Don't Be Fat Update

I skipped last week's weigh-in because Sunday evening I decided to change everything. Well, I decided to ask for help. (This is most likely going to be one of those posts where I talk about how amazing and awesome my husband is, so you might want to grab your barf bag for this one.)

First, I want to say that my desire to lose weight and feel good about my body and make healthier choices has always been mine. The pressure that I'm under to do that is mostly of my own making, but I won't say that living in The Land of Tiny Women doesn't have some kind of effect on my self-image. Kenny met me when I was at my largest, fell in love with me when I was at my biggest, and asked me to marry him before I lost an ounce of weight for our wedding. He constantly affirms my outer and inner beauty. He is, I am convinced, the most encouraging and loving man on the planet. He has stood by and watched plan after plan fail. He also sits next to me and keeps his mouth closed while I sometimes make destructive eating choices. He used to try to voice a warning, but got tired of getting the stink eye everytime he opened his mouth about my donut addiction. Anyway, he's been there. He's watched me fail. And I think he is just as tired of it as I am.

So Sunday night, he told me he was willing to sign on as my personal trainer and personal chef. He made me get up out of the bed and leave the house  before 8, going for a walk or jumping rope for a few minutes. He made me eat breakfast and take vitamins. He made me run in the evenings after work. He cooked me healthy, scrumptious lunches everyday,and also packed healthy dinners for me. He forgave me when I slipped and scrounged up all the money in the bottom of my purse and my desk drawer and bought an iced caramel macchiato. He was so patient with me as I whined and cried and begged to be let off the hook. I'm so glad he made me stick with it.

And this morning, he celebrated with me when the scale was 2 kilos lower! I couldn't believe it. I'm at 68 kilos after a week of hard work. And I'm ready to pull off another strong week. I could NOT do this without Kenny. It's incredible how much easier it is when I have his support and his tough love. It's incredible how hard he's willing to work for what I want. He's given up eating out, spending our mornings in coffee shops (we've traded everyday for just Sunday afternoons), and sacrificed a lot of his free time to fix his meals and run next to me to help me keep a good pace. I'm pretty sure I've got the market covered on Best. Husband. EV-VUR.

Last week was really rough for me. I did a lot of crying, a lot of whining, and I ate a heck of a lot of tofu. But this week I'm starting off with a belly full of motivation after seeing that number on the scale. In fact, I've got to go run. Because It's exactly 32 days before I land in the States. And I want to do some serious shopping when I get there! And I can promise you, I'm buying something sexy for the HubbO. He totally deserves, well, pretty much whatever he wants.

So that's me. How you doin'?

Don't Be Fat Update

I'll try to update you on my ChubbO Chubbington status on Mondays, because that's the day I step on the scale! When I weighed in last week it was a bummer at 70 kilos (154 pounds). This morning I weigh a whopping 70kgs. As we say in Korea, "Same, same."

Whatever I weigh today, I'm proud of myself for last week. I cooked every meal every day for 5 days, except for Monday's lunch. Logistically, we can't be at home for lunch on Mondays and practically, we don't have enough lunch boxes to pack both our lunches and dinners! But besides that scheduling fluke each week, I plan to continue cooking and packing dinners for school. One, it saves us a ton of money. Two, I always eat healthier if I'm cooking and it's easier to control the portion size.

I didn't snack at all until Friday night when I didn't pack enough dinner and I had a yogurt from the corner store. But I didn't beat myself up about it. It was what it was. 

I also cut out my daily coffee indulgence. I still have it on Tuesdays while I grade my student's weekly book reports in my little coffee shop next door to the school. And I'll sometimes have one on Thursdays while I'm lesson planning and writing tests. But those are my weekly allowances.

I didn't do that great on the exercise front, but I think it's because I'm still getting the hang of the cooking thing. It takes me most of the morning to fix lunch and dinner and pack dinners. The longer I do it, the more efficient I'll get. I took a walk on Tuesday morning, took a few short walks on my breaks at work, and Saturday went on an 8 hour hike. Obviously, I can't move any part of my body without feeling the repercussions of Chiak Mountain. I really wasn't in shape for such a serious hike, but I'm glad I did it because I totally deserved my dinner that day!

This week, my goals are to continue cooking meals at home and to be a little more active. Oh, and to fit into my skinny jeans by December 19th!

How are YOU doing?

Huge Announcement

It is Sunday, September 19th. In exactly 3 months I will be landing in Nashville to visit my family and friends for two whole weeks. I have already drawn up a calendar and I am jumping up and down ready to fill it in with the names of family and friends and the places we'll meet. And yes, I'm already looking forward to Christmas! (It's never too early, you Grinches!)

However, I'm fatter than I'd like to be. I'm not as fat as I have been, but I'm not taking care of myself, either. If you'll remember, way back in 2008, I had plans to attend my sister's wedding in November. I initiated the Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan and it worked. I lost weight for her wedding and felt great about myself in the dress I wore. Of course, I was still much fatter than my sister. It's impossible not to be with her trying so hard just to weigh 100 pounds. My goal isn't not to be fatter. It's just to not be the fat one.

So, without further delay or hesitation, I am reinstating The Plan. I'm going to update here once a week on my progress. For example, I'll weigh every weekend, I'll post my workouts, and I'll try not to drink too much iced coffee or eat donuts. My goal weight is, again, 140 pounds. I've plenty of work to do, so I'm going to get busy! If anyone else wants to join me in my 3 month battle against the bulge, let me know! It would be great to have some accountability and encouragement! Come on, we should at least slim down before we eat all that yummy Christmas food!

And to my family and friends: I'll see you in 3 months time. And I'm gonna look gooood!

Oh, and P.S. If you're reading in Google Reader, click over to Wonju Wife to see the new design! I'm not totally happy with it yet, but it's getting there. Let me know what you think, lovelies!

puglypixel

"Home, Home, Where I Wanted to Be"

"I want to live in a wooden house, where making more friends would be easy." 

Thank you, Coldplay. 

Yes, that is the home where I wanted to be, and I was there, and now I'm back and I want to be there again! I'd really like to do the whole trip over again because I learned a few things. 1. Do NOT fly United Air. They are crap. They do not have the little personal screens on 12 hour flights. The stewardesses were rude and did not follow the "do not stick your butt in the passenger's face by bending over, but simply kneel to grab something from the bottom shelf" rule. When there are two hour delays on the runway, they do not make an announcement letting passengers know what is going on. They estimate everything will take 20 minutes, but it always takes at least an hour. See? United Air sucks. 2. Take lots of medicine on the flight over so that you are not deathly ill when you wake up the next day and have about 4 hours to find a dress to wear to your sister's wedding. 3. TAKE MORE PICTURES. I don't have any pictures of just me and my mom or just me and my sister. It's sad. I mean, I'll see them both in February, for my wedding, but I would have liked to have more pictures. Sadly, wedding madness ruled the weekend. So, yes, I'd like to do the trip over again wiser and better, but I'll take the time I got with my family and friends anyway! 

I'm not much of a picture poster, just because I like to show you things with words instead. But this is a special exception for you dear readers because you have been severely neglected lately. And I keep promising to rectify the situation and it's just not happening, is it? I'll try to make it up to you. A few highlights from Kenny's first trip to America, full with commentary! 

Morning ritual for Kenny: sitting on the deck with his coffee. I am here for your viewing enjoyment with airplane+sleeping hair and my beautiful kitty Kimchi! Kenny took lots of pictures of my house. I was glad he did that because I got to see it in a different way and appreciate my home even more. (I guess it's not technically my home anymore, although my mom would beg to differ!) Being at home was comfortable. I wanted Kenny to feel comfortable in my home, to experience the warmth of my family. I think he did. 

Holly and Matt exchanging their rings.

The whole fam. 

My little sister got married to a wonderful man and I now have a goofy brother-in-law to discuss my latest bowel movements with. I cried when she walked down the aisle with my daddy and I cried again when they danced together. My family is so precious. And yep, that's me in the little black dress! AND, dear readers, go ahead and open your mouth and gasp in preparation: I wore high heels. Almost the entire night. I even danced in high heels. Here's evidence: 

My mom was upset because no one was dancing. My moves were meant to inspire others to join me. (They inspired a little growl from Kenny!) Anyway, a good time was had by all except my feet. I left the heels and the dress at home. We'll see if the dress still fits next summer, when it will be a little more season-appropriate. Ultimately, I was of course, the fatter sister, seeing as how Holly is a size 0 and that is not a possibility for me, ever. But I was NOT the fat sister. So, I think the Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan was a success. I think I need to draw up the next stage which will be something like the Don't Have a Belly in the Wedding Dress Workout Plan. Or, Look Hot and Make Your Husband Drool on your Wedding Day Workout Plan. Or Love Yourself and Your Body on your Wedding Day Workout Plan. Hmmm... I'll have to give it a little more thought. 

Speaking of things fitting, I AM OFFICIALLY 63 KILOS. Which means, in plain American English.... 139 pounds. (I will take a moment for your applause. Yes, thank you, thank you.)

I'm pretty excited about this. Seems that being sick probably was rather beneficial because it did a number on my appetite. I did not consume nearly enough sweet tea or fried foods. But I didn't gain 5 pounds either. Rather, I came back close to 2 pounds lighter! Tomorrow I'm rejoining the gym with the boyfriend and the fight for the next 4 pounds and losing the rest of the belly continues! 

Also along the line of things fitting, please grab your barf bag because I found my wedding dress. I'll wait while you read that sentence again to make sure you got it right. Yep, wedding dress= check. It's not anything like I thought it would be. It's everything I walked into the store saying I hated. I am not going to thrill you or cause you to puke up any more of your guts by showing you previews. But I will show you how much fun 4 hours of wedding dress shopping is for the father of the bride. 

Doesn't he look thrilled?

Do you love it? I gave you a bigger size so you could focus on the sincerity of the facial expression. And yeah, Kenny was there, too. But shopping is his thing. Some guys are good at like, throwing balls or playing video games. My guy is good at shopping (among many many other things.) And he's way more picky than I am. So it made sense for me to have him help me pick out the dress because with my taste, there was a good chance I would walk down the aisle and have to see that look register on his face. The one I get when I point at things in the store and he rolls his eyes like he can't believe he knows me or that I just touched that piece of clothing. I wanted to make sure he liked it and there's no better way to do that than to get his approval from the beginning! So now, he gets 3 months to forget what it looked like! (Okay, it's 96 days until my wedding. 96 DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYS! Oh, sorry. I should have warned you that you still may need the barf bag. I'm finished now. You can put it away.)

I also got to spend some time with my Wifey and her hubby while I was at home. It was AWESOME to see her. She did my makeup and my hair for the wedding and it was just like being back in good old sub-par paradise, getting ready for a night out. It was pretty much pure bliss. And I got to hang out with my good friend Melanie, whom many of you might know from her blog. Yep, she was my real-life friend first! We've known each other since high school and I couldn't have made it living at home after college without her! 

Kenny, 139 pound Me, Kerri, and Buck

Melanie and Me

Well, I could choose to complain about all the things that went wrong or could have been better on my trip home, but hey, I already did that at the beginning of this post. I had a good trip home and when we got here, the first set of our engagement pictures were ready. I'll give you a peek here and the rest you can see in this Facebook album. 

This was a purely self-indulgent post, but I'm hoping you loved it anyway. I'm heading back to the hell hole tomorrow for a few more months of work with the monsters. They've given me a week to do evaluations for all 25 of my kids. Oh well, whatever. By the way, I totally ate a donut today. Do you know why? Because I deserved it! 

It feels good to be back. I missed you. 

Update: Don't Be Fat, etc.

1. Friday night I made the most awesome video blog for you guys. It was kind of funny, there was dancing and singing, my right armpit made an appearance, and generally it rocked. The most awesome video blog was, however, lost. Forever. I spent Friday night trying to recover from the depression.

2. I lost another kilogram! Which is pretty amazing considering I didn't really keep up my Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan. At all. I drank coffee every day at lunch; I didn't run or walk; I neglected my 100 push up plan entirely. I did, however, start cooking for myself every night and eating early in the evening. About 6:30 or 7:00 is my cut off time for dinner. After that, it's only water. I'm down 2.2 pounds and only have 2 more pounds to go to meet my goal for my sister's wedding. Only 25 more days until I fly to the States!

3. Saturday, I got my ring! I'll save all of you from using the barf bag you keep close by your computer when stopping by those pink oh-my-gosh-I-found-my-flowers-and-my-bridesmaids-dresses-are-soooooooooooooooooooooo-cute wedding blogs. I'm so happy, it's gross. So instead of triggering your gag reflex, I'll leave you with this:

What do you think?

What Day is It?

So, as I type this I'm munching on 56% Cacao pieces and sipping tiramisu in liquid form. It's delicious and I've no idea how many days I have (okay, it's like 32, but I don't care, so there). Anyhow, total and utter failure of my Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan. But you guys don't really care to hear about all that stuff anyway, right? It's boring, and you can click on 100 blogs and 99 of them will be some ChubbO complaining about how she just can't stand to look at herself one more minute, but then she can't stand to live without the 190 calorie goodness of an Iced Caramel Macchiato, either. Therein lies the rub. Although I've failed since the second day of my failtastic plan, I'm not giving up altogether. The way to success lies not in not falling down, but in getting back up after you've fallen down for the fifty-second time. And if I truly believe that, then I'll suck it up and get back on track. 

In other news: my holiday has been great so far. Thursday I went on a field trip to the Children's Park near Achasan and saw the animals with my monsters. It was a beautiful day and my kids made me feel like a celebrity, calling my name all day and running to give me hugs and pulling my hand to show me something. I truly enjoyed being their teacher because we were outside of the pressure-cooker classroom, there were no right answers, and hey, Danielle Teacher can do cartwheels! And of course, it was my 2 year anniversary.

My Thursday only got better as I left the park to meet soon-to-be hubby and we did a little ring shopping aaaaaaaaaaand... I totally found my ring. It's being handmade and I'll get it... well, I don't know when. It will be available the 10th of this month, but who knows when Kenny will actually deem it the right time to present it. I've fallen in love with it. It's different than anything else I've seen and although it's still shiny and pretty, it's also simple and my style. I think I truly allowed myself to be a girl about the whole thing and it took Kenny by surprise. But I have a right to be giddy and excited about it. So I am! I'll be sure to let y'all know whenever I get it. 

It may seem weird from a western view that I've already been proposed to, that my wedding was in the planning stages before that proposal took place, and that I still don't have my engagement ring after being engaged for over a month. But that's usually how it works in Korea. The wedding is pretty much planned and taken care of and then the girl waits and waits and waits and the guy makes a big show of the proposal and presents the ring. I guess it comes from the fact that wearing engagement and wedding rings is something that is becoming more popular in the younger generations here and is not generally regarded as necessary. But I'm glad Kenny was up for it! 

Enough mush. Onto the goodness that is my gift to you today. Yesterday we ventured a drive out towards Suwon to the Korean Folk Village. Kenny's parents warned that we shouldn't go anywhere, especially in a car, on a national holiday in Korea, but we pooh-poohed on their negativity and went anyway. We begged his father to borrow the navigation system and went on our way. I drove. This video is what happens when Danielle drives in Seoul. I know that Koreans have only been driving for a few years compared to the United States and the laws are a bit behind when it comes to safety issues on the roadways. Needless to say, it's crazy. But we had fun and even if we almost died a few times, it was worth it. Enjoy the long lost rage that resurfaced behind the wheel. I know you guys are probably missing The Rage a bit, and to tell you the truth, I am too. After watching this clip, you'll probably be able to hear my voice a bit clearer in any rants to come. 

P.S. He says "Pity on me" at the end and not "Pee on me."

Day 36: Don't be Fat

So, I told you I would update you on my daily progress. Today looked like this:

No coffee. Victory. Even though I spent time at a Starbucks with a friend drinking delicious coffee. Like I said, victory.

No donuts. Even though I passed a Dunkin' Donuts. Victory.

However, there was also no cardio today. My plan had been to do my river route with my ankle weights this afternoon. But last night I had a little sore spot in my throat and I woke up at 5:30 this morning barely able to swallow. I whispered through my first three classes, went to the doctor during my lunch, and got some medicine. I have my voice back now, but my throat is still sore. The doctor said that I probably hadn't fully recovered from my weird bout of who-knows-what-flu-like miserable sickness from last week and that I should drink lots of water and rest. So I did. I drank lots of water with a wonderful salad that I bought myself for dinner.

And that water was the reason there were no stairs, either, today. I was seriously doing the pee-pee dance and trying very hard not to hold myself in the lobby waiting for the elevator. But I feel a little better after having rested and read a copy of Modern Bride, my first wedding magazine purchase, and probably my last. 

Anyway, I count today a minor success because I ate reasonably and didn't snack at all. I did take a short and easy walk as well. And I think part of the reason my throat went all wacky on me is from my run yesterday evening. It's cool in the evenings now, which feels awesome, but can make me sick when I sweat in it. So, I took an easy day. 

And I'm not going to feel guilty about it. You can feel guilty if you want to, but I refuse. I am keeping a positive attitude, not an attitude of failure. Okay, 36 days down, only 35 more to go! Woot. 

Oh, and thanks for all the encouragement and the comments. You guys rock.  

37 Day Series... You Know You Love 'Em

Yeah, I promised you this most awesome new series coming soon called Imagine All the People. It's gonna be so great, even I don't believe it. But I better stop mentioning it or else it'll never live up to all the hype and I'll get 500 comments (which would be freaking awesome) about how lame my stupid series always are. But anyway, to interrupt the previously scheduled and simply postponed series (that may debut any day now, so keep checking my blog/your google reader/your facebook feed every few minutes to distract you from your workaday boredom), yet another series. Don't you love it? End intro. 

The Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan

Okay, so, it's not really a series, but I'm for reals, people. The Chubb has got to go. (But I'm keeping the O. Oprah can sue me.) I bought a beautiful new pair of jeans, waist in inches 30, for under $10.00. (I know Mel is simply beaming right now, seeing how her girl bypassed the $150.00 Calvin Klein's for the bargain bin at E-Mart. Woot.) And they're not as comfortable as I would like them to be. And I just realized that I have only 37 days until I leave for the States for the Sisda's wedding. And since the Sisda is a size 0, I have no option but to be the fatter sister, but I refuse to be the fat sister. If that makes any sense. So I was saying to Kenny how I wanted to order a size 32 (this is in inches people) to have a comfy pair, like for when I want to eat or drink something after I've put them on, and he said, "No. You make that pair comfortable. We are not going backwards." And I looked at him, about to give him the "did you just comment on my weight?" stank eye, and then realized that as usual, he is right. I've got to pull myself together, suck in the remaining Chubb, and huff and puff my way into that pair of jeans so there are inches to spare in the waist. 

The Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan (which I plan to repeat as many times as possible in the next 37 days because it's awesome and because it reminds me of the Super Duper Slim Down Tone Up Workout Plan that the Wifey and I implemented in college) includes: cardio for an hour everyday except on Sunday because God said NO EXERCISE ON SUNDAYS OR I WILL KILL YOU AND NEVER LET YOU HAVE ANOTHER DONUT EVER AGAIN. And when the Lord threatens to withhold the confectionary goodness of the Holy Donut, the ChubbO listens. Okay, so yeah, cardio for an hour; continuing the 100 push up challenge plan thingy that I've started twice now (I'm a pro at starting things, if you haven't noticed); lots of positive thinking; eating at home (like the Paul McCartney song on his Ram album); taking the 157 stairs up to my apartment. 

The Super Duper Don't Be the Fat Sister Workout Plan does not include: coffee (except on Sundays, because it's the law); donuts; whining and feeling sorry about The Belly/The Boobs/ The Armpit Chub (which reminds me that someone actually found my blog one day by Googling 'armpit chub.' No lie). 

So, I'll let you know how I'm doing. Of course, today I already did my cardio and my push-up plan stuff. I also cooked my own dinner and didn't have coffee except at breakfast, which was kind of done before I thought up the whole SDDBTFSWP, so it doesn't count. And hey, if I don't let you know how I'm doing, you should ask. Because what are you good for if not interwebs accountability, eh? 

Also, Thursday is my 2 year anniversary, (did I say this already?) and I'm excited. 

Oh, and prepare yourselves. USA, here I come!