Simply Breakfast

I use to be okay having the same thing for breakfast every morning (oatmeal), but now I find myself desiring vegetables and protein in the morning. 

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I am beastly hungry in the mornings, like violently. That's one of the reasons why I can't work out on an empty stomach like some of my bloggers friend do (I'm talking to you, Pastsy!).

Breaking the fast is so so important and research shows that people who eat breakfast are more likely to lose and maintain a healthy weight. And for me that just makes common sense because in the past when I wasn't having breakfast, by lunchtime I was eating everything in sight.

And another reason why I'm so hungry in the morning is because I don't eat after 6 p.m. I have supper by 5ish. I'm a big believer in eating hours before bedtime. 

Here's yesterday's breakfast:

Amy's Southwestern Burrito (with corn masa, refried beans, and cheese) - I don't eat meat so beans is one of the ways I get protein, 290 calories
Steamed Bok Choy with a little salt - 20 calories or a bit less
1 Whole Pink Grapefruit - 105 calories 

Today's breakfast: 

I had already eaten half when this photo was taken! So good!

I wanted to have something a bit heavier since it's my day off from classes & I have midday fitness classes (Strength & Alignment & Spinning, 45 min. each) at my gym today. I was in the mood for pasta, but I've been dodging pasta because 1 serving is so high caloric and is hardly filling for me. So instead of eating 3 servings or 4 servings like I probably use to (I blame my backfat entirely on pasta), I beefed (haha) it up with cherry tomatoes (I've been having a passionate love affair with cherry tomatoes lately), onions, green sweet peppers, 1 tsp. olive oil, a little tomato sauce, sausage-less soy sausage, and spinach.

Yum!

Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for all the support on my weigh-in! XO!

-A-

Wednesday Weigh-In.

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to pop in for a minute to announce today's weigh-in: 

(Look at my hair! My mother would be so ashamed!)

My weight this morning was 205.2 

Last week: 209.2 

That's a 4 pound loss, y'all!

Heaviest (known) weight, summer '09 - 236 pounds

January 3, 2009 - 226.4

When I got really invested in this weight-loss thing at the beginning of the year, I weighed in at 226.4 and since then I've lost a little over 20 pounds. Yayyy! By January 13th I was down to 219, but then I went back up to 226 by January 20th when I broke up with Chris. 

Since then I've sworn off men (seriously this time!) and I'm channeling most of that energy (when I'm not pinning over Chris) towards my health. 

So I've lost 21 pounds in 8 weeks, if I start counting from January 20th. 

I'll definitely be able to make my birthday goal! So excited!

-A-

P.S. : I think I've sworn off having children because constipation (I think due to my TOM) is no joke! I can't imagine surviving labor. And those poop pills I took last night have left me runny and with a stomach ache! Aiiii!

Alexia's Closet - Part 2

First of all, please allow me to show off my new shoes!

Glamorous, huh?

Thank you for your comments on "Alexia's Closet - Part 1." XO!

As I wrote, I'm grateful to now incorporate some items in my closet that I wouldn't  originally wear because I believed that they made me look...well, as big as I am. What a concept, huh? That people actually write books to advise people on how to look thinner. And some of us read these books and implement them into our lives! I'm mean, obviously some things are common sense (like all white isn't flattering, umm hardly ever), but I never want to be obsessed about looking (but not ACTUALLY being any thinner) ever again.  I guess, for me, it just makes sense for to focus on losing the weight instead of trying to trick people with darker clothes or whatever!

So although I'm happier with my closet being that I have a variety of color and patterns, I really am not passionately in love with much of it. When I go shopping, I see so many great things in small sizes, but sadly what I buy and wear is often JUST what fits me. Yup, that's it. Isn't that sad? The sister is thin so she can wear whatever she wants (her sizes are always in stock) and I have even picked out clothes for her so that I can live vicariously through her :(

Here is a staple in my closet:

 

In the past, I would buy skirts like these because they are stretchy and comfortable in the summer. But usually they aren't all that flattering on me and I don't even like 'em!

And here's a white one! Good grief...why ever would I buy this?! I've never actually worn it! Oh yes, it was on sale for dirt cheap....

So I suppose one of the rewards of losing weight and getting healthy is wearing clothes that I actually do like.

Have a great week, everyone - it's finally getting warmer here in NY! I was even able to wear a skirt today!

Lovingly,
Alexia

A love letter & constipation!

This is me happy because the baby I'm sitting lost the fight so she's fast asleep! Her brother wrote me another love letter today:

 

Its says:

"To: Alxiea (Alexia)

I am sorrey (sorry) for not lisining (listening) to you I am haveing (having) a nis (nice) time with you you are a grat (great) baby sitr (sitter).

***********

Can we play a nuther (another) game uv (of) chess with you!"

He decorated the letter with smiley faces he drew and the words "love" and "happy nis (happiness)."

My immediate thoughts were:

(a.) Hmmm...he hasn't learned about punctuation yet.

(b.) Are those astericks a design? Or are they being used as a line break?!

(c.) How has he already caught on to what men master?! You know telling us sweet things or giving us gifts when they mess up.

But enough about my current love interest. Here's what I learnt about my body this weekend:

I suppose that if you're eating lots of Chinese and other crap foods (like I've done over and over), it would be hard and near impossible to listen to or trust your body 'cause your system is so out of wack trying to digest all the excess fat.

But since I've been eating so much better, (only natural foods, no junk, no soda!!, barely any juice, etc.) I feel much more aware of my body. That means that I know when I'm really hungry, thirsty, when I'm not well rested, when I need to add more protein to my diet, my sugar is low, etc.

And I'm also more aware of my body physically. I suppose it's the exercise, but I feel my heaviness, my lightness when I lose weight, etc.

So this past friday, I knew that something was up. I felt heavy and I realized that I hadn't pooped the day before. I weighed myself and I was up like 5 pounds! To make a long story short, my TOM came the day after, and since then I've been constipated and bloated. What's interesting is that I've never really noticed how different my body was (bloating, etc.) during my TOM, but since I'm taking better care of myself, my stomach feels different (bloating?) and I can't really put the other differences in words.

How spectacular is that?!

-A-

Alexia's Closet - Part 1

I  looked at my closet last night and I realized for the first time how many great prints and colors I have in tops, dresses, and skirts. I then consciously realized that I'm relatively happy with my wardrobe. Here are a few things my closet will tell you:

- At heart, I'm a bit of an anti-consumerist so I don't have tons of clothes. I'm the kind of person who will occasionally wear a "gently used" (Haha) top two days in a row. And jeans are never worn once and put in the hamper! Does anyone actually do that?! One of my somewhat posh girlfriends who is always trying to fix me up once said to me, "Didn't you, umm, wear that yesterday?!" Ha!

- The biggest thing for me is comfort. I figure that if I'm going to wear something all day long, I'd better be comfortable. Well, except for occasions that call for sky high heels - I'll stand the pain for glamour!

- I have some favorites, like:

 

 Berets

  

Printed scarves. I loveeeee scarves.

 I have a thing for bags. This purse is currently my favorite! It's an authentic vintage leather coach bag I got for crazy cheap ($25!) at a NYC thrift store. But I use to only wear really big, like HUGE bags, because I once read that I would look thinner in comparison to the bag. That may be and probably is true, but what a disturbing concept? How's about just encouraging people to get healthy?

                                                                      Headbads!

I must have 5 pairs of converses under my bed!! And I've been wearing these awesome boots all winter.

 Like I was saying earlier, I realized how much color and prints I have in my closet now. For example:

I love this formal skirt! It's gold and billowy. The fabric is beautiful and I always get compliments!

 

 I love stripes! This dress is so cute.

And the lovely patterns & colors in these three skirts I've had since I was 17 or 18!  (Here are two more things are about me: If I like something, I may buy two or three! And no piece of clothing ever goes out of style for me, which means that I'm still wearing clothes I wore in my late teenage years.)

But what was especially wonderful to see in my closet was these 4 shirts:

 

 

For awhile I would only wear black tops because I read somewhere that black is the most slimming color and I ran with that. I remember doing laundry and  having a small mountain of black tops to my mother's dismay. I remember one time, my friend's young son was looking for a tiny hole in my black t-shirt because he thought it was the same shirt he had seen the hole in the day before. I told him it was a different shirt and my friend chimed in with, "Yeah, Alexia always wears black."

Thank God I moved away from that phase and started to wear color two summers ago. I remember that the same friend, the one with the son, complimented me on one of my first sips of color, a pink t-shirt.

I don't do anything to try to look thinner now. Well, except for not wearing shapeless, baggy clothes and anything too white! And that's pretty fair.

Now I'm just working to get healthier.

I'll share more about my closet in a day or two. What are your closets like? Do you do anything to look thinner? If so, what?

Have a healthful weekend!

-A-

GASP! I look SO skinny!

Someone took these photos yesterday and tagged me on facebook!

 

 

3rd week of "Me So Hongry's" Cute As A Bunny Easter Challenge

For the second week of the challenge, my goal was walk more instead of taking public transportation and the elevator. And that went well. I actually like to walk. I'm not so in love with walking up stairs, but how fun is walking down the stairs?! Haha. 

The goal of the challenge is to lose one pound per week, but as you can see in yesterday's post, I exceeded that. Here's how I'm trying to think about my weightloss: 2 pounds is fabulous & a healthy loss, and anything else is a gift and should be treated accordingly. In other words, I don't plan on obsessing to lose 5 pounds per week and twenty pounds per month.

For the third week of the challenge, which starts today, my goal is to do 200 situps per day. That goal is influenced by Chris over at A Deliberate Life. 

I'm thinking that I'll break up the situps to different parts of the day - maybe 100 in the morning, 50 in the afternoon at work, and 50 more at night.

My tummy could use the burrrrrrrn!!

Have a good day everyone! And thank you for all the encouragement on yesterday's weigh-in!

-A-