Four Days In...

Things are moving along so far.  I'm not super hungry... it's basically like normal.  Before I went back on Weight Watchers, I was a calorie counter... My theory?  It takes 3500 calories burned to lose a pound.  Have a calorie deficit of at least 500 every day & lose a pound every week.  Simple math.  Okay, so it didn't really always work out like that.  My weight was stagnant... so something wasn't working.  Good news is that I wasn't gaining... bad news is that I wasn't losing either.

One of the toughest changes I've implemented this week is not weighing myself.  I'm a scale watcher for real.  For REAL.  I have a cool Wi Scale that sends my weight & stats to my iPhone. It keeps a little graph and everything.

Go Go Gadget! The Wi Scale

For a gadget and fitness junkie like me, this scale is great.  I'm the kind of person who lets the scale dictate my actions.  If the scale isn't moving, I work out more or eat better.  If the scale moves up, I REALLY work out more & eat better.  If the scale moves down, I use it as motivation to keep doing whatever it is I'm doing.

With Weight Watchers, I don't want to let my scale at home affect how I'm following the Points Plus Program.  I'm trying to trust the program and see what happens when I weigh in on Sunday.

I've been on WW before, but it was not the same kind of plan.  WW works on a points system.  Every food has a points value.  In the past, fruit & vegetables had a point value, so you kinda watched it with the fruit.  Fruit has a lot of sugar, so you really didn't want to use your points on the fruit.  In the new Points Plus Program, everything is calculated a new way.  No more calories involved... points are based on a formula of Fat, Carbs, Protein & Fiber.... and fruit and most veggies are FREE!  ZERO POINTS!!!  You heard it... ZERO!

Grub on fruit as much as you like!

 Weight Watchers' theory is that people don't become overweight from eating too many fruits and vegetables.  I tend to agree with that.  If someone has made the choice to pay money & go to WW, they probably aren't going to go bananas on... well... bananas! Weight Watchers makes you want to grab an apple, grapes or a banana when you need a snack, instead of something less healthy... because it's ZERO points.  It kinda scared me when I first heard it, but the truth is, when I eat an apple it fills me up for at least a couple hours.  A banana? Forget about it.  I'm stuffed.  So I'm not going to overdo it with too much fruit.  Not to mention, the last thing I need is more fiber in my life... but that's a whole 'notha post! :-)

Okay, remember I mentioned some "before" pictures?  Well, I really didn't get to take a really good picture... but I tried.  I have a very strange tummy... I call it my Frankenbelly, but that's just because it has lots of scars from my surgery incision & stoma, combined with stretch marks from when I blew up from that dreaded Prednisone.  Funny story... when I was first starting to gain weight from the steroids, I was looking at my belly in the mirror... Me:  "Hey Mommy... come here... um, is this a stretch mark???"  She told me, "Yes, but don't sweat it.  It's a rite of passage for pregnant women."  Uh, NEWSFLASH, there is NO BAMBINO in this growing belly of mine!!!  Waaaaaah!  (Did I mention how miserable I was back then? LOL!)  That one little stretch mark multiplied in a big way.  I used to say it looked like a cat jumped up & grabbed me by the belly... and slid down. LOL!!!  In the past decade, I have grown to love my Frankenbelly.  It's just a part of who I am... and as long as it's eventually somewhat flat, I could give a rat's hind parts what kind of scars it bears!  Bring on the two piece bikini!

Back to my strange tummy... the top part of my tummy is sticks out more than the bottom part.  It's weird.  I'm sure my sister might have some medical explanation for it... or maybe that's just where I carry my abdominal weight.  The good news is that I can suck it in like a pro. LOL!

Side profile... 3/9/11... not sucked in.

Side profile... all sucked in!  Look ma! No Spanx!

In the next few months I'm hoping all of this shrinks down a little.  That's about it.  So that's where things stand... I'm looking forward to the weigh-in.  I hope it's good news!  You'll know right after I do!

Toodles!

I'm Baaaaack!

Okay... okay... I KNOW I have not blogged since September 2010... I'm really going to try to do better.  I needed something to get my motivation back up, and I found it.

Before I tell you what has spurred my motivation, maybe I should recap my journey... I can't believe I'm about to do this... but I'm showing a picture of myself when I was as big as I ever remember being... In my defense, this picture was taken ten years ago in 2001 & I was on HEAVY doses of the dreaded steroid, Prednisone.  That mess blew me UP!  That's all I'm saying...

Summer 2001... looking like Winne the Pooh :-(

It was a really bad time for me... REALLY BAD.  I was not a happy camper.  I wasn't working. I was about to have major surgery to have my colon removed, and I was all around miserable.

But God is good.  I had two very successful surgeries, and eventually got off of all my colitis medication.  So years passed... my weight went up and down and around.  I had convinced myself that I was okay with how I looked... but it was absolutely not true!  The next picture of me was taken in December 2006... five years post surgery... no medicine to blame for being this size.  This was just good ol' fashioned "more calories in than out":

Christmas 2006

I think I gained a little more weight after the holidays... But some time in March of 2007, I walked past a mirror in my house and stopped.  I looked at myself & said, "Oh hell no. This is not cool!  AT ALL!" At that moment, I decided to join Weight Watchers.  I knew it worked, and I needed something to get me started... so I joined.  I still have my booklet from when I first started.  April 21, 2007:  Starting weight? 179.8.  Yep. You read that right.  Picture proof below:

Um... 180??? Say whaaat?

There is no reason a 5'2" woman should weight 180lbs... it's just not healthy!  But I was ready, and the weight started falling off...  In late 2007, I was introduced to Claudine Cooper, who I mentioned in a previous post.  She's my trainer, my friend, my sister and one of the best things that every happened to me.  I've probably said this before, but God brought her into my life exactly when I was ready for her.  I had figured out the eating part with the help of Weight Watchers, but I still wasn't good on the fitness.  Claudine changed all that... PLUS she came with two beautiful daughters (and now a son!) who I love to death, a husband who doesn't mind that I'm ALWAYS over their house working out, and a next door neighbor, Nichol, who has become a wonderful workout partner & friend.

Claudine, Nichol & JoLai; October 2010

Auntie JoLai at  "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" with 3 of my favorite little ones, TJ (Nichol's son), Mackenzie (Stacy's daughter), and Faye (Claudine's daughter)

Oh, back to the story... I can't remember why I stopped going to Weight Watchers... I wasn't at my goal weight yet, but I had lost nearly 40 pounds.

Last WW weigh in was 140.6 lbs... 39.2 lbs lost!

That was October of 2008.  Since then, I've gained weight and lost weight... kinda floating between 145 and 155.  That's not so great when I was down to 140.6, but I was pleased with how I looked & I knew there was some muscle gain going on.  I am not perfect on my eating habits, but I can pretty much keep it under control... otherwise I'd be back up to 180 again... and then some....

June 2009... maintaining

August 2010... still maintaining...

February 2011... looking good!

February 2011... still looking good (later that same day! LOL!)

Sidebar:  I have GOT to get a new pose!!!  LOL!  The problem is that I have to pose from that side because of my lazy left eye... and I always put my hand on my hip, because it makes my upper arm look smaller. LOL!  Oh well....

So back to what spurred me to blog again... I decided to go back to Weight Watchers to get off these last 20 or so pounds.  My weigh-in this morning was 151.8.  I knew where I was, so I wasn't shocked or anything. I don't know exactly how much I need to lose, but I do know I need to lose some more -- simply because I'm still 5'2" (not gonna grow any more!) and I shouldn't be 150 lbs. I carry that 150 well, but I'd love to get off my HBP medicine one day. Maybe this last 20 pounds will do the trick. 

I'll keep you posted on my WW journey.  This will be fun.  I'm excited about the new Points Plus plan... and, hell, Jennifer Hudson looks like a million bucks!  I'm gonna try to take a before picture that doesn't involve me wearing Spanx... I'll post it when I take it. :-)

Here I go again... I'm BACK!!!

Toodles!

Too Darn Hot...

This was the reading from my car at 4:17pm today.... 100 degrees... Today marked the hottest day in LA history!  Luckily, I spent the bulk of it indoors in my cool office building.  But when I got home & tried to work out, it felt like a sauna in my house... probably because I RARELY, if EVER, turn on my AC.  I have too much house to waste money cooling all the rooms when I'm only in one of them.  I did manage to do a DVD workout & two miles on the treadmill.  It took every bit of me to finish that two miles!  I was pooped when I finished!

So, I guess I don't have anything to talk about really.... work has been pretty nutso.  I've been spending time with friends... the usual stuff.  I thought I'd share with you a couple of things I have recently acquired... and a couple of things I would like to acquire soon!

First up:  Champion Sports Bra Style #1018!  The bra happens to be discontinued, but I found a couple on ebay.  Believe me when I tell you, this is the best sports bra for the money that I have ever found.  Holds "my girls" in when I'm jumping around and jogging... excellent for someone who is well-endowed.  But for some STRANGE reason, Champion discontinued the style... and I haven't found another one they make that compares.  I should write them a letter.....

Next up, another discontinued item:  Nike Shox Navina Sparkle... I don't think you can get the full image from the pictures, but they are quite bling-a-licious!  And I must have them!!!  Trying to decide between the white and black... they're also on ebay.  A wee bit pricey, but they would last me 2-3 years easily since I swap out shoes so much.

Finally, I've been drinking Shakeology meal replacement shakes.  Yummy yum yum!  I put ice, soy milk, maybe a half a banana in mine & it makes a great shake.  Totally fills me up!

Of course, drinking Shakeololgy means I needed a new blender!  A REAL BLENDER!  No, it's not a VitaMix, but it's also not the $30 blender I had from Target.  This one really works.  It set me back $80, but it's worth every penny...

Well, that's it for now.... gotta jump in the shower and get my mind right for Tuesday.  Hope to talk to you soon... I'm gonna do better with the blogging... (I know I keep saying that!) Did some fun things last weekend & have some fun things coming up... so I'll have lots to talk about!

Toodles!

Summer's Over...

It's been a while since I last posted, so this will be a catch up blog post!  August was a busy, but WONDERFUL month!  I would have to say the highlight was watching my BMFF (best male friend forever), Sean Patikas-Hunter, marry his beautiful wife, Rita, aka Mrs. Patikas-Hunter :-)  

The night before the wedding, Sean calls & tells me to come over... they're celebrating his last night as a single man over at his house.  Rita was already at the hotel.  So, of course, I get there & I'm the only girl there (sometimes I think Sean forgets I'm not a guy... LOL!)  I'm used to it by now, and Sean's guy friends don't even blink when I show up.  We talked & ate & drank... around midnight the guys were going to some bar, but I recommended that Sean stay home & get some rest.  He listened (and I'm sure he appreciated it the next morning!)  The wedding was Friday, August 20th... the day was perfect.  The ceremony was beautiful... I didn't even burst into a complete cry bubble the way I normally do at weddings.  I think I had gotten out of my system earlier that day... the wedding was in the evening on a yacht in Newport Harbor.  I hadn't seen Sean all day, but a few hours before the ceremony I got a text from him which pretty much brought me to tears.  Happy tears.  By wedding time I was all cried out.  I did get a little misty when I first saw Rita, because she was so beautiful.  I remember her telling me about when she found her dress & how she knew it was perfect.  When I saw her standing with her dad... Wow... she was right.  She was a picture perfect bride.  Here are some shots from the wedding & reception:

My best friends at the wedding, aka, "Sean's Lady Crew" LOL!
Stacy, Sharon, Taufiki, LaVetta, JoLai

The happy & handsome groom, Sean

"I do..."

The wedding party

Great friends from all over the country
to celebrate Sean & Rita's big day!

With the bride... I told Sean I'm on Team Rita now! LOL!

My favorite picture: the mother/son & father/daughter dance...
What you don't see is that Rita is looking at Sean the whole time.
That is when I cried again... it was such a moment.

Okay, so remember the weight loss challenge?  I actually lost 10lbs in August!  It was a result of checking my diet & working out (like I always do.)  So I felt good going into my Labor Day weekend vacation to Florida.  I wasn't going to go crazy and eat everything in sight, but I was not going to be the snack police either.  Yes, I ate a lot of chips... they were in the beach house, and I ate them.  But I also went walking with my dad Saturday & Sunday morning... walked on the beach Saturday... and went walking twice on Tuesday in Atlanta.  Some pix from Florida:

During my beach walk...

On my morning walk with Daddy...

This is pretty much what I did... :-)

Posing at sunset...

After my walk... the water was so clear!

My suntan... which almost became a sunburn...

We left Florida on Monday & headed up to Atlanta to celebrate Kimberly's  40th birthday.  She had a t-shirt & flip flops themed BBQ, and it was a blast!  I got to see a lot of friends from college, play with my nephews & eat some DELICIOUS fried fish.  Oh yes, I enjoyed that fried fish!!!

Yes, 40 year olds double dutch!  And do pop ups!

Our last day as 39 year olds together... Miz & Biz

Auntie's baby, Zachary... my little sunshine!

I'm proud of myself for not beating myself up for snacking and eating things that I normally wouldn't eat.  It's all about moderation.  As much as I would have loved to come home, jump on the scale & weigh what I weighed when I left.... that wasn't the case.  The good news is that I didn't gain even half my weight back, and I enjoyed some great food.  Of course, I'm back on my grind now.... I have given myself a 10lb goal for September.  I can do it!

Toodles!

Challenge...

I posed a challenge to my family last week... well, not really a challenge, just a little inspiration to workout. I vowed to lose 5lbs by Labor Day weekend.  Pretty much everyone followed my lead, and we're all planning to announce our SUCCESSES when we meet up for Labor Day.  I'm doing a pretty darn good job so far.  For me, all it takes is a watching my calorie intake & eating the right foods.  I have the workout part down.  It's not a problem for me.  I love to exercise... it's generally my favorite part of the day.  I've already lost 4lbs, so 5 will be no problem.  Between you & me, I really plan to lose 10lbs... so we'll see how it goes.  My motto for my birthday was "Eat, Drink & Be Merry", so I'm making up for it now.

The picture above was taken this past weekend at a wonderful luncheon I was invited to.  It was a celebration of Fifty Fabulous Women... and I must say it was incredible! I met some great women, and it was such a beautiful day, as you can see in the picture.  As you can also see, I wore a strapless dress... let me tell you, JoLai does not do strapless!  One, I am well endowed, and it's just weird to not have bra straps... two, I never liked showing my arms.  When my trainer, Claudine, saw me at the luncheon, she was soooo proud of me.  She's been working my arms & shoulders to death!  I asked for it, and she's giving it to me.  The dress is from The Gap... and I'm pretty sure I've had it for a decade.  LOL.  I was digging through the closet & found it.  Cheers to me!  It'll be too big soon, so someone else can enjoy it next summer... unless I take it to my tailor to have it nipped in... I kinda like it.

With my girlfriends, Nichol & Stacy

The view was amazing!

Oh, before I go, I wore one of the dresses from my last post... it's the one I wore to Jon & Leslie's wedding.  It's definitely gonna be too big soon.  I wore it to a bridal shower last weekend... with my Calvin Klein wedges that I love...

FYI, Leslie's blog is back up & running at:
www.fashiondujourdaily.wordpress.com

That's all for now.... next post I'm considering sharing my "before" pictures.  I look at them & thank God that He positioned me to be READY to make this change in my life three years ago!!!

Toodles!

The Right To Bare Arms...

Before I start... I want to say THANK YOU to my sister, Dr. Kimberly Manning, for writing about me in her fabulous blog... here's the link to the post: Reflection on Tuesday: No Excuses

Okay... here we go!

I've never been a super girly girl... I'm much more at home in jeans and a t-shirt with flip-flops... or sweats and sneakers... My job is very casual, and when I do wear a dress, it's like the talk of the whole floor.  LOL.  Because I don't wear dresses & skirts to work very often, I like to wear them when I go out.  I love to buy dresses, and I love to wear dresses.

Here I am again in my signature pose... haha!

One change that has happened in the last year is that I've become a bit more confident about showing my arms.  There is probably no part of my body that I struggle with more than my arms.  When I was on heavy doses of prednisone for my colitis back in 2001, my body swelled up like a balloon.  And my arms GREW (along with everything else), so I have some stretch marks on the back of my arms that I really don't like.  After a lot of soul searching, I have learned to accept all of my "battle scars" from my struggle with ulcerative colitis.  As I've worked out & lost weight, my arms have gotten smaller.  Now, I don't mind showing them.  I'm still not super happy with them, but I'm not gonna wear a shawl all night to cover them either.

In the coming months, I have a LOT of events to attend.... my BMFF's wedding, luncheons, holiday parties, etc.  And I have a LOT of dresses to wear.  I'm just about confident in a size 10 these days (especially if the dress has some stretch to it!), so a lot of my size 12 dresses are about to be too big.... which means I need to wear them before the end of the year!

I've taken some pictures of some of the dresses I'll be wearing in the coming months... and you'll see that many of them are sleeveless :-)

Love this one... it's definitely a summery dress... may save it to wear to my BFF's wedding in Hawaii next June... but, I will probably find something else before then :-)

This is such a great little black dress I got from Ross. It has side pockets & ties in the back.  The current problem with this dress is that is is SHORT... shows a bit more thigh than I'm comfortable showing (right now), but it might be great for a holiday party if I work extra hard!

You can't really tell from the picture, but this is kind of iridescent.  It fits great right now... will probably be too big in the top soon.  I love it enough to take it to my tailor & get it nipped in on the sides.  Looks short on the picture, but it's a good length for me.  I'm pretty sure it came from Ross or Marshall's.

A recent purchase from Banana Republic.  I'm pretty sure I'm wearing it to my BMFF's wedding in a couple of weeks.  It's silk, and I love it.  Kinda proud of myself for choosing color to wear to this wedding instead of playing it safe in black.

Also snatched this up at BR.  It's kinda thick, and would be great for a holiday work function.  

You guessed it... BR!  Shirt dress with a slip dress underneath.  Thinking of wearing this to a luncheon I'm going to in a couple weeks... It's super cute.  I see my Calvin Klein wedge sandals going with this perfectly...

This dress is pretty old... in fact, I know exactly when I got it, because I wore it to Jon & Leslie's wedding. LOL.  It's just about too big now, but I may be able to get one more wear out of it.  It's brown and white.  By the way, you can check out Leslie's fashion blog at FASHION du jour.  It's a great site with great fashion tips & ideas!

This is a chocolate brown dress... simple... and cap sleeved.  I am not a cap sleeve girl at all.  Nothing is more unflattering to my arms than a cap sleeve... I have a feeling this one will be given away.  By the time I'm okay to wear it... I'll be too small for it.

This is a black dress... it is a semi-heavy satin-like fabric, but it has print as well.  It's really cute from one of my favorite stores, White House/Black Market.  I definitely need to wear this one to a holiday party this year, because it will FOR SURE be too big in a few months.

Finally... I just added this one because it's in my closet.  I am sure I got it at Ross/Marshalls/TJMaxx, and I'm sure it was probably about ten bucks.  It's actually very cute, but right now it is too tight.  I'll step out in this one next year... for someone's 40th birthday party... in some hot gold sandals... :-)

There you have it.... looking at all these sleeveless dresses makes me want to do some more pushups & triceps kickbacks before I hit the hay.... Toodles!!!