55 minutes of exercise - 5 days a week

A new study came out recently that says you need 55 minutes of daily activity five times a week in order to sustain weight loss.

Reality check: How many of you get 55 minutes (not counting the walk from the car to the office) every day? yeah, me neither. I try, and some weeks I hit that, but lately it's been more like four.

"A new study has found that for overweight and obese women seeking to lose weight, fifty-five minutes of exercise a day, five days a week is needed to lose 10 per cent of overall body weight over two years," a CBC news report says.

The study was done by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. Read more here.

Nothing tastes as good as skinny

So a friend told me about this expression the other day, and I'm trying to put it to good use:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny."

It's so true, right? When you're fit and sliding into those tiny jeans, you just glide around like you own the world. Such a confidence booster. Of course, it's hard to remember that adage when staring down a double ***late **ip ****kie with PMS-fogged eyes.

I'm sticking to it, though, and the past couple of days, I've really been avoiding extra food. Just sticking to the basics like fruit, protein, and tons of veggies and liquids. Honestly I've felt a lot lighter and even had less stomach problems. There was, however, an incident of loud stomach growling during a meeting with a CEO. He was too polite to point it out, though, and I was too hungry to really care what he thought.

Quinoa aka Keen-wah

Do you all know about this amazing grain, Quinoa? Rice-like but lighter and full of nutrients, it's become my go-to grain. Gluten and wheat-free, it's easy on the tummy, and get this, it has 5 grams of protein per serving, plus fiber, iron, folate, magnesium, and other good stuff.

I admit I'm still working on how to sex it up. It can be a bit dull. Usually I just put a stir-fry over it, preferably a spicy one. I'd like to come up with some ways to eat it plain, though. Maybe just broccoli and a little garlic salt? hmm....here are some other recipe ideas.

Savvy Vegetarian

Quinoa Recipes

Allrecipes

The fat trail

So I was talking with a friend of mine the other day, and she mentioned how she can stay in her size 6s even as the pounds creep up. The thing is, her weight goes to her hips, butt, face, and arms. Mine, on the other hand, heads straight for the stomach. Then the boobs. When I see it in my face, I KNOW I'm in trouble. By the time it hits my hips and thighs, I'm in big trouble.

My friend's weight loss plan then includes taking her measurements while I'll wait to see what size Levi's I can fit in come falltime. Right now, forget it. Squeezing into any pair of jeans in this 90-degree New York weather is a nightmare even if you're of the toothpick variety.

I've been eating really well lately, by the way. Lots of fresh fruit, salads, etc. Today, though.....I caved. It was the All Stars' game, and I went to a pub. Turkey burger with waffle fries followed. Only 1 beer, though. Phew.

Stats

How the hell did I go up a pound?? I mean WTF? The scale said 136 this morning, but I'm counting it as a fluke given my healthy day yesterday. So here's where I'm at:

HW: 140
CW: 135
GW: 120

Those not familiar with these...high weight, current weight, goal weight. Often a "LW" for low weight is also listed, but I just don't know what that would be. What's the cut off? 20yo? 21? teenage years count?

I should add: 5'4".

Oh, and I know 135 isn't horrible, but I want size 4 back....heck even size 6 again.

this ENDS now

So I moved from LA to NYC about a year ago and some months. I had gone through a major breakup (aka, we were together 5 years, on marriage track, he became a union organizer, blah, blah, blah), and since then I've gained 15 pounds. 15 pounds!!!! That's two sizes in clothes, a new hairstyle to try to better frame my round face, and a whole lotta extra belly and boobs.

How is this even possible? Everyone says, oh, you'll lose so much weight in New York. Everyone walks; there's no way to be fat. And it's true. I walk everywhere, up the subway, down, up the apartment, through the park, to the train...everywhere, right? Not only that, but I'm a pretty regular exerciser. I ran the Brooklyn half-marathon in May, I'm a decent yogi and I go to the gym a few times a week.

How then did this gut develop on my 5'4" frame? OK, I'm not going to say I'm fat or huge or anything. I'm a 28yo, 135-pound, generally healthy chick. The problem is I don't recognize myself anymore. I don't look like me, I don't feel like me, and this has got to end - now.

So, my plan (and I've had many plans over this last year), is to finally get rid of these 15 pounds I'm carrying around. I don't know how yet, but for now I'm heading to the gym, and I'm giving up grains for a while. It's summer anyway; I can live on fruit.