me, but I didn’t. How I love taking pictures of food! Almost as much as I like to eat it. This was at this darling French patisserie just off of Piccadilly Square. It was lovely…and the owner was there so I got to chat him up in French. I so need to move back to Europe.

And this was New Year. Seriously. Our hotel was right by the London Eye (as seen in this photo all lit up by fireworks). It was INCREDIBLE. New Year is not my favorite holiday (I don’t hate it…I just think it’s overrated), so spending it in London was fantastic!

Why yes…we do look exhausted. Thanks for asking.

And in case you were wondering where my darling cousin is in these pics…she was back in California. Her trip was just a bit shorter than ours.

done

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I just finished Season 4 of Lost. I am totally caught up, and all I can say is, “holy crap!” That, and I can’t believe that I now have to wait with the rest of you.

The good news is that my sister will be watching them during her maternity leave (my brother-in-law is addicted and, as such, kept watching without her), so I can rewatch them with her…you know, while I’m not helping her with her two babies. No, she’s not having twins, but M. just turned a year, so she will still be a baby when New Baby comes along in July.

lost…

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If you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting lately, it’s a combination of things. First of all, I no longer sit in front of a computer all day, nor do I have convenient internet access. Well, it’s okay in AZ since my sister has wireless, but I’m currently in Vegas…where they have a normal wired connection. I’m also very busy hanging out with my adorable nieces and nephews. Not to mention that I do have a job and two classes that I have to complete before July 1.

But the main reason you aren’t finding new posts here: LOST. I am totally and completely addicted. Before two weeks ago, I had not seen even one episode of the show. But, for his birthday, my older brother got seasons 1-3 on DVD and the night he got it, he made me watch the pilot. I was totally hooked from the first episode. Thankfully, he has been kind enough to let me borrow them. This means that all my free time (the little I have…ha ha ha) is spent in front of the television (or my laptop late at night when I should be sleeping) watching this totally addictive TV show.

To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed, but it’s the truth. Anyway…if you watch the show, I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you probably shouldn’t start if you have any kind of addictive tendencies. It’s taking over my life.

I am only halfway through season 2, so I won’t be watching the season finale on Thursday. I have to do things in order. But for those of you who are totally into it and have been watching it on TV, I hope the season finale is RAD! The good news is that I won’t have to wait until season 4 comes out on DVD since my sister-in-law has all of the episodes recorded. Yes, DVR/Tivo does change lives. I don’t have it, but I’m glad so many out there do so that I can benefit from it.

penelope…the other one

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Just a little fun for the weekend…I’m so out of the t.v. loop (I don’t have cable, and even if I did, I don’t have time to watch it, and I don’t have DVR…yes, I’m kind of behind), so I just discovered this skit from SNL (thanks to my friends who are the opposite of my lame technological ways).