Belinda Dao

I started to freak out this past weekend. (Well, actually I didn’t start to, I did.) When I stepped on the scale throughout the day on Sunday and on Monday morning, I found that my weight had fluctuated towards my former, heftier weight rather than towards my new, skinnier weight from last week. How could this possibly be happening? I began to worry that my hard work over the last month from doing Bikram yoga and eating healthy was slipping away from me and my weight would never reach my ideal goal weight (my driver’s license weight). But then I began to think about what I had done these past several days. On Friday night, I had an unhealthy helping of a Burger King Whopper Jr. and half a king-sized order of onion rings for dinner before the No Doubt/Paramore/The Sounds concert. Then on Saturday night, I went to a wedding and indulged myself in a nine course meal. Although I limited my servings for each dish, the food was not what you would exactly call healthy (except for the fruits at the end) and I did eat more than I regularly have for the past month. So on Sunday and Monday (yesterday), I decided to return to my eating habits from this past month. I ate smaller portions at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I filled up on veggies and fresh fruits. (The key, I think, is to still eat everything from all the food groups, but to eat them in smaller portions and to aim towards eating healthier foods.) This seemed to do the trick. I stepped on the scale again and my weight now hovers around my new, lower weight (even less!). Score one for Belinda, zero for my weekend splurge.

(I know I said last last time that I would tell you about my Bikram Yoga lessons, but again please be patient. I will get to it sometime soon?!?!)

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 9 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -8lbs

No Comments | In: Pounds | tags: scale, tip, weight. | #

I’m not sure if it was the two weeks (actually ten days over a two week period) of Bikram Yoga or if it was my ab roller and push-ups or a combination of both or even my low-fat/low-carb diet (doctor’s orders which I was semi-successful at), but sound the trumpets and sing Hallelujah!  I have made great progress this past week.  I was actually quite disappointed during my two weeks of Bikram Yoga because my weight went down only a pound or two while fluctuating up a pound or two as well.  Then, last week I went on vacation that was semi-unhealthy (think fast food/eating out) making me think all my hard work was going to waste.  However, when I got home Sunday night and I stepped on the scale, lo and behold I lost more than a pound or two.  Don’t worry.  It’s not a fluke.  My weight has maintained itself these past couple of days so I know this dream must be true.

I feel like this journey has taken a long time, but I’m finally reaping the reward so yay me!

(I know I said last time I would tell you about my Bikram Yoga lessons this time around, but please be patient.  I will get to it soon!)

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 10 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -7lbs

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Okay, I admit I haven’t been keeping up with my Pounds updates as often as I would have liked or as often as I previously said I would. My last Pounds post was exactly 11 weeks ago. (I just realized that 11 weeks is close to three months! Eek!) Well, during this hiatus, I admit I stopped running, I stopped using Wii Fit consistently, and I rarely made an effort to break a sweat. I did, however, manage to do 20-30 womanly push ups almost every day along with two sets of 10-15 ab rolls with my ab roller. Still, this was significantly less than what I set out to do. (Thank goodness my weight hasn’t increased dramatically or else I would be sitting here seriously depressed and disappointed.) I’m now at the point where I just want to lose the extra baggage that I picked up these last two years so I’m willing to try anything. It’s desperation time.

A, my exercise buddy (EB) and fellow fatty, told me about Bikram Yoga or “hot yoga” (26 yoga poses repeated twice in a 105 degree F room for 90 minutes — thank you Google). Her friend, G, had suggested it to her because he knew she wanted to get into shape and he had lost eight pounds after just two weeks of starting Bikram Yoga. Hopefully, it wasn’t his water weight. When A told me she wanted us both to do it, I was not too convinced I wanted to take a yoga class (I’m no pretzel) let alone do yoga poses in an insanely hot room (A’s words: “You sweat so much it looks like you took a shower in your clothes”). But A was my EB and I needed to support her in this endeavor. I figured that if a person with zero flexibility was willing to do it, I might as well go check it out.

Fast forward to last Monday when I found myself standing outside of the Irvine location of Bikram Yoga. A, her friend L, and I were there to inquire about the two weeks of unlimited hot yoga we saw advertised on their site for $29 and about Bikram yoga in general. (Seriously, who has ever heard of Bikram yoga?) Walking in, this facility looked clean, cool, and calm. The locker room/bathroom/showers looked like a spa (or what I assume spas to look like). So far, my impression of Bikram Yoga was on the positive side. Then I peered through the circular window of the door separating me from the Yoga poses and the 105 degree temperature. Sweat was pouring off people by the bucket. They were in positions that looked to me would be painful and uncomfortable. Yet the fat girl in the front (in skimpy clothes, no less) to the old man in the back all looked like they could handle it. When the lady at the front desk asked if we had decided if we wanted to sign up, A, L, and I were giving each other hesitant looks questioning whether we could handle it. Voicing our concerns about the heat and the ability to do the positions, another worker asked us if we watched the first Transformers movie. (Luckily, A and I had just watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen during the weekend and decided to watch Transformers the day before to understand it.) She asked, “Like in movie when Sam asks Mikaela “Don’t you want to be able to say you had the guts to get into the car?”, don’t you want to say that you went into the room?”.

So here I am signed up for two weeks of unlimited Bikram Yoga. This better make me lose weight.
(I’ll get to my first day of Bikram Yoga in another post.)

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 13 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -4lbs

No Comments | In: Pounds | tags: Bikram Yoga, weight. | #

cautionary whale weekly weight update

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 12 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -5lbs

No Comments | In: Pounds | tags: exercise, weight. | #

These weigh in Tuesdays come up so quickly on me.  I thought I was just on the scale.  Well, at least the step on the scale today has made me happy.  I am glad to say that since since I first started this whole work out/lose weight thing, I have made the most week-to-week progress today!

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 12 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -5lbs

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I exercise and exercise and exercise yet still no additional weight loss.  What is going on here?  I thought the deal was I would sweat off my extra pounds.  Apparently, my body did not get the memo.  This leaves me in a difficult situation in that I now must think of what else there is I can do to meet my goal.  What else can I do in addition to exercising to lose the fat? There must be something out there that will help do the trick.

Eating Healthy. In addition to the exercise, I have read that it is important to maintain a healthy diet or else exercise will not have a major effect.  I do not mean starving myself or upchucking what I ate into the toilet.  Rather, instead of reaching for and consuming large quantities of fatty, unhealthy foods, I need to eat the “good” kinds of foods.  This includes, but is not limited to, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and the like.  I do not have to avoid the “bad” foods completely, but I need to eat it in moderation.  For example, if I am craving chips or chocolate or cookies, it is okay.  I can have a bite of it.  I just cannot have multiple bites of it.  So, along with the exercise, I am going to modify my current eating habits.  I am not going on a diet, but I am going to make healthier choices.  I just hope I can avoid the temptations and keep this going.

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 15 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -2lbs

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Here’s a quickie update on my goal to lose the fat. I impressed even myself with my renewed commitment to exercise. This past week, I exercised for seven days straight with the help of my Wii and Wii Fit. This game definitely makes getting myself to exercise a lot easier. Although there are some funky Yoga poses my body will never be able to do without severe pain, I think overall it does the trick.  I also supplemented my Wii Fit regimen with 20 push-ups/day (the girly kind until I get enough upper body strength) and 20-30 ab rolls/day with my ab roller.

A month into my workouts, I feel fitter, stronger, and healthier.  A says I am slowly, but surely, losing the jiggle in my legs when I walk, the cellulite dimples when I sit, and the protuding belly.  The scale may not reflect this progess, but keep in mind that muscle weigh more than fat (or that’s what I like to tell myself).

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 15 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -2lbs

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Another week has past since setting my goal to lose weight and to tone up.  It is hard to believe, but my progress since my last report has declined even more.  I give myself a pass though because my exercise buddy (EB) had her birthday in the middle of the week and planned three full days of bday extravaganza, which made it extremely difficult to exercise Wednesday through Friday.  However, in response to this recent dip in our motivation and dedication to the original plan, EB and I think we have come up with a no-fail solution that has us energized and excited about exercising in the weeks to come.

Wii Fit. After the festivities ended, EB and I went out on Sunday to get ourselves a Wii Fit from Best Buy.  (My advice is to call the retailer before driving to the store to make sure they have it in stock.  Although it takes a million rings before anyone at Best Buy answers the phone, if they even decide to answer, it is worth it to avoid unnecessary gas-guzzling trips.)  The Wii Fit offers four different categories of exercise (Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, Balance Games) each with a decent number of exercising options.  With this game, you have the choice of creating your own Mii profile to keep track of your BMI, weight, and progress in addition to creating weight loss goals.  Multiple Miis can be created so multiple friends and family can get in shape as well.  There is also a feature called Fit Credits.  The more Fit Credits (minutes) you put into exercising with your Wii Fit, the more exercises, repetitions, and difficulty levels you can unlock.  (I assume there is a limit to how many exercises there are.)  The exercises themselves are legitimate because the Wii Fit uses the same Yoga and Strength moves that I utilized in my Abs and Thigh class and Pump and Sculpt class at the gym.  After doing these moves, which are targeted to toning, building muscles, improving balance and posture, and strengthening core muscles, I could definitely feel “the burn”.  If you get tired of doing traditional exercises, the Aerobics and Balance Games categories offer an array of fun exercising games.  Although some exercise moves are harder than others (i.e. Tree Pose, Push-Up and Side Plank), most are doable for anyone of any age (or at least for a 22-year-old).  Overall, I’m quite happy thus far with the Wii Fit.  Not only do I enjoy exercising, but I look forward to exercising.  Today is day 3 with the Wii Fit and so far I have not had any trouble keeping up with my exercise schedule.

(The Wii Fit is listed at $89.99.  It is twenty cents cheaper through a seller on Amazon.)

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 15 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -2lbs

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Two weeks into my battle to lose the bulge, my efforts seem to have lost some steam. Laziness, maybe? Lack of motivation? Either way, a lot of people in my position, that is, people trying to get into shape, have encountered the same momentary lapse in their exercise regimen. I seemed to have started out strong with an exercise plan of what I was going to do each week. Tuesdays were reserved for tennis. Wednesdays and Saturdays were for running. The other days were to consist of strengthening exercises . It was simple enough and I even was on schedule for the first week, but for some unforeseen reason, I could not manage to keep to my exercise plan. (Yes, I know. It has only been two weeks.) I was plagued by a plethora of problems, but I think I have a solution to my lack of exercise.

Buddy up. I found another fat friend who is interested in shedding the pounds along with me. She too had a recent weight gain and wants to get back to her once thin body frame. I definitely suggest partnering up with an exercise buddy because you can motivate each other. It is a lot easier to exercise when someone other than yourself is there to remind you, push you, and encourage you to exercise. (If I were to go it alone, I think the cookie jar would end up consoling me.) Besides, if your friend gets skinnier at a faster rate than you, it is definitely motivation to catch up along with him/her. You don’t want to be the only fatso in your group, do you?

Despite my poor efforts this past week, I have good news to report in that I lost a minuscule, but now nonexistent, amount of weight. Yay me!

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 15 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: -2lbs

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It may sound cliché, but for those of us trying to get into shape, to lose weight, to tone our bodies, the moment we step on the scale is the moment of truth.  There is a fear that races through our minds during the few seconds it takes for us to look down and accept the truth, a fear that the hard work we put in may not be reflected in a weight drop, or better yet, a fear that despite the hard work our weight may never drop.  I faced this fear today.  One week after my active start to lose the bulge, I heroically stepped onto the scale and looked down.  Same as last week.  Did I miss something here?  Did I not just spend the last week (well, to be truthful, minus a day or two) doing cardio and strengthening exercises?  For goodness sakes, I even ran.  (For me, running is like dying a slow death.  I never enjoyed “the burn” or the shortness of breath that comes with running.)

Well, now I must face the truth.  I never said that this was going to be easy.  After being inactive for a few years, did I really expect results to come right away?  I have to remind myself that it has only been one week.  Napoleon did not conquer Europe in one week so I cannot expect to do the same with my fat.  The positive side of this is at least I did not gain any weight.  I am maintaining my weight even without dieting, which I could never really commit to because some foods are just too good to be denied.  I have to get past this weigh in and continue on with my exercise routine.  To admit defeat right now would be pathetic and so the journey to accomplish my goal to tone the fat jiggles along.

Current Weight: Driver’s License + 17 pounds
Weight Difference from 03/03/03: 0lbs

1 Comment | In: Pounds | tags: exercise, scale, weight. | #