Advice.

I promise this blog is not going to be entirely about weight loss. Really. I mean I did lose weight, but there's much more than that that I'd like to write about too! That being said, I was inspired to write this post by a friend of mine who asked me, after seeing the rest of my blog, what advice I might have for her, as someone who would like to lose weight. I thought I'd try to make a blog post out of it, as there might be others wondering the same thing, or just wanting to know what's worked for me so far. So - without further ado - here's what I've got.*

(Note: This is a LONG entry. I started off thinking this would be a couple quick bullet points, and it's turned into something much, much more complex, personal, and elaborate... because there really isn't an easy answer to the question "What should I do to start losing weight?" or "What worked for you?")

To start off, the most important thing for me was being in the right mindset for losing weight. I finally admitted to myself that there was a problem with my relationship with food, and I was ready to fix it. At that point, I turned to Weight Watchers for the structure of what I needed to be eating to lose weight. It's so hard to describe what had to change in my mind for me to be in the right mindset to lose weight. Part of it, for me, was finding myself independent for the first time in my life, really feeling like I was an adult and ready to take responsibility for myself. I know that. It was also admitting to myself that there was a problem, and just being really tired of the binge and restrict cycles I'd go through with food. Thinking about food all the time - wanting it, restricting it - was so exhausting. But it's so hard to say what needs to change for someone else in order to be ready to lose weight. It's such a personal thing, with so many different complicating factors - health conditions, life situations, the list goes on. So, sorry I don't have any concrete advice on that one, but just know that this was where I had to start - I changed my mindset.

Second, I told people what I was doing. I felt like it was important to hold myself accountable. Sometimes I'd write on message boards where others shared their meal plans, other times, I'd tell my boyfriend to check with me the following day to make sure I got up to do a workout in the morning. Everyone's support really helps me through it. Now, I have a friend with whom I'm going to start e-mailing and texting to hold her accountable, and vice versa. We'll be telling each other our goals for the week and checking in to make sure we're on track - or if we have terrible weeks where we go completely off-track, we'll tell each other what is going on and be able to support each other to get back on track. I think that is going to be really helpful for me in continuing this journey, and I'm more than willing to help anyone else reading this as well with staying accountable!

So, in terms of actual advice for getting started and making changes in a diet and exercise routine, here are some of my less abstract suggestions.

1. Make small changes one at a time, and start small.

Make it concrete. For instance, "I will write down what I eat each day." Or, "I will go to the gym three times a week." Don't try to change everything all at once. Once you master something small, you can be proud of that small change and move on to another. It can give you motivation to continue making, and meeting, each goal. Putting too much on your plate at once can be really overwhelming.

2. It's all in the food!

I used to give myself permission to eat anything and everything on days in which I had done a tough workout. True, our bodies need more food after working out, but I realized an hour at the gym was not burning enough calories to justify eating, say, two cupcakes and tons of pizza. Weight loss is so reliant on how much you are eating, and at least for me, that has been key.

3. Notice what you're eating.

For me, one thing that was really great about starting Weight Watchers was that, as part of the program, you track your food. That means you write down everything you eat (I do it online or on an app on my iPhone) in order to stay within your daily limit. This really increased my awareness of how much food I needed or should be eating - portion sizes especially! I was definitely shocked when I measured out serving sizes of some foods that I had been eating waaaay bigger portions of previously.

4. Plan.

Planning ahead of time what I'm going to eat has been extremely helpful. I pack my lunch the night before for work every day. When I go out to eat, I really try to look at the menu of where I'm going and decide what will be the best option for me to get ahead of time. If that's not possible, I think about what kind of restaurant it is, what types of food they might have, and what kinds of choices will be best for me. I also cook one or two recipes on Saturdays and Sundays, and have those in my fridge and freezer for easy lunches and dinners throughout the week.

5. Keep the kitchen stocked... with the right things.

For me, this means always having healthy options available. Some of my fridge staples are fat free greek yogurt, a variety of fruits and veggies, low fat or part-skim cheese, hummus, cottage cheese or low fat ricotta, light butter, and whole wheat bread and tortillas. For the freezer, I often keep chicken breast, veggie/turkey/fish burgers or fillets, frozen fruits and vegetables, some lean cuisine-type freezer dinners, and frozen bananas. For pantry staples, I always keep beans, chili, peanut butter, and low cal soups. Most importantly, for me, it's what I DON'T have around. I know that personally, even when I have the best intentions of eating small portions of certain foods, if I buy an entire bag, I will eat it all in one sitting. These types of things for me include cookies, candy, chips/popcorn, ice cream, and other large containers of snacky items. These are things I need to buy in pre-portioned bags or boxes, like ice cream treats by Skinny Cow or 100-calorie packs of Cheez-Its. Even light ice cream and baked potato chips... I feel like these things are even more dangerous, since I start eating one portion, then think, wellllll, it's a healthy option, I can have more, right? Fast forward to me and an empty carton of Edy's Light. (It was S'mores flavor and delicious, but needless to say, I did not feel so wonderful afterwards.)

6. Find a workout that you love.

Try lots of things. Mix it up. I have grown to love running (most of the time) but I've also tried lots of different types of yoga classes, and bought a groupon for barre fitness classes, which I'll probably start next month. If you belong to a gym, try some new classes or new equipment! It's good to be excited about working out, and you're much more likely to do it if it's actually enjoyable to you.

Side note: If you're a non-runner and looking to start, a lot of people (myself included a few years ago!) have found success with the Couch to 5k program.

7. Anticipate your challenges.

If you know there is going to be a party with lots of unhealthy food options around, plan how you'll fight that - perhaps bring gum, plan to splurge on one or two items then try to find the vegetable tray, and try to drink lots of water or diet soda. Or plan a drink limit for yourself at happy hour, or bring a salad or healthy recipe to a potluck.

8. Splurge (in moderation).

For me, weight loss would not be possible to maintain if I cut everything I loved out of my diet. (And I love love LOVE my desserts.) I've found success having a few weekly treats in moderation, or one meal per week where I'm splurging. Moderation is key with treats - buy small portion sizes if you have trouble controlling that (like get a small ice cream at the ice cream store rather than getting a carton to keep at home, see #5 above!).

9. Fill up with fruits and vegetables.

They're awesome and filling. Eat them at snacks and meals! I always try to supplement lunch and dinner with lots of veggies, and have fruit at breakfast.

10. Drink lots of water throughout the day.

11. Hold yourself accountable.

This might be manifested in various ways, like joining a group or class that will get you to the gym, or weighing yourself weekly so that if you start to slip you will see it and be able to change things around, or telling others that you're trying to lose weight or maintain weight. Honestly, that's part of the purpose of this blog for me!

Another note: see above about the accountability buddy system. If ANY of you reading this need someone to check in with about weight loss, your goals, just for accountability, or more, I am MORE than happy to do so. Send me an e-mail or message and I am there! :)

12. Ask for help when you need it.


Okay... that's all I've got for now. I hope any small bit of that can be helpful. And really truly honestly - if I can do it, you can too.

Also, as a very very last note, as one of my friends who read my blog wrote to me, "You are beautiful inside and out (no matter your weight), but you look so happy and healthy now!" This whole journey has not just been about weight loss for me, it started as a way to repair an unhealthy relationship with food. I'm human and I still slip up and get stuck sometimes, but in general, I've been able to change a lot mentally as well as physically. I mean, I'm happier with the way I look now, true, and I'm much happier with the way I feel. But you don't need to lose weight or look a certain way at all to be happy or healthy. All that's important is that you are!


*Caveat: I am NOT a professional or in any sort of position to guide someone else's weight loss. All of this advice comes from personal experience and what has so far worked for me. Everyone is different, so take this all with a grain of salt!

A Love Letter to Fro Yo

Oh fro yo. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Oh Fro Yo, you're so pretty.

There are so many flavors of you. And you can put ALL OF THEM in one cup! Perfect for those of us who have trouble with decision-making.

And then the toppings! You can have sprinkles! Or cookies! Or chocolate! Or even cereal! Or. My absolute favorite. MARSHMALLOW SAUCE.

I love my fro yo. And, in all seriousness, it has been an important food for me in my weight loss and maintenance.

No, really!

Let me explain.

Personally, I'm a person for whom portion sizes of yummy things are tough. If I get a carton of light ice cream, it's tough for me to just eat the 1/2c serving size - I want to feel like I'm actually getting something substantial!

With that said, there are a few frozen yogurt places in my area that offer low-cal brands of frozen yogurt like Wow Cow and Carbolite, which are about 50 calories and very low in carbs for a 4 oz. serving. That means I can have a full, 8 oz. (1 cup) serving for 100 calories! My favorite yogurt place, Yumi Yogurt, offers GIANT portion sizes, so I'll often get one or two flavors of frozen yogurt in large cups, and portion it out into 8 oz. servings, adding my own toppings that I keep at home (my favorite is rainbow sprinkles). This lets me have substantial portions of dessert a few times a week, which keeps my sweet tooth satisfied!

A giant cup of low-cal chocolate and peanut butter fro yo from Yumi Yogurt.

Can they PLEASE bring Tasti D-Lite to California?!?

Fro yo also helps me keep certain cravings in check.

Personally, I can't buy bags of candy and leave them in my house... because I will eat it all. I can't buy boxes of oreos or pre-made cookie dough. But, at self-serve fro yo places like my beloved Yogurtland, one can take a few M&Ms, cookies, candies, and more, and top your fro yo as you please. When I need a chocolate fix or a serving of candy, I can pick or choose a few different bits and pieces and it satisfies the craving.

NOM.

Caveat: I do NOT consider my fro yo to be health food. It's dessert. A treat. Although it does have some health benefits, such as pretty high calcium and protein content, even when I get fruity tart fro yo topped with fruits, I still consider it a treat. Caveat #2: Be careful about portions. It's super easy to fill up that giant cup at the self-serve frozen yogurt place... if that's your splurge (like the fro yo above was mine!), by all means, splurge! But if it's not, watch how much goes in that cup.

Although I highly object to the title of this article, I think the sentiment is accurate - frozen yogurt is an ice cream alternative, not a yogurt alternative. Consider it a treat.

And sometimes, treats can make you feel like this:

:)

Half Marathon!

I finished my first half marathon this weekend!

Woohoo!

I started training for the half marathon earlier this summer - I did a 4 mile race locally in April, and decided if I could run 4 miles, I could do 5, then 6... and went from there! I joined a meetup group in July that meets at a trail every Saturday to do long runs, then goes out for breakfast, and there I've met some cool people who also like to run (mostly a lot faster than me). As they're all more experienced runners, they've been able to help me adjust my training and give me great tips for running in races and longer runs. They also hold me accountable - just knowing there's a group there that I signed up for gets me up out of my bed eaaaarly on Saturday mornings, which I doubt I would do on my own.

I was going to start with a half marathon in San Francisco in November, but they convinced me to sign up for the half marathon locally in San Jose last Sunday. I'm glad I did!

(Me, second to the right, with some others from my running group after the race!)

So here's the rundown for my first half marathon:

Time: 2:25.57
Pace: 11:08 min/mi
Place: 5993/10263

The hardest and slowest time for me was definitely miles 10-12, I maintained under an 11 minute mile before then, but couldn't at that time. I pushed myself for my last mile to back under 11 minute miles, although not too hard, since I felt like I was maaaaybe going to vom a little if I ran too fast.

And then I finished! And I didn't feel all that awesome until about one hour, two water bottles, a mini jamba juice, a chocolate milk, and a lot of walking and stretching later. And then it was awesome!

Dad and I after the half! He says he'll start half-marathon/marathon training again with me after he retires in 4 years or so...

I'm really proud of finishing and finishing well - I'm looking forward to my next one in November in SF!

One of the best parts of long-distance running? Eating, duh. I refer first to this amazing post from The Oatmeal. Also, see picture below: Happy girl with a fabulous frou-frou drink at dinner! Plus we had ice cream and this delicious s'mores brownie concoction (sadly, no pics...) and the 49ers won, so I was quite happy indeed.

Introduction, Before and After.

Hi everyone!

I've decided to start this blog as a part of my path to a healthy mindset as well as a healthy body. I've gone up and down in weight my entire life, but this time, I'm down and it's for keeps. As part of that journey towards staying healthy, I'm trying to open up more to my friends and family about what I'm going through and what I've been through in my struggle not just to lose weight, but to strive towards feeling comfortable in my own skin. And given that my friends and family live, oh, all over the country (and world), I figured this format would work!

Oh, and I've decided to start running long distances more seriously, so I wanted to share that with you too. In fact, my first half marathon is tomorrow morning!

So, as part of my accountability to myself, I'm looking back at what I used to experience, confronting that, and not trying to hide it.

I hope I can try to convey, at least a little, something that might resonate with people reading this - about food, about health, about life, whatever. Or maybe I'll just try to be entertaining. We'll see!

In any case, for those of you who I have not seen recently, or those of you who I don't know in real life, here are some before and after pics. At my heaviest, I estimate I was around 225-230 lbs., and now, I'm about 145 lbs. As my boyfriend, who has only known me since I was about 20-25 lbs. heavier than I am now, has said, the difference is pretty shocking. Looking back at these pictures even surprises me sometimes. I try not to use negative language about my body in any way, but just notice how much bigger I used to be and what I look like in pictures now, and to truly see the progress I've made.


So, here we have the BEFORE pictures:

My friend Ali and I, the day of my college graduation in 2009 (I'm on the right).

At the start of grad school in 2010 with my friends Sarah and Mara (on the right again).

Senior week in college, 2009. I remember seeing pictures from this day and trying to avoid looking at them - I looked really big in all of these and was in denial about how much I weighed at this point.

And here are the AFTER pictures:

Ok yeah, this is definitely a dressing room selfie from Old Navy today. But it's the most current picture I have! And yeah, I was modeling a little bit.

In Sisters, OR (a super cute little town near Bend, OR) on vacation in August.

Wine-tasting with the boyfriend in July.


So that's that! Welcome. Continue to follow my blog! Hopefully I'll continue to write in it.


xoxoxo

Sarah