Thursday, July 19, 2012

Weight Loss Diary: 6/15/12

Sorry I haven't posted in a while Guys!! Here's a past entry from my weight loss diary. Enjoy!

6/15/12
185 lbs.
35 lbs. lost- 25 to go

WOAH! 5 lbs. lost in one week is crazy for me!! It usually takes me about 2 ½ weeks to lose that weight. Here’s why I’ve dropped:
I officially started the Atkins diet last Saturday, so it’s been almost a week. Basically the Atkins diet is a very low carb and low sugar diet that is great if you have a lot of weight to lose and you want to lose it relatively quickly. I’m not completely sure why this diet gets so much crap, because it does work. People gain the weight back when they don’t gradually add carbs back to their life and they don’t cut back on calories. This diet has 4 phases, and I’ll be on phase one for another week or so. The first phase is restrictive, but you really don’t miss all the carbs once you get going.

Something I wanted to write about is how I still feel like a fat person sometimes. I’ve come a long way, but I still see the back fat and the fat on my thighs, stomach, and arms. I know I have about 30 more lbs. to lose, and I’m completely motivated to get there now that I’m on this diet. I still feel weird when people meet me for the first time, because I know they just see me as some fat chick. They don’t know how far I’ve come and how far I’m gonna go. I just want to tell people “Don’t look at me! I’m fat now, but I won’t be for long!” I can’t wait to be semi-normal. I know I’ll never be truly normal because of my weird yet fun personality, but I just don’t want to be judged on the amount of fat that’s attached to my body. 

XOXO
Rachel

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Weight Loss Diary: 6/3/12

Hello Everyone! 
I've started keeping a weight loss diary and I thought I would publish some of my entries on this blog! This entry was written a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!

6/3/12
190 lbs.
30 lbs. lost- 30 lbs. to go

This weekend I definitely had a couple of mini victories!! Yesterday, mummy (I think I like calling her that HA!) and I went to JCPenney at the Mall of Louisiana because I had to be in BR for a rehearsal. I picked out a couple of fun dresses that I could wear to church on Sundays. My mom picked up a dress for me telling me it was my size, which is now a 14. Little did I know until I went to zip it up, it was a 12! “I might as well quit while I’m ahead and take this off” I thought to myself. But, it zipped up with not much effort!! The dress looked pretty darn good on me too. I haven’t fit in a 12 since I was about 12 or 13 years old HAHA! My confidence went through the roof after that shopping trip.

Then today, I decided to try on the dress that I wore for my high school graduation. It was a size 16W (for those of you that don’t know, a 16W is bigger than a regular 16). Now, I remember when I wore this dress last May that it was a little big on the bust, but when I put on today it swallowed me everywhere!! It’s so rewarding to know that all of my hard work has paid off. 

This week I suddenly realized that back when I was 220 lbs. I had a lot of dark moments. I remember countless times feeling like I didn’t deserve to have so many friends and to be happy because I was so fat. I remember thinking I was less of a person even though I was technically more of a person as far as size goes. I also remember always thinking from the time I was probably in middle school that I was meant to be fat. I thought I was “Big boned”. Since I’ve started losing weight, I’ve started to feel so much better about myself. I actually deserve to be happy and to lose all this excess weight. I want the rest of my life to be a healthy one! 

Just so you can see how far I've come:


XOXO
Rachel

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Book Review: The Dorm Room Diet by Daphne Oz

Hey Everyone! I'm thinking of posting some book reviews on this blog every once in a while (mostly novels), and I wanted to start by reviewing the book that helped me lose 30 lbs.!! First, let me say that even though the title of this book has the word "diet", it is not a crash diet or anything crazy that will make you drop 20 lbs. and then you'll just gain it back. This is a book for people (of any age) that want to live a healthy lifestyle and want to lose some weight along the way!

I got this book because my mom picked it up for me at Target near the college/dorm stuff. Believe me, when I first saw the book, I was definitely turned off by the term "diet". But, that night I decided to crack it open and read atleast the first chapter to give it a chance, and i was HOOKED. The very first couple of pages talks about these 2 fictional colleges: Fat U and Fit U. The way Daphne describes the schools is exaggerated, but gets a point across. Who wouldn't want to go to Fit U? As the first chapter goes along, Daphne goes into her weight loss story and why this time will be different for the reader. Here's how each chapter after that breaks down:


Step 1: Get Inspired
This chapter is all about losing weight for the right reasons and doing it in a healthy way. Daphne also goes into why she decided to write this book. At the end of the chapter, there are some questions that the reader should answer to fully understand their reason(s) for losing weight.

Step 2: Get Informed
This chapter informs the reader about America's eating habits, which include fast food restaurants and how more and more people are turning into couch potatoes. It also goes into eating disorders and shares a couple of young women's stories about their eating disorders.This chapter also talks about emotional eating and calculating your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). What's really helpful is that at the end of the chapter, there is a chart showing what you should weigh depending on your height and your body frame.

Step 3: Get Started
This was probably the most helpful chapter for me, because this is where you'll learn a TON about nutrition.  You will learn about simple vs. complex carbs, protein, fats,the right fruits and veggies, artificial sweeteners (and why you shouldn't use them), fiber, portion control, and many other helpful tips.

Step 4: Get A Grip
This chapter is all about where and how to eat when in college. There's also helpful info about budgeting and saving time while still eating healthy. There's also some tips on storage of food and what to eat when going to restaurants with friends.

Step 5: Get Prepared
This is a really helpful chapter all about the danger zones in college: study sessions, parties, late night talks with friends, etc. There's so many helpful tips on how to eat healthy if you get the munchies in any of these situations.

Step 6: Get Moving
This is a pretty basic chapter about exercising. What's really cool is there are illustrations of so any moves you can do in your dorm room if you can't get to a gym.

Step 7: Get Your Vitamins
Just a helpful chapter on what vitamins you should be getting everyday as well as how to treat minor illnesses like a cold. I will say that I don't completely agree with this chapter because research has shown that you should be getting your daily vitamins from food. Also, you should really only be taking vitamins if you're pregnant or have a deficiency diagnosed by a doctor.

Step 8: Get Happy
This chapter is really informative about how to relieve stress in school without turning to food.

Step 9: Get Conscious
This is a great condensed chapter all about organic foods, foods coming from free range and grass-fed animals, and local foods.

Step 10: Get Cooking
A great chapter full of wonderful recipes if you have regular access to a kitchen and have to cook your own meals!

Overall, I love this book. Daphne writes in a way that very easy to understand and easy to relate to. She wasn't in college too long ago, so she completely understands what people are age are going through. This book definitely helped me get informed about basic healthy eating and helped me lose weight!

XOXO
Rachel

Sunday, May 27, 2012

SUMMER!!!

Hello Everyone!
Summer is here and i couldn't be more excited! My freshman year at LSU was truly a blessing and has helped me grow so much as a performer, but now I need the time to relax! Here are a couple of things I wanted to talk about:

1. I've officially lost 30 lbs.!! I'm amazed at how far i've come and i'm so proud of myself!! I still have a bit more weight to lose, but i feel so much better about myself now. If you want to read about how i've been losing weight, refer to my previous post.

2. In July, i will be in the ensemble for Tulane Summer Lyric;s production of Anything Goes!! I know this will be a fun experience for me (i've done a show for TSLT before) and i CANNOT WAIT!!

3. I'M GOING TO NEW YORK IN AUGUST!! i haven't been to the Big Apple since 2009, so this visit is way overdue!! I'll be there for 8 days watching shows, going to museums, etc.!! This will be such a great way to end my summer :)

That's about it for this post. TTYL!

XOXO
Rachel

Friday, April 13, 2012

Weight Loss Progress

Hey Everyone! I'm beyond happy right now because I'VE LOST 25 LBS. SINCE I GOT BACK TO SCHOOL FROM WINTER BREAK!! I've never lost this much weight EVER and i'm so excited! Not only is it easier for me to dance and work out, but i've gotten a whole new wardrobe for Spring/Summer!! I'm such a girly girl sometimes :P If you want to know how i lost the weight, here is a link to a post i did on my sister's blog all about my journey! http://www.theniftyfoodie.com/life/2012/04/12/guest-post-weight-loss-in-college/

I still have about 30 more lbs. (maybe a little more) to lose, but i'm just so happy about the weight that i've lost i had to post about it. I lost almost 15% of my body weight and lost an entire dress size (maybe even more)! When i went shopping this past weekend everything was fitting me and i couldn't believe it. My mom and i had to spend some time in the dressing room just to decide what to actually purchase since everything looked so good on me HA! I will post more on this topic later, and i will make a complete "My Weight Loss Story" video on my youtube channel, so i'll let you know when i post that! The ultimate goal for me is to be fit, no matter what weight i am.

XOXO Rachel

Friday, February 17, 2012

Anything Goes!

Hello Everyone!!
I wanted to update you guys on a few things that are going on in my life!

1. I've lost 20 Ibs. since coming back to LSU from christmas break!!! 20 Ibs!!! I still can't believe the number i saw when i weighed myself today! Losing 20 Ibs. doesn't sound like much, but i can really tell that i have more energy and it's easier for me to workout now! Thank goodness for Zumba and yoga/pilates!!

2. I'm taking this musical theatre class that one of the voice professors here at LSU teaches. One of the big numbers we're doing for the annual revue "Singo de Mayo" is the high energy song "Anything Goes" from the musical of the same name. This is such an amazing tap number that i absolutely love! I decided to go ahead and audition for the part of Reno (which is the lead) and i got it!! Words can't describe how excited I am about it!!

3. Things are getting a little stressful for me at the moment. I just can't believe how quickly midterms are coming up! I really need to buckle down and practice/study so much more than I have been. I just don't know why i've been getting so lazy!

4. Right now I'm home for Mardi Gras break which is awesome! Unfortunately it won't be much of a break for me since I need to study for my first Geology exam and I need to work on choreographing a number for "Singo de Mayo".

That's really it for now!

XOXO
Rachel

Saturday, February 4, 2012

New Semester, New Me!!

Hey Everyone!
My Christmas holidays were so great that i almost didn't want to go back to school! I got to spend 5 weeks at home doing absolutely nothing but spending time with my family and doing whatever i felt like!

Now that i'm back at school, things are really changing for me. I'm loving all of my classes this semester! I especially love my Monday/Wednesday schedule since it's packed with all my music classes. I've really gotten back into an exercise routine and a good diet, so i know i will get a lot healthier this semester after spending Christmas break eating whatever i wanted. I'm also really liking all the songs that my voice teacher picked out for me this semester. I just know that this will be one of the best semesters i will ever spend here at LSU!!

I wanted to mention that i recently made a brand new blog, so i want all of you to go check it out!! http://rachelshappinessproject.blogspot.com/

Will update you guys more when i have a bit more time to type it all out!

XOXO
Rachel