soon. I'm working on a new name, and some great ideas. I haven't forgotten about my wonderful website, I just need some real thinking time. I'll be back as soon as possible. (: Until then, entertain me with your wit.
Chubby... eh...
Taylor for now.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
I'm feeling Fall.
Yesterday was a great day. I spent all of my day with the wonderful girlfriend. We went out to breakfast at Poor Boy's, a diner down the street from my house. I cheated a little and had eggs benny, which I've been dying to have for weeks now. I figured I would redeem myself later with eating a healthy lunch and dinner. We went to four different, beautiful farms around the area and picked apples and pumpkins. It's something I've been dying to do since Autumn came around. I love the fall. It's such a beautiful time when the leaves start changing and the colors of New England really start showing. I know it sounds ultra cheesy, but it was a romantic day. Picking apples with my girlfriend and holding hands while we walk around the farms is my kind of Sunday. We got the biggest pumpkins we could find, but she was feeling a little under the weather, so we opted out of carving them last night and did them today instead. I also made delicious pumpkin seeds, which is really easy to do. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet coated with olive oil or earth balance butter. I did some experimenting with the flavoring which was one section topped with cayane pepper (Brittany thought these were delicious, but the brother and cousin did not), one section was regular sea salt, one section was the sweet and salty (sea salt and raw sugar), one was maple (I used straight up maple syrup) and one section was brown sugar. I topped them all with a bit of olive oil and baked them under the broiler for about 10 minutes. Make sure you don't put them too close to the broiler coil because they will burn fast. I made sure to check them a few times and rotate the pan once so they didn't burn too fast.
I'm also in the process of making some homemade apple crisp, something I would say is my specialty. I first created it almost two years ago in a health class I was taking in high school and perfected the recipe to my liking.
Taylor's Perfect Apple Crisp (Vegan Friendly)
1 1/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup Oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon, mixed with 1/4 tsp. sugar (if you are from NH and you've heard of Camp Mix Spices, they make an amazing tasting apple cinnamon spice that you can use 1 tbsp of in place of this)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional, because some people don't like the taste of this)
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup Earth Balance Butter
4-5 apples, peeled and sliced into cubes*
*I always use different types of apples because it gives it an original taste, but people tend to like Grannysmith, Gala, or Courtland for this type of baked good. If you aren't familiar with apples, I would suggest against a Red Delicious, because those have a weird texture when baked and the McIntosh, because those become way too mushy. You can check out the Cook's Thesaurus' apple section to find out if your favorite apple is good for baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter well. (this is crutial because if you don't mix the butter well, there will be parts of the crisp that are too liquidy)
Take 9x13 glass baking dish and pack half the mixture on bottom
Take cut apples and distribute over mixture into evenly dish
Add rest of mixture on top of apples (optional: if you want to add a crumbly topping, mix cinnamon sugar with some butter and mix very well and sprinkle on top)
Cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on what type of apples you use. You will be able to tell it's done by the looks of the crisp, not apples.
Let cool for 5 minutes and serve on top of Vanilla Soy Delicious ice cream!
Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
ChubbyGirlT
I'm also in the process of making some homemade apple crisp, something I would say is my specialty. I first created it almost two years ago in a health class I was taking in high school and perfected the recipe to my liking.
Taylor's Perfect Apple Crisp (Vegan Friendly)
1 1/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup Oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon, mixed with 1/4 tsp. sugar (if you are from NH and you've heard of Camp Mix Spices, they make an amazing tasting apple cinnamon spice that you can use 1 tbsp of in place of this)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional, because some people don't like the taste of this)
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup Earth Balance Butter
4-5 apples, peeled and sliced into cubes*
*I always use different types of apples because it gives it an original taste, but people tend to like Grannysmith, Gala, or Courtland for this type of baked good. If you aren't familiar with apples, I would suggest against a Red Delicious, because those have a weird texture when baked and the McIntosh, because those become way too mushy. You can check out the Cook's Thesaurus' apple section to find out if your favorite apple is good for baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter well. (this is crutial because if you don't mix the butter well, there will be parts of the crisp that are too liquidy)
Take 9x13 glass baking dish and pack half the mixture on bottom
Take cut apples and distribute over mixture into evenly dish
Add rest of mixture on top of apples (optional: if you want to add a crumbly topping, mix cinnamon sugar with some butter and mix very well and sprinkle on top)
Cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on what type of apples you use. You will be able to tell it's done by the looks of the crisp, not apples.
Let cool for 5 minutes and serve on top of Vanilla Soy Delicious ice cream!
Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
ChubbyGirlT
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's been a while...
But I'm still alive. I have been so busy lately with starting my new job, continuing to work at the salon, working out and trying to get down time to be with my girlfriend. It's been hectic, but I've been doing fair with eating right and working out. I haven't stayed on schedule with working out, which I'm a tad upset about, but it'll come back to me. Getting used to waking up at 6:30 am is a challenge. I also start school again Oct 19, but I'm going back for nights. I'm pretty excited because I have to admit, I missed it. I've been crazy looking for creative, healthy recipes and I'm leaning towards the more vegan side of things. I haven't been going crazy with the vegan diet, but I love checking out the alternative to meats and cheese. It actually makes me feel a ton better. I made up this delicious buffalo tofu wrap recipe that my friends and girlfriend were a pretty big fan of.
Taylor's Buffalo "Chicken" Wrap
1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup of your favorite buffalo wing sauce
2 tsp. honey
tortilla wraps
red peppers, chopped
onion, chopped into small pieces
shredded mexican blend or cheddar imitation cheese
Drain and press tofu (if you have never cooked tofu, click here to find out how to press)
Let sit for 15 minutes
Cut up tofu into small blocks
Mix 1-1 1/2 cups of buffalo wing sauce with honey and put tofu in to marinate for about 1 hour in fridge
After marinating, get a frying pan and coat with olive oil.
Cook tofu in frying pan on medium low heat, keep constant movement on tofu so it won't stick to bottom of pan
Tofu will be cooked when it starts to get brownish around the edges
Add red peppers and chopped onions
Serve with cheddar "cheese" on a tortilla
*I just put my stir fry on half the tortilla and folded the other half over, and stuck them in the oven for a few minutes under the broiler.
Hope you guys enjoy this delicious vegan meal. It's great for a quick lunch or you can turn it into a casual dinner.
I am also going to make an effort to write more blogs. I've been cooking alot lately, so I'll be putting up recipes and letting you know if they are a pass or fail. I think this is a pass and everyone that tried it gave it 4 stars.
I'm planning some baked ziti, not sure yet if I'm going vegan with this one. But I did find a wonderful blog, who has adorable photos on her page of her cute kids and she's got some GREAT!! vegan recipes and all the stuff you love to hear when you are a vegan. Your Vegan Mom, check her out.
Happy Vegan Eating.
ChubbyGirlT
[EDIT: I also updated my weight ticker! 5lbs lost ladies and gents. (:]
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The working out thing is going great!
Sorry I wasn't around for the past few days. I have been trying to stay away from the computer because I tend to sit for way too long here. I decided to do some baking Saturday night and the vegan cookies I made were delicious! I've been doing really well keeping up with working out. Monday, I worked out on the wii for 30 minutes and today I sweat my ass off doing the wii for 65 minutes! I am thrilled with my progress. My weigh in for today is 189! 2 lbs lost since I started this blog. I have been researching more into being a vegan, and I love it so far. Being lactose intolerant, I find that most of the time after I eat I feel sick, and sometimes even lathargic. My switching my diet and getting rid of egg and dairy products, I feel so much better and more motivated. There are many options out there for people who are looking to become vegan. Vegweb.com is a great starting point for all of you home cooks who love making and baking homemade. They have great vegan recipes of all different categories and wonderful ideas for egg replacements for those who love to bake, like me! Vegweb features everything from homemade bread, breakfast (including "egg-type" dishes!), dips and dressing, even event and holiday recipes, all vegan friendly. I highly recommend you check them out for some different dishes to spice up your eating. My favorite cookie recipe is called Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies. Follow the directions just right and they taste exactly like a real cookie. The only thing I found to dislike is the smell of them. So find a delicious tasting Yankee Candle cookie scent to burn while you make them!!
Here is the recipe for Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies found on my favorite website vegweb.com...
Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (optional)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
Directions:
VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.
The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.
Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.
These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.
ChubbyGirlT
Here is the recipe for Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies found on my favorite website vegweb.com...
Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (optional)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
Directions:
VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.
The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.
Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.
These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.
ChubbyGirlT
Saturday, September 26, 2009
My first ever VEGAN meal!
After long thought of the benefits of becoming vegan, I decided to give it a whirl. I went into the whole process very shyly, walking into my local organic/vegetarian store. I found a few recipes for "beginner vegans," one of which was a very tasty taco dish made with TVP (textured vegetable protein) and it came out delicious! Although I changed the recipe from the original, it still only took me about 5 minutes to make. It tasted like the real thing, but the after affect made me feel so much better than eating a beef stuffed taco! I wasn't ready to take a nap, I didn't feel like a gigantic grease ball and it was actually quite nutritious. I went to a few different places to find some organic and vegan friendly things that I'm planning on trying during the week. I have to say, being a vegan is a little discouraging sometimes. You really don't realise how many things have animal based products in them until you start looking at all the ingredients. I don't think I'm going to be a full-time vegan (partly because of my lack of expenses) but it's opening my eyes to a whole new world that I never considered exploring before I decided to become a healthier person. Here's the recipe, with alterations for a tasty vegan dinner.
Chubby Girl T's TVP Tacos
2 c TVP
2 c water
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pk. taco seasoning (I used Simply organic southern style taco seasoning)
flour tortillas
Heat water on medium heat in a frying pan until water forms small bubbles.
Add TVP to water, and continually mix well until TVP starts to swell.
Lower heat.
Add oil and soy sauce, then add taco mix. Stir well until mix has fully dissloved in TVP.
Turn heat off and take pan off stove. ( I made the mistake of leaving it on low, and the bottom layer of taco filling was sticking and burning)
*You can also add some red or yellow peppers by cooking them in the pan prior to putting the water in, and put them in while you add the oil and soy sauce.
I used non-dairy cheese, tortillas, and my girlfriend made salsa as well.
I'm pretty proud of myself for starting this journey and my girlfriend says my attitude is starting to change, which I'm really happy about. I'm in the process of listening to her yell at the Red Sox for losing to the Yankees and baking vegan Lemon Poppyseed muffins, which I will most likely be blogging about tomorrow on a pass or fail basis.
A question I have on my mind for anyone that is or has been vegan is What is a good substitue for recipes that call for eggs? I know that applesauce is a good one, but eggs have a thicker consistancy and are also an emulsifier for water and oil, and some baking really requires an egg or two. I have found some mixes that don't have animal based products and only require water, but I love making my own food, so if anyone has any ideas, please pop me a line.
Happy eating all of my fellow weight losers.
ChubbyGirlT
Chubby Girl T's TVP Tacos
2 c TVP
2 c water
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pk. taco seasoning (I used Simply organic southern style taco seasoning)
flour tortillas
Heat water on medium heat in a frying pan until water forms small bubbles.
Add TVP to water, and continually mix well until TVP starts to swell.
Lower heat.
Add oil and soy sauce, then add taco mix. Stir well until mix has fully dissloved in TVP.
Turn heat off and take pan off stove. ( I made the mistake of leaving it on low, and the bottom layer of taco filling was sticking and burning)
*You can also add some red or yellow peppers by cooking them in the pan prior to putting the water in, and put them in while you add the oil and soy sauce.
I used non-dairy cheese, tortillas, and my girlfriend made salsa as well.
I'm pretty proud of myself for starting this journey and my girlfriend says my attitude is starting to change, which I'm really happy about. I'm in the process of listening to her yell at the Red Sox for losing to the Yankees and baking vegan Lemon Poppyseed muffins, which I will most likely be blogging about tomorrow on a pass or fail basis.
A question I have on my mind for anyone that is or has been vegan is What is a good substitue for recipes that call for eggs? I know that applesauce is a good one, but eggs have a thicker consistancy and are also an emulsifier for water and oil, and some baking really requires an egg or two. I have found some mixes that don't have animal based products and only require water, but I love making my own food, so if anyone has any ideas, please pop me a line.
Happy eating all of my fellow weight losers.
ChubbyGirlT
Friday, September 25, 2009
Day Two. "I could have worked out longer."
I slipped.
Every Thursday night my family, friends, girlfriend and I go to a cinema slash restaurant for "movie preview night." It's a good time to see my extended family, who before these movie nights became a tradition, I saw once or twice a year. It's also a bad time for me to eat fried, junky food. I didn't exactly slide back down a slippery slope, because I got a grilled chicken sandwich, opted out of the mayo but it was loaded with mushrooms and had two slices of bacon and is all placed on a giant bulky roll. I did take one piece of bacon off and ripped half of the bread off the sandwich, which was an improvement from what my smothered in mayo and honey mustard, extra bacon sandwich would have looked like. I'm a little proud of myself, but next time, I wo
n't eat all those fries. I also had a few handfuls of popcorn and a soda, something that I really should cut out completely. Starting today, I'm cutting out soda, iced tea (which I am completely addicted to) and sugary juice (some juices can be more packed with sugar than soda!, click the link to read the proof).
I've starting researching healthy alternatives to the choices I normally make when I run into CVS to grab something to quench my thirst.
The drink Fuze is starting to turn up everywhere I go. I've heard mixed reviews on these, so I decided to check it out for myself. They have a few different "lines" of drinks, one called Slenderize. Strawberry Melon, Tangerine Grapefruit, Dragonfruit Lime, Empower Pomegranate Acai Berry, and Empower Goji Berry all pack 20 calories in the entire drink and only 2g of sugar. Tropical Punch is only 10 calories, but there are 12g of sugar!! You can check out their other drinks here.
The other one I've seen around is Naked Juice, a fruit smoothie with no sugar or preservatives added, just all natural flavor. Although I haven't tried it, it seems pretty "delish." Their website features all the juices they make, along with nutritional facts for each. They can be found at your local grocery store.
My last juice review is on Pom, the all natural pomegranate juice. Although they often place this in the fruit section of your grocery store, I'm not sure how benificial it is for those of us trying to lose weight. I found the website a little difficult to navigate, so I did a search online and also left a message with their customer representative. The regular serving size for one cup of this natural juice is 160 calories, 36g of sugar, and 10mg of sodium, but it does pack 430mg of Potassium, if you are lacking. Pom is great for various other health problems, which you can find out on their website, but not the low-sugar alternative I'm looking for.
My weight in for today was 190lbs. I also worked out my abs and lower stomach today. I looked online a few days ago for some workouts for a flabby stomach, and I found this to helpful for my first day. I did 2 reps of 10 for the double straight leg stretch, 2 reps of 15 of the pelvic thrusts, and skipped over the chair leg lifts. I also found the moves this guy does in his youtube video to be helpful. I didn't watch the entire video, but I did 2 reps of 20 (10 for each side). Then I did a little cardio to get my heart pumping, which was 2 reps of 50 jumping jacks.
So all and all, I'm pretty happy that I'm starting to stick to this. I did end up revealing myself to my girlfriend, who I'm happy didn't completely shit herself that I weight more than what she thought. She is a weight loss story that I'll be featuring in a few weeks, when she gets me the pictures of herself when she was heavy. I'm just trying to keep the journey going and don't stop on a side road to eat a few pastries.
Chubby Girl T
[EDIT 2:37 pm - I have moved all of my pictures of me that were in the post above this one here. I will be editing that blog with pictures of various things, if you would like to see my progress through photos.]
Every Thursday night my family, friends, girlfriend and I go to a cinema slash restaurant for "movie preview night." It's a good time to see my extended family, who before these movie nights became a tradition, I saw once or twice a year. It's also a bad time for me to eat fried, junky food. I didn't exactly slide back down a slippery slope, because I got a grilled chicken sandwich, opted out of the mayo but it was loaded with mushrooms and had two slices of bacon and is all placed on a giant bulky roll. I did take one piece of bacon off and ripped half of the bread off the sandwich, which was an improvement from what my smothered in mayo and honey mustard, extra bacon sandwich would have looked like. I'm a little proud of myself, but next time, I wo
n't eat all those fries. I also had a few handfuls of popcorn and a soda, something that I really should cut out completely. Starting today, I'm cutting out soda, iced tea (which I am completely addicted to) and sugary juice (some juices can be more packed with sugar than soda!, click the link to read the proof).I've starting researching healthy alternatives to the choices I normally make when I run into CVS to grab something to quench my thirst.
The drink Fuze is starting to turn up everywhere I go. I've heard mixed reviews on these, so I decided to check it out for myself. They have a few different "lines" of drinks, one called Slenderize. Strawberry Melon, Tangerine Grapefruit, Dragonfruit Lime, Empower Pomegranate Acai Berry, and Empower Goji Berry all pack 20 calories in the entire drink and only 2g of sugar. Tropical Punch is only 10 calories, but there are 12g of sugar!! You can check out their other drinks here.
The other one I've seen around is Naked Juice, a fruit smoothie with no sugar or preservatives added, just all natural flavor. Although I haven't tried it, it seems pretty "delish." Their website features all the juices they make, along with nutritional facts for each. They can be found at your local grocery store.
My last juice review is on Pom, the all natural pomegranate juice. Although they often place this in the fruit section of your grocery store, I'm not sure how benificial it is for those of us trying to lose weight. I found the website a little difficult to navigate, so I did a search online and also left a message with their customer representative. The regular serving size for one cup of this natural juice is 160 calories, 36g of sugar, and 10mg of sodium, but it does pack 430mg of Potassium, if you are lacking. Pom is great for various other health problems, which you can find out on their website, but not the low-sugar alternative I'm looking for.
My weight in for today was 190lbs. I also worked out my abs and lower stomach today. I looked online a few days ago for some workouts for a flabby stomach, and I found this to helpful for my first day. I did 2 reps of 10 for the double straight leg stretch, 2 reps of 15 of the pelvic thrusts, and skipped over the chair leg lifts. I also found the moves this guy does in his youtube video to be helpful. I didn't watch the entire video, but I did 2 reps of 20 (10 for each side). Then I did a little cardio to get my heart pumping, which was 2 reps of 50 jumping jacks.
So all and all, I'm pretty happy that I'm starting to stick to this. I did end up revealing myself to my girlfriend, who I'm happy didn't completely shit herself that I weight more than what she thought. She is a weight loss story that I'll be featuring in a few weeks, when she gets me the pictures of herself when she was heavy. I'm just trying to keep the journey going and don't stop on a side road to eat a few pastries.
Chubby Girl T
[EDIT 2:37 pm - I have moved all of my pictures of me that were in the post above this one here. I will be editing that blog with pictures of various things, if you would like to see my progress through photos.]
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day One of Week One
I'm becoming unusually obsessed with goals lately. They are really keeping my ADD brain focused on what I'm doing and where I'm going. Plus, I have never been a great self-motivator, so this helps alot (thanks mom for the wonderful world of setting goals you introduced me to!!)
I'm starting small. My first goal is to get back to 175lbs. I want to start this way because I am a junk foodie. I am going to be working on eating healthier and starting a work-out regiment. I've never been great with sticking with things, so it's going to be a transition. I might be a little overwhelmed honestly, so I am going to keep myself as motivated as possible.
I am currently doing a bit of research in a few of my girlfriend's and mom's Women's Fitness and Women's Health magazines, reading up online and with a little help from the old Weight Watchers books my mo
m has. I have a sweet tooth like crazy, and I am a huge fan of baking things, so something important I would love to find is healthy, yet deliciously "un-bland" desserts. I find that alot of healthy desserts taste like chalk, paper, or something equally unedible, which is totally disgusting. I am also a fan of eating out, which I know will come to an end if I'm trying to eat healthy and actually lose the weight. If you are a fan of a fatty, fried, greasy, salty, sugary, carbo-overloaded dinner (sounds pretty gross now that I put it out there) out at some steak house or chain restaurant like I am, going out to eat and nibbling on a salad with no dressing, because everything else is too unhealthy for your diet and weight loss, while everyone else orders wings and nachos is really depressing (and might I add, quite not filling). Now, I know there are alternatives at places like Applebee's and Panera Bread, and if you click the name, it actually links to the ehow.com's explaination to eat healthy at both and not just order a salad. For now, I don't think I have enough willpower to go there and not get my normal (probably pushing 1,000 calorie) meal.
I am also doing research on the working out aspect. Today, I flunked completely and ran around my house in a circle (unfortunately we got rid of our treadmil and I can't afford a gym right now so I can look like a fool for the time being). I jogged around for about 7 minutes, while I listened to The Cab on youtube. Then I did about 25 jumping jacks, 30 lunges, and 30 of these cool step-step dip-dip things I saw on an infomercial once at 2 am. The step-step dip-dip is really just marching in place, while you swing your arms and stepping and then stepping further to the side and then to the other side and bringing it back to the middle. It's a common work out step that I've actually seen alot, but I figured we could giggle at the fact that I even watched an infomercial at 2 am. Needless to say, I was sweating my ass off. I do, in fact, have a method to all my madness, if you are wondering what the hell I was doing. Today was cardio. I planned on doing half an hour or so of cardio today to get my heart pumping and shed some fatty tissue. This is what my week will look like in an overview... just so you get an idea of how I'm doing things. This is the easiest and most organized way for me to do this because otherwise, I will just be working out in the dark every day and nothing will get done.
Monday: working out my flabby wing arms
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: getting rid of my muffin top, toning my butt and legs
I chose not to work out for two days, of the weekend, because I am usually all over the place. I also really only have a problem with my arms and stomach. They really need help!! The cardio will help me shed the excess weight around the entirety of my body, so cardio three times a week is good for me. I plan on trying new things every day and finding out which ones work for me and which are just total failures. There are some great websites with videos on them for various routines, moves and to help you get started if you aren't ready to blow money on dvds or a personal trainer.
ExerciseTV has good and free mini work outs that you can watch. The website is really cool, but some of the things you have to pay for, which sucks. Only the mini workouts are free, and if you don't mind spending some money, you can pick a trainer you like and watch their full length video.
Workoutz.com is pretty cool, with all the videos being free, but some of the videos require free weights, a weight bench, a yoga ball, or they are outside, and I know I'm not taking my desktop outside to work out. It is good if you have a laptop and can move around, or just fudge it and make the best of your space. I used heavy Yankee Candles and my books from schools when I didn't have weights to work out my arms, so improvise!!
Physicalfitnet.com is pretty cool, because if you are focusing on something specific like I am, they show you the best ways to tone. Brush up on your anatomy though, because they use alot of proper body part terms. The other cool thing is that the videos are rather short just so you can see how the moves go, and you can build your own routine using a professional's help.
If these websites aren't doing it for you, check youtube, one of my best website friends. You can search, "work out routine," "ab work out," or pretty much anything and I guarentee they have it. If they don't, leave me a comment with what you need help finding and I'll do my best to search it for you.
So, day one of week one. I think everything is going well so far. Let's see how it progresses.
ChubbyGirlT
I'm starting small. My first goal is to get back to 175lbs. I want to start this way because I am a junk foodie. I am going to be working on eating healthier and starting a work-out regiment. I've never been great with sticking with things, so it's going to be a transition. I might be a little overwhelmed honestly, so I am going to keep myself as motivated as possible.
I am currently doing a bit of research in a few of my girlfriend's and mom's Women's Fitness and Women's Health magazines, reading up online and with a little help from the old Weight Watchers books my mo
m has. I have a sweet tooth like crazy, and I am a huge fan of baking things, so something important I would love to find is healthy, yet deliciously "un-bland" desserts. I find that alot of healthy desserts taste like chalk, paper, or something equally unedible, which is totally disgusting. I am also a fan of eating out, which I know will come to an end if I'm trying to eat healthy and actually lose the weight. If you are a fan of a fatty, fried, greasy, salty, sugary, carbo-overloaded dinner (sounds pretty gross now that I put it out there) out at some steak house or chain restaurant like I am, going out to eat and nibbling on a salad with no dressing, because everything else is too unhealthy for your diet and weight loss, while everyone else orders wings and nachos is really depressing (and might I add, quite not filling). Now, I know there are alternatives at places like Applebee's and Panera Bread, and if you click the name, it actually links to the ehow.com's explaination to eat healthy at both and not just order a salad. For now, I don't think I have enough willpower to go there and not get my normal (probably pushing 1,000 calorie) meal. I am also doing research on the working out aspect. Today, I flunked completely and ran around my house in a circle (unfortunately we got rid of our treadmil and I can't afford a gym right now so I can look like a fool for the time being). I jogged around for about 7 minutes, while I listened to The Cab on youtube. Then I did about 25 jumping jacks, 30 lunges, and 30 of these cool step-step dip-dip things I saw on an infomercial once at 2 am. The step-step dip-dip is really just marching in place, while you swing your arms and stepping and then stepping further to the side and then to the other side and bringing it back to the middle. It's a common work out step that I've actually seen alot, but I figured we could giggle at the fact that I even watched an infomercial at 2 am. Needless to say, I was sweating my ass off. I do, in fact, have a method to all my madness, if you are wondering what the hell I was doing. Today was cardio. I planned on doing half an hour or so of cardio today to get my heart pumping and shed some fatty tissue. This is what my week will look like in an overview... just so you get an idea of how I'm doing things. This is the easiest and most organized way for me to do this because otherwise, I will just be working out in the dark every day and nothing will get done.
Monday: working out my flabby wing arms
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: getting rid of my muffin top, toning my butt and legs
I chose not to work out for two days, of the weekend, because I am usually all over the place. I also really only have a problem with my arms and stomach. They really need help!! The cardio will help me shed the excess weight around the entirety of my body, so cardio three times a week is good for me. I plan on trying new things every day and finding out which ones work for me and which are just total failures. There are some great websites with videos on them for various routines, moves and to help you get started if you aren't ready to blow money on dvds or a personal trainer.
ExerciseTV has good and free mini work outs that you can watch. The website is really cool, but some of the things you have to pay for, which sucks. Only the mini workouts are free, and if you don't mind spending some money, you can pick a trainer you like and watch their full length video.
Workoutz.com is pretty cool, with all the videos being free, but some of the videos require free weights, a weight bench, a yoga ball, or they are outside, and I know I'm not taking my desktop outside to work out. It is good if you have a laptop and can move around, or just fudge it and make the best of your space. I used heavy Yankee Candles and my books from schools when I didn't have weights to work out my arms, so improvise!!
Physicalfitnet.com is pretty cool, because if you are focusing on something specific like I am, they show you the best ways to tone. Brush up on your anatomy though, because they use alot of proper body part terms. The other cool thing is that the videos are rather short just so you can see how the moves go, and you can build your own routine using a professional's help.
If these websites aren't doing it for you, check youtube, one of my best website friends. You can search, "work out routine," "ab work out," or pretty much anything and I guarentee they have it. If they don't, leave me a comment with what you need help finding and I'll do my best to search it for you.
So, day one of week one. I think everything is going well so far. Let's see how it progresses.
ChubbyGirlT
Hi, I'm a chubby girl. (Introduction)
The introduction says it all. I'm chubby. Before I even start telling you the most recent events that caused me to write this blog, let's go back in time...
I was a bean pole child, the epitome of skinny, but I developed quickly. I can remember this one time when I was in fourth grade and I believe it was summer, I was hanging off the porch at my house and my mom blurts out, "You really need to start wearing that bra I got you." I was mortified. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized, "It is painfully obvious that I'm not wearing one, isn't it?" From then on, I was constantly picked on for being the girl with the big boobs. Actually, I was picked on for quite a few things when I was younger. But, this story isn't about self-pity, it's about motivation! I could sit here and dwell on all the terrible things kids said about me in middle school when I started getting chubby, and in high school when I was a whopping (and the most I've ever weighed) 225lbs, but kids are mean, let's face it and becoming a jock in high school was hardly my forte.
Well, I showed everyone when I got my almost F (my doctor said they were measured at DDD cup before the surgery) breast reduction a week and one day before I turned 17. I struggled with weight, but before and at least 6 months after my surgery, I was down at 145lbs. It's been almost 3 years now, and my boobs are starting to grow back (which my doctor said would be normal if I did not sustain m
y weight) , my tummy is forming into a nice muffin top over my jeans if you look at it from the side, and my arms are flabby enough to fly me out to sea.
As you can tell, I'm not exactly thrilled as to the way my body is looking, and to be honest, I never really was. I've always struggled with making that inside happiness come out through physicality and push away the fact that I'm chubby, and try to be confident in who I am. Don't get me wrong, I have pride being a girl with curves, because my butt is a ghetto booty and I have pretty big boobs (even after my surgery they were still a D cup!), but I'm tired (and not just physically) of not being able to be the person I wish I could because my weight makes me so unhappy. I never want to lose my curves and as I start to work out, I hope my butt will be more toned and my boobs will start to shrink back to a D cup, because currently I'm overflowing my D sized bras.
Let me just throw this out there to the girls and women reading this, don't ever try to be something for someone else and don't ever try to be anyone other than yourself. No one is meant to be Mary-Kate Scary-Kate or Lindsay Bone-han skinny and starve themselves to fit into "society's image of what is beautiful." You want to have a goal and also be healthy, so if you are reading this as a girl of 5'9 with a wide frame, don't expect to be 120lbs, it's just not healthy for you!!
So, back to reality. I had this sudden realization the other day (I'm being completely sarcastic when I say this), when I had gone to step on the scale. The last time I had even glanced at that devilish device, the red numbers illuminated the dreadful (and ironically neon red) 187 almost two months ago now, and I knew that I wasn't ready to step on it until a few days ago. Let me just set the scene for you.
I currently live with my mom in her house and I share a bathroom with her and my 16-year old brother, which is cozy and fairly tight-knit. When you walk into the bathroom as a chubby girl, you first are faced with a full length mirror, and when you are getting into the shower, let me tell you how dreadful that can be. On top of the full length mirror greeting you at the door, the scale is conveniently placed underneath it, as it's ally in a war against my body. I walk up to the scale like it's a rabid dog foaming at the mouth and I tap it and a 0 bounces back and fourth and stops in the middle, to let you know that it's now ready to belittle you. Going back to a few days ago, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't been eating especially great (if you call going out to McDonald's at least three times that week even slightly okay eating... ) but, I wasn't expecting the worst. 191 flashed at me and I was defeated. Completely ambushed. I contemplated crying, but snapped myself out of a dramatic exit from the bathroom, because the only person I have to blame is myself. I am only this chubby because I eat out all the time, I never work out and I was completely unmotivated to do so but this time, I'm for real.
Now, I'm not sure yet if I will unveil my real identity yet, or let anyone of my personal friends or family read this, for fear that they will know my "real" weight. Us chubby girls usually like to fib about 20lbs or so, and everyone thinks I probably weigh 170lbs, but only because I've told them so. If they were reading this though, they'd probably chuckle, especially my girlfriend, who's heard the
words, "I'm going to start my new diet and work out this Monday" or "I'm really doing it this time!" more than enough times to count on all her fingers and toes. If you are reading this as someone who's trying to get motivated to work out, don't feel embarrassed! Every one of those skinny people you see on the Oprah show who've lost like 100lbs make it look like melting butter off your body, but don't worry, they struggled too! Everyone struggles with weight loss and it only gets harder and more miserable when you try and you stop or fall into old habits, you feel like you keep failing or you can't stick to it, but don't give up yet! I can't even count how many times I have said I'll start eating more greens and stop eating fast food and turned around and did it anyways. It's so easy because it's there and it's cheap and, well let's face it, you're just lazy. But you will get where you want to be, whether you want to lose 10lbs or 100, or maybe you just want to be able to get healthy, in shape, and run around with your kids, dog or whoever it may be that runs alot. Haha. So laugh a little! It makes the days go by easier and you will feel so much better when you've reached the small breaking point hill and you can see your goal. My goal is actually posted in the next blog, this one is just my intro. (:
I'd love to hear from anyone who is going through the weight loss process as well. Please make a post to my blog and if you have a website or a blog, feel free to link it and I will add it to my page. I'm new with this blog, but not to blogging in general. I have a few other random blogs floating around the world wide web that don't matter to this subject, so I won't be linking them to this one.
ChubbyGirlT
I was a bean pole child, the epitome of skinny, but I developed quickly. I can remember this one time when I was in fourth grade and I believe it was summer, I was hanging off the porch at my house and my mom blurts out, "You really need to start wearing that bra I got you." I was mortified. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized, "It is painfully obvious that I'm not wearing one, isn't it?" From then on, I was constantly picked on for being the girl with the big boobs. Actually, I was picked on for quite a few things when I was younger. But, this story isn't about self-pity, it's about motivation! I could sit here and dwell on all the terrible things kids said about me in middle school when I started getting chubby, and in high school when I was a whopping (and the most I've ever weighed) 225lbs, but kids are mean, let's face it and becoming a jock in high school was hardly my forte.
Well, I showed everyone when I got my almost F (my doctor said they were measured at DDD cup before the surgery) breast reduction a week and one day before I turned 17. I struggled with weight, but before and at least 6 months after my surgery, I was down at 145lbs. It's been almost 3 years now, and my boobs are starting to grow back (which my doctor said would be normal if I did not sustain m
y weight) , my tummy is forming into a nice muffin top over my jeans if you look at it from the side, and my arms are flabby enough to fly me out to sea.As you can tell, I'm not exactly thrilled as to the way my body is looking, and to be honest, I never really was. I've always struggled with making that inside happiness come out through physicality and push away the fact that I'm chubby, and try to be confident in who I am. Don't get me wrong, I have pride being a girl with curves, because my butt is a ghetto booty and I have pretty big boobs (even after my surgery they were still a D cup!), but I'm tired (and not just physically) of not being able to be the person I wish I could because my weight makes me so unhappy. I never want to lose my curves and as I start to work out, I hope my butt will be more toned and my boobs will start to shrink back to a D cup, because currently I'm overflowing my D sized bras.
Let me just throw this out there to the girls and women reading this, don't ever try to be something for someone else and don't ever try to be anyone other than yourself. No one is meant to be Mary-Kate Scary-Kate or Lindsay Bone-han skinny and starve themselves to fit into "society's image of what is beautiful." You want to have a goal and also be healthy, so if you are reading this as a girl of 5'9 with a wide frame, don't expect to be 120lbs, it's just not healthy for you!!
So, back to reality. I had this sudden realization the other day (I'm being completely sarcastic when I say this), when I had gone to step on the scale. The last time I had even glanced at that devilish device, the red numbers illuminated the dreadful (and ironically neon red) 187 almost two months ago now, and I knew that I wasn't ready to step on it until a few days ago. Let me just set the scene for you.
I currently live with my mom in her house and I share a bathroom with her and my 16-year old brother, which is cozy and fairly tight-knit. When you walk into the bathroom as a chubby girl, you first are faced with a full length mirror, and when you are getting into the shower, let me tell you how dreadful that can be. On top of the full length mirror greeting you at the door, the scale is conveniently placed underneath it, as it's ally in a war against my body. I walk up to the scale like it's a rabid dog foaming at the mouth and I tap it and a 0 bounces back and fourth and stops in the middle, to let you know that it's now ready to belittle you. Going back to a few days ago, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't been eating especially great (if you call going out to McDonald's at least three times that week even slightly okay eating... ) but, I wasn't expecting the worst. 191 flashed at me and I was defeated. Completely ambushed. I contemplated crying, but snapped myself out of a dramatic exit from the bathroom, because the only person I have to blame is myself. I am only this chubby because I eat out all the time, I never work out and I was completely unmotivated to do so but this time, I'm for real.
Now, I'm not sure yet if I will unveil my real identity yet, or let anyone of my personal friends or family read this, for fear that they will know my "real" weight. Us chubby girls usually like to fib about 20lbs or so, and everyone thinks I probably weigh 170lbs, but only because I've told them so. If they were reading this though, they'd probably chuckle, especially my girlfriend, who's heard the
words, "I'm going to start my new diet and work out this Monday" or "I'm really doing it this time!" more than enough times to count on all her fingers and toes. If you are reading this as someone who's trying to get motivated to work out, don't feel embarrassed! Every one of those skinny people you see on the Oprah show who've lost like 100lbs make it look like melting butter off your body, but don't worry, they struggled too! Everyone struggles with weight loss and it only gets harder and more miserable when you try and you stop or fall into old habits, you feel like you keep failing or you can't stick to it, but don't give up yet! I can't even count how many times I have said I'll start eating more greens and stop eating fast food and turned around and did it anyways. It's so easy because it's there and it's cheap and, well let's face it, you're just lazy. But you will get where you want to be, whether you want to lose 10lbs or 100, or maybe you just want to be able to get healthy, in shape, and run around with your kids, dog or whoever it may be that runs alot. Haha. So laugh a little! It makes the days go by easier and you will feel so much better when you've reached the small breaking point hill and you can see your goal. My goal is actually posted in the next blog, this one is just my intro. (: I'd love to hear from anyone who is going through the weight loss process as well. Please make a post to my blog and if you have a website or a blog, feel free to link it and I will add it to my page. I'm new with this blog, but not to blogging in general. I have a few other random blogs floating around the world wide web that don't matter to this subject, so I won't be linking them to this one.
ChubbyGirlT
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