Weekly Check In

Physical Check in:
Starting Weight: 271 lbs
Current Weight: 256.4 lbs
Goal Weight: 169 lbs

Well I met my first short term goal. If you remember from the very first blog post, I said my goal was to lose 14lbs. 5% of my body weight. I lost just over 14lbs.

So setting a new 5% goal. My next short term goal is 13lbs. I know some of you are asking why not 10%...well 25lbs is too far away. Most professionals recommend 10% but I get discouraged easily and I am all about instant gratification. So if get the satisfaction of losing weight by making smaller goals then that is what I am going to do. In the long run it doesn't matter if the end goal is the same.

Next week I will be gearing up for a photo, after all it is the beginning of the month.

Mental Check in:

I am doing well mentally, but I am a little sad that the only place I have seen weight lost is in my boobs. I mean I know I haven't lost 14lbs all in my breasts. My rather healthy sized D cups are shriveling before my eyes.

I mean I knew it was going to happen, when I was at my thinnest (a healthy 140lbs) I was practically back in training bras BUT COME ON! WHY is it always the chest that goes first? Why not my thunder thighs or my Texas sized ass.

App-ilicous

So I wanted to tell you about Meal Snap. I broke down and actually purchased this app for 99 cents. So far my all it gets from me is an "Eh", definitely no WOW factor. It works well if the food is easily recognizable. Like if I took a picture of a slice of pizza and diet coke it will give me fairly accurate calories, but I take a photo of something like my Tomato pancakes. It doesn't work so good.

I took a picture of my tomato pancakes in fact and it told me it was only 13-19 calories per serving. WAY OFF! But take a photo of something like 1/2 a cup of Frozen Yogurt it can guess is pretty accurately 150-190 calories.

It also does not automagically transport my meal to my Daily Log. Which it should because they are both made by DailyBurn. So my suggestion is to skip this app - don't spend the $0.99, unless you eat at chain restaurants a lot.

Weight in the News

The biggest story this week? Dr. Oz.

Dr. Oz just announced his "Transformation Nation" program. He is giving away 1 million dollars to one lucky loser all you have to do to be considers is weigh in this week for free at Weight Watchers, ending October 3rd. Then try to lose 10% of your body weight by April 2nd, then weigh in for free again between the 2nd and the 9th. Then you are entered in the contest.

The million dollar winner will be announced in May. I decided that since I was already trying to lose weight I might as well sign up and try to win. But do you think this will motivate people to Lose? For more info just click below.

On a personal note I am taking a part-time position just to keep the wolf at bay until a find a new job. But I am nervous that working will sabotage my weight loss; I started this diet expecting to be unemployed for a while. So let's consider this PT job a test run.

I will be a companion to very independent 98 year old lady. She still lives on her own but had a fall recently. Fortunately she wasn't injured, but being alone all day every day is making her family(who lives next door) worried. During the day I will be there to listen to her stories, do the heavy housework, and maybe learn a thing or two from her.

I am looking forward to the stories most of all. I used to teach a seniors fitness class in Boston years ago. I got a listen to stories from woman who actually was a stewardess during the cold war and she had actual run-ins with spies. I met a woman who wore heels every day of her life until at the age of 97 she had a fall and injured her hip. After that the doctor told her to wear flats and she could keep on doing everything she was doing. I met a woman who went back to college at the age of 72, she attended Boston University and became an artist.

It is stories like that I hope to hear. Wish me luck on losing weight and working at the same time.

Fall Fashion Malfunctions

I picked up my new boots today. TA DA! They fit....mostly. They fit my foot and just barely fit my calf, but are WAY too big in the ankle, but that is the way it has always been so I just will live with it.

On the downside I also bought this military inspired jacket. I love the tailored military look, but it is too big. Alright that is an upside, because I ordered it in the size that would have fit me 3 and half week ago. So back to Lane Bryant it goes, I got it on clearance so hopefully they have a smaller size.

My workout routine

"Start by doing what is necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

For me what is necessary is my daily workout. It seems to give me a sense of calm, and focus, something I lacked when I wasn't working out. I have to say it showed in my work.

I have been working out religiously now for 3 weeks and it feels good to get back in the swing of a regular workout, I find I have more energy to look for a job, and maintain my diet. Without exercise I think I would have already failed at trying to lose weight again.

So here is my beginner's routine. Now I should note that I had some level of fitness despite my obesity because I did workout sporadically and make an effort to walk everywhere I possibly can.

Monday - 30-45 minutes of walking, and lower body strength training.

Tuesday - 30 - 45 minutes of Swimming laps, 5 minutes of Abs(from my Ab Workout App)

Wednesday -20-30 minutes of Elliptical, and Upper body strength training

Thursday -30-45 minutes of Swimming laps, 5 minutes of Abs

Friday - 20-30 of elliptical and Core strength training

Saturday - 20-30 minutes of a leisurely swimming or water exercise

Sunday - 30 - 60 minutes Leisurely walk around town - window shopping - or in a local park

If you notice Saturday and Sunday aren't hard core exercise just something to get my body moving in the AM. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my strength training days and Tuesday/Thursday offers some hardcore swimming which gives my knees a rest, but also burns major calories. Swimming 1 mile is like running 4 miles.

This may seem like a lot, but if all I can do it 10 minutes I would do that and call it a day, just as long as I get something in. Fortunately I get to burn extra calories while I am unemployed. Of course it is important to change your routine so your body doesn't adjust. So at the end of 4 weeks this routine will change. I am thinking I might like to add in some Zumba.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Hopefully with a new workout routine will come the possible and then the impossible.

Sunday in Pictures

I have had a very active Sunday morning. I started with a swim in the pool.

Then I walked the long way to my car and looked up at the Clocktower and thought the clouds made it look like a vintage horror movie scene. I was fully expecting Bela Lugosi to walk out of my apartment.

And I finished my morning by going on a short hike at Mine Falls Park. Great hiking trails right in the city, but are near huge power lines, so frequent visits might give me cancer.

How was your Sunday?

Serving Single - Three Potato Salad

I love potato salad but for me I think of it as a hearty fall/winter dish and I DON'T like mayonnaise based dressings. I prefer vinaigrettes. Here is my recipe for Three Potato salad. It makes about 2 servings perfect a single dinner with enough left over for lunch on Monday.

1lbs. of small blue potatos, baby reds, and baby yellow or white potatos.

1 teaspoon of Kosher salt

1 tablespoon of Flat leaf parsley

1 small green onion or a few chives

1-2 tbsp. of Olive Oil

1/2 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp of Dijon or whole grain mustard

Ground Pepper to taste

Just cover the potatos with water in a pot, and add a teaspoon of salt(you can add more if the water isn't salty enough.) Bring to a boil then simmer until the potatos are fork tender. Drain and let cool, while you make the dressing.

Combine vinegar, Dijon mustard and pepper, then drizzle in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil while stirring. Finely chop your parsley and chives.

The potatos should be cool enough to handle but still warm. Cut the potatos in half, toss in the dressing, parsley and chives.

Additional notes: I typically only buy one kind of potato at the grocery store because they come in those big giant bags. If you plan on making this go your local farm stand where you can buy two or three of each kind of potatos. If you can't get small batches you can use just red or yellow potatos. I promise I won't tell.

Check In 9/23/2011

Physical Check in:

Weight: 260.8lbs only lost 0.2lbs

Mental Check in:

It's a miracle I lost any weight, I started my cycle this week and have been so bloated I have been scared to step on the scale. Not to mention every month it feels like my uterus is falling out so the last thing I want to do is exercise. Fortunately I only missed one workout this week and that was yesterday. Let's hope the bloat is hiding more weight loss that I will see next week.

App-ilicous

So I have a great app for people just starting out on exercise. It is call iMapMyWalk the free version for iPhone is more than enough for me. It uses GPS to Map your walk and give you distance, calories burned, time. It stores your last ten workouts to review and you can post your walk to facebook. I LOVE it, because before I used to have to set my odemeter to zero in my car and drive a walk to get the approximate distance.

The only draw back is that sometimes the GPS signal is not super accurate. So if you want an exact estimation forget it. For me close enough is good enough. They also have MapMyRun, and MapMyRide, MapMyHike, MapMyFitness.

Check them out...

Hypnosis-shmosis

I have been super busy today I had two interviews and I volunteered to represent the High Hopes Foundation of NH at a Volunteer Fair at Southern New Hampshire University, and I took the person I care for to Special Olympics Bowling. Since I missed my afternoon nap, I am too exhausted to think of anything to blog about. So instead I am asking a question.

I saw a Dr. Oz episode the other day about using Hypnosis to lose weight. Ever heard of Paul McKenna? He is a Brit that says he can help you to eliminate your cravings, eat healthier, and start exercising. ALL with hypnosis. Can anyone tell me if this works? While I am asking questions have you ever tried to eat while blind-folded? After watching this video, I tried it, I couldn't find my mouth.

Fall Tall Boots

Another problem with being fat is the TALL BOOT issue. I love tall boots but my calves are so wide and my feet narrow, that I can never find TALL boots I can wear. Too be completely honest I even had trouble finding tall boots to fit my calves when I was thin - this is WAY harder.

Do you remember the boots I ordered last week, well I got them and they barely fit my calf but we're WAY TOO BIG in the feet - I accidentally ordered a size ten.




So I sent them back and order something with a wider calf and the correct size, they are also a wedge boot from Lane Bryant. I LOVE a good wedge and these boots were also $80 instead of $150 I originally paid for the Clark's. Let's hope I they fit better.




Now I have a lot of boots, ankle boots, calf boots, pointy boots, duck boots, winter boots, etc. but I have only 1 pair of tall boots. They are made buy guess and a few years old but I love them. They are a classic style, and fit both my narrow foot and wide calf. My cobbler has re-heeled them dozens of time and just re-soled them last fall. So I think it is time I found them a friend to share tall boot duty with.




Forgive the unedited photo, you will ultimately see every bit of my apartment in pieces until I find a photo editor I like and is cheap or FREE.

Fall!!!

I love Autumn and today weather was VERY autumn like in NH. So I brewed some tea this afternoon and sat with two lovely women to chat and drink.

Tea is great for the waistline, and has tons of Antioxidants and black tea has almost as much caffeine as a cup o'joe. I also don't feel the need to put sugar or cream in it like coffee.

Right now I am loving The Boston Tea Companies - Black Tea Bombay Chai. Believe it or not I picked it up at Homegoods for $7. Once you open it up and sniff, you will be in heaven, it reminds me of fall leaves, my grandmother's cooking, and apple cider.

My only issue is that the BOSTON tea company is based in HACKENSACK, NJ.

Do you have a favorite calorie friendly beverage?

My Food for Saturday and Sunday

Saturday
Apple and bacon Frittata

2 servings Pirate's Booty
5 pieces of Dove dark chocolate
8oz of orange juice

left over sweet and sour chicken
crystal light

4 Skinny cow Ice cream cones.

Saturday was not healthy at all, I have almost no veggies. My boobs are telling me that my monthly gift is around the corner, so that accounts for the cravings and the weakness.

Sunday
Light English muffin with 1tbsp all natural peanut butter
Tea with Honey

1 cup low calorie tuna salad, with 2 light English muffins and tomato
Crystal light

Healthy Choice Beef tips meal, with 20oz Coke(not diet)

Even with the 20oz coke I stay under my calorie goals for today which is good, and the cravings seemed to have reduced a bit, but I still want chocolate and anything with a carbs. I still need MORE veggies

Sunday in Pictures

My favorite reason to live in the Clocktower in Nashua, NH. I am less than a block from the cobbler. He has repaired many of my heels. He will also buy any left over Euros because he travels to Italy every April.

Ever hear of Truck Nuts? In the parking lot of a grocery store I spotted this...




Truck Falsies, for when your jeep needs that femine touch.

Serving Single - Tomato Pancake

So this is a great meatless dish that is super easy to make. I forgot to take a picture of it so imagine a beautiful frittata with tomatos in it. If you instead on some meat you can add a couple slices of crumbled bacon to make it tastier but still calorie friendly

For 1 - 2 people
1 tomato sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk (I use 1%)
3 tablespoons of flour (you can use rice flour for gluten free, or whole wheat flour for some extra fiber.)
1/2 tsp. of salt
butter or butter flavored cooking spray.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl whisk together milk, eggs, and salt lightly. Then whisk in flour 1 tablespoon at a time. This should make a thin batter that can easily coat the back of spoon. Put a non-stick pan that is oven safe over medium heat. Then put in just enough butter that it will coat the bottom of the pan or use spray. I then place a layer (usually 4-5 slices) of tomatos on the bottom and slowly pour in the batter. After I poured in the batter I will place another layer of tomato on top. Now is a good time to sprinkle with bacon crumbs if want to use that option. Then put it into the oven for about 5-10 minutes.

The entire pancake is about 400 calories, 480 with bacon and very tasty. I usually cut it into quarters and have two slices per serving & sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh basil or parsley.

What I ate on 9/16/2011

As promised hear is what I ate yesterday...
2 Caramel Apples
Water with Crystal light

1 Cup Tuna salad
Light Multi grain english muffin

Sweet and Sour chicken (Steamed chicken)
1 cup brown rice
2 cosmos

Ulitmately it was the Cosmopolitans that did me in calorie wise, but I was out with my girls and having fun.

Weekly Check In

Physical Check In:

Weight: 261 lbs :)

I am wicked excited I just lost my first 10lbs in 11 days! That is nearly a pound a day. However from here on out I will not have such dramatic results! From this point forward I am looking for 2lbs a week. Wish me luck!

Mental Check In:

My weight diet has not been as good as I hoped this week, so my focus is to make healthy choices consistantly. So over the next 2-3 days I will post my food diary to keep me honest, good or bad. Otherwise my workouts have been good and I take my vitamins daily. So HOORAY for me.

App-ilicous

Last week I told you about my favorite "diet log" App called Daily Burn. It really is a great app one of the features I like is that you can select a work regime and it gives you a guide to follow or you can make your own.

However the workout I chose are only 3 days week and for me that just isn't enough, so on Tuesday and Thursday I add a little extra cardio and some abs. Of course I found an app called Daily Ab Workout, you get the basic workout for free and can upgrade it for $0.99. You select 5, 7.5 or 10 minutes for the workout. Then it gives you a list of 10 exercises, it shows you the exercise then gives you verbal cues to start and change. This fatty selects the 5 minute workout because I am not fit enough 10 minutes of abs.

There are other options like Daily Arm, Butt & Leg. I wouldn't recommend the daily cardio workout because for me 5-10 minutes just isn't enough.

Baby Steps, or rather 10 minutes of baby steps.

I am planning on sharing some thoughts on exercise in this post but I totally F***ED UP; so a little side note about my day first. You know that expression "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I TOTALLY HATE IT, but it is absolutely true. I knew today was busy and got up early to exercise, eat and get my Sh*t together & out the door on time. At 11:30am I was at a "Lunch & Learn" seminar for the local chamber and guess what? I failed to plan my LUNCH. It totally F****D me up for the day, by the time I got out of there I was so friggin' hungry I went to the first place I could find and it just set me wrong for the rest of the day. By the hair of my perfectly waxed chin I stay within my calorie goals, but the Fat portion of my day is so far into the red it could compete with the national debt.

But I digress....I wanted since very early this morning to write about exercise. Why? because I wanted to write about something I am good at - relatively speaking. I actually went to school for exercise physiology so I have some idea what I am talking about. Unlike my diet; exercise is something I actually enjoy. Once I get past the whole, fat girl on a (insert exercise machine here) stigma.

I know some of you know what I mean. You don't want to go to the gym out of fear all the skinny bitches are gonna look and laugh. I mean the fear alone can be crippling, not too mention the fact that it would suck if you couldn't even lift whatever measly weight you were trying to curl.

Then there is the fatigue factor, trust me I don't wake up the eager beaver ready sweat my ass off, I would much rather sleep another 30 minutes before rolling my but outta bed.

My recommendation to those of you, both fat and thin, that struggle with exercise. Bargain with yourself, take one baby step, I do it everyday. Tell yourself "Just 10 minutes." More often than not you will say "Hey, this feels good" after 10 minutes and keep going, or at least decide that as long as your out of bed 30 minutes early you'll make an effort.

And if all you do is 10 minutes, it's better than nothing.

Canvas Boot?

I have got to ask... What do you think of a fall boot made from canvas?

These Nine West "GeeGee" Boots are made from Canvas. I have to say I love the look and the texture must be awesome. Canvas is durable, however I live in NH and much like the Keds I had as a kid canvas gets dirty and wet easily, and it doesn't insulate your feet from cold. Unlike Keds I don't think you can throw these in the washing machine.

What's your take?

Shoe Woes & Wows

One thing about being fat is that I have to be a lot more careful about what shoes I put on my feet. Stilettos are a thing of the past. :( Thank goodness chunkier heels, flats & wedges are in. Hopefully I will be thin again when stilettos come back.

So here is something in my closet awaiting a triumphant return...

Steve Madden

Here is what I am wearing now...

Nine West

Here is what I ordered fresh for fall...

Clark's $150 @ ClarksUSA.com

I have to admit I am nervous about the Clark's, because I have a big calf. It is 50/50 shot if they will fit. I will let you know.

Hi Ho Trigger

Or is Silver?

I have got to say people that tell you to eat in moderation are big fat liars. There are some foods that just make you want to eat MORE! These are called trigger foods. Trigger foods are like heroine for drug addicts; you just can't give it up. In the face of trigger foods I find it is just best to quite cold turkey and suffer the DT's. I have had some success with this so far. I am try to give up one trigger food at a time.

1. Potato Chips/French Fries - I haven't eaten a chip or a fry in weeks, but I know if I start I can't stop the craving stay in my brain for days and days, and days. Salt and Vinegar chips still call my name, so I avoid them. I know because I have tested this theory many times.


2. Chocolate - I have been mostly successful at avoiding chocolate. I have a weakness for milk chocolate in particular. The biggest problem for me is when PMS strikes. If I have chocolate, I can't stop until I completed my cycle. And I am not talking small quantities. I could fill a bath tub with the chocolate I eat during that difficult week of the month. And 1 week of bad eating can easily off set the weight loss progress I made three weeks before.


3. Ice Cream - I have not been able to kick this habit yet. I had a kids cup on Friday, and a small serving on Saturday only to go crazy and eat 6 servings on Sunday, and for breakfast this morning, I opted for ice cream instead of my usual healthy option of an apple and a handful of nuts.


Any suggestions on how to kick the habit?

Sunday in Pictures

As I mentioned in my first post I live in Nashua, NH. It is small city that offer the perfect mix of Boston and Rural country attitude. Today in Memory of those fallen on 9/11 the streets were lined with flags.

10 years I ago I was living in Cambridge, MA and on that day I was at UMass, Boston. In the Fitness center. I stop exericising I couldn't believe what I was seeing on TV, they had stopped playing music and turned on the TV's volume. It was horrific, and heart breaking, but for me that wasn't the worst part.

UMass is right on the water and you constantly hear the the noise of jets coming in for a landing, but later that day I was staring out at the water beautiful calm and breezy, and absolute silence in the air. All I could think was "How can such peace come from such tragedy?"

Serving Single

So I do most of my cooking for just ONE, two if my roommate is joining me. In doing so I have learned to cook in small quantities, and have created or recreated some healthy recipes even before I started this diet.


So something I had last night and love is Mustard & Pepper Marinated Pork. It adds a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. I actually altered this recipe from a pork medallion recipe I got from Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real on the Food Network. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Grilled Mustard & Pepper Marinated Pork
Makes about 2 servings (a 4 ounce chop is about 275 calories)

Recipe:
1/4 cup of Honey Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup of Pickled Banana Peppers or Pepperoncini with a little bit of the juice
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper or to taste
Two 4-6 ounce Boneless Top Loin Pork Chops




Put 1/4 cup of Honey Dijon Mustard and 1/4 cup pickled peppers, and half a teaspoon(or more if you wish) of Black Pepper into a food processor or blender and pulse to combine. Take half the marinade and set it aside put the other half in a plastic bag with the chops seal the bag and shake to make sure the marinade is coating the chops. Let it sit for at least two hours.




Heat to your grill Medium or Medium low. You may also want to oil your grill; I live in an apartment so I use a non-stick George Foreman grill so I skip the oil. Grill until the pork the pork is at least 145 degrees in the center per USDA Guidelines. The let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.


To Serve: I like to serve this on a salad or a bed of cooked Spinach or Beet Greens. Take the reserved marinade and spread on the chops for additional flavor.





NOTES on the Recipe: Sunny originally used Dijon Mustard and add Honey, I found using Honey Dijon to be more calorie friendly. You can use hot, or mild peppers just as long as their pickled. Their is something about the juice the makes the marinade very special, but easy. If you noticed I also skipped the salt because Mustard and pickled peppers are naturally salty.


You can also cook these chops in any way that suits you, I have broiling them and pan seared them, and baked them so feel free to experiment.


Hints on Saving: But the Pork chops in the family size on sale, I have small freezer bags that I separate the chops into 2 at a time. That way if I am just cooking for myself I have one for the lunch the next day or I have an extra if I have a guest joining me, more guests? Just Pull out and extra bags to defrost.

Weekly Check In

So I know it has only been 4 days since my first official weigh in but I plan on making Friday my official weigh in date. So I might as well start now.
Official weight: 265.4lbs.

That is 5.5lbs less than my starting weight. Not bad for only 4 days. However I should not that losing a lot of weight in the first week is to be expected. When you go on a diet you consume less sodium, carbs and other things that make you retain water. My goal is for 2 lbs. a week. Let’s see how we do next week.

Here is a picture of me at my current weight; the plan is that I will post a progress picture the first Friday of every month. I know this is the second week, but I am just getting started.

Sorry for the poor quality by my roomie wasn't around to take one for me.


Check in – Mental
First - I am hungry all the time and I am eating. I am aiming for about 2000 calories per day. That may be a maintenance plan for most but for my obese body it is definitely a weight loss plan. I told myself the first three days is the hardest because it will take time to adjust. Let’s hope that is true so I don’t go overboard.

Second – Believe it or not I went to college for exercise physiology. I told you I was thin and athletic, but Wednesday I went to do a push up and couldn’t. Not even on my knees. I had to stand and lean again the window sill. Gosh, that will be another marker to look towards.

Third: I was just cleaning my closet to get ready for the fall season and you know what I realized. I have way too many hideous things in my closet. You know those items you purchased just because it was on sale, or it looked great in the store but not at home, or it was a gift from an aunt with dubious taste. I used to be hard wired to toss those items I would never wear because of the Ugh factor.
Not anymore…My shear weight is keeping me from tossing items that are ugly just because they fit. I also find myself buying the drab or out-dated because I have a tough time finding things that look good on this body. Walking around naked is just not an option!

Fashion's Night Out

As you know may or may not know is that one of my biggest motivator's to losing weight is that fact I can't wear sky high heels any more in my obese state. That said, Fashion's Night Out(FNO) is generating a lot of deals online for Shoes. Oh, How I hope my next couple interviews get me a job. I want to spend money of shoes AGAIN!

Especially because I have a desire to buy some WICKED fall boots.

DSW: Buy 2 pair get 15% off, and get Double points

Chinese Laundry - 59.95

JC Penney: Free Shipping on all shoes

Studio Paolo - 79.99

JustFab.com: 20% on all purchases between 6pm and 11pm EST

Brenna Boots - $39.95

App-ilicous

Ok, so the name is a little cheesy- but "there's an App for that" is just over done. I will probably try out a few names over the next few months.

One new found love I have it trying to find the perfect app to try an lose weight. In my quest I have tried innumerable tracking apps for weight, calories, and exercise. I have very specific needs Ease of Use, Simple to Interpret, and FREE. Here are my top three!

3. Weight Watchers - This app is Free but really only usable if you are signed up for WW online. I should mention I tried and failed WW 3 times. It doesn't work for me, but the app meets the criteria for you WW members. It is easy to enter my daily food and exercise, and auto-magically calculates my points. And has lots of easy to use extras. My favorite being the little cocktail widget. If you have the WW app you know. The Cocktail widget is the best.





Bottom Line: App is great, diet doesn't work for me so it is in third place.

2. CalorieCounter by MyNetDiary: Easy to use, great display, love the little area for water and vitamins, but I found the calorie counts for exercise to be off and the weight loss graphs seems to change even when I did not change also while the entering my food intake was easy, but tedious because I had to search through member contributed foods in addition to the ones already in the database. They have a website you can become a member of too, but I like one stop shopping.



Bottom Line: Good if you are already on a plan and just need a basic counter, just beware searching for the right food can take a while.

1.Daily Burn- Tracks nutrition, and workouts more comprehensively than WW or MyNetDiary, you can choose a customized nutritional plan and then it will show you where you meet or fall short on those goals in your diet with easy to interpret graphics. You can also choose a workout plan or just log your own exercise. The weight loss chart is easy to interpret as well. On a side note: if you are willing to pay for the upgrades it has some cool features like a barcode scanner to enter you food values in quicker and online contact with a trainer. I only use the free version so I can't tell how well the additional features work. One thing I might try though and it's sister App called SnapMeal. Supposedly for $0.99 you can take a picture off you plate and it will magically tell you what is in it and how many calories it has. Let me know if anyone has tried it.




Bottom line: It has everything I need and can really help a beginner in choosing an exercise and diet regimen. Although I am sure the manufacturers suggest you seek a physician’s advice first.

Day Two - Vital statistics

Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 271lbs
Age: 33
Dress Size: 22
Long Term Goal: 169 lbs
Short Term Goal: 14 lbs (about 5%)
Weigh Ins on Fridays (OK daily but I will only blog my weight on Friday officially)
Requires total Honesty with myself

Day One...Well Two

Ground rules for this blog...

1. I am just typing to write out my thoughts and feelings, I may or may not posteverything I write. So I apologize if you don't get every reference I make to a past post.

2. Second I am not going to stress about spelling, punctuation or grammar - So I apologize to professors of English.

3. Third what you see is what you get. I may not be able to write daily, and I have tried blogging before and I do pretty well until I have a job that is 60 hours a week.

A little background...

So Yesterday I started my weight loss plan. And I start at 271lbs. I am 5'7". I hate being this fat, but it isn't so easy to lose weight as you may know. I also have a food addiction and suffer from depression.

A little about me. Don't mistake fat for being lazy. It just isn't so, most fat people are NOT lazy, but if they are like me they channel their frustration, stress, anger into food. I just lost my Job and I am looking for a new one, but being fat makes it more difficult. I don't think people realize just how prejudice they are against fat. Interview my weight overshadows my skills. Despite that and the risk it poses to my health I am struggling with losing weight.

HOWEVER, the last straw has been pushed. I am starting to struggle with my heels. I have a closet FULL of shoes, I never used to blink at putting on a 4 inch heel, but my weight is making that difficult. So let's hope I go from being a FAT Girl with Shoes to a Thin one.