Monthly Archives: August 2012

Losing Weight The Techie Way (or My FitBit Fail)

Posted on August 3, 2012 | 1 comment

I like techie things. I love my computer, I might love my iPhone too much (I sleep with it next to me), and my brother just got me an AppleTV for my birthday. Ok, so maybe I don’t just like techie things, I love them.

So when I heard about the FitBit, it sounded awesome. It counts your steps, it keeps track of how active you are, and it’s so tiny, that even I can clip it on my bra without it being seen.

So I bought one yesterday, and it’s been nothing but trouble. Sorry to any FitBit people who read this, but it’s true.

It took me 2 hours to get it set up. For some reason, the dock would not recognize the device. And it’s never been able to sync. I try to force sync it, and nothing happens. I’ve done everything in the troubleshooting to fix it, but it still doesn’t work. And their customer service is only available by email, no phone calls or online chats.

I decided even with all those fails, I’d still try it today. Maybe I got a defective device and then I’d exchange it instead of returning it.

Nope.

When I rode my bike (inside on a stationary bike), somehow the FitBit thought that I had walked over 7,000 steps. Maybe you can’t wear it when you are working out? Seems weird. It still won’t sync. And the iPhone app only works if you can get the device to sync.

The only positive it had was that I could use MyFitnessPal to track food. But honestly, that’s not enough to want to keep it.

So I’ll be taking it back to the store tomorrow. If any of you have techie weight loss/workout things you love, please let me know. I love competing against myself and others and a plain pedometer just isn’t enough (plus, since I ride my bike as my main workout, the pedometer doesn’t register it).

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Default ThumbnailExcellent Customer Service (or A New Fitbit) Default ThumbnailSeeing What Other People See (or Losing Weight Without Losing Weight) Default ThumbnailI Really Am Doing Everything Right (or It’s Frustrating Not Losing Weight) Default ThumbnailLosing Some Weight (or Confused If This Is Good) Default ThumbnailGiving Fitbit Another Chance (or Doing Laps Around My Living Room) Default ThumbnailIt’s Not Really A Transformation Challenge Fail (or Trying To Be Less Competitive With Myself)

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Posted in Fitness, Shopping, Weight Loss

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Creating My Bombshell House (or I’m Glad I’m Mom Is Great At Decorating)

Posted on August 2, 2012 | Comments Off on Creating My Bombshell House (or I’m Glad I’m Mom Is Great At Decorating)

One of the things necessary for feeling like a bombshell is having a great home. It doesn’t have the be a big house (I live in a 400 square foot bungalow), but it needs to be comfortable and feel like home.

When I moved into my current place, I was going from a 1600 square foot 2 bedroom apartment that I shared with roommates to my little house where I live alone. Clearly, not all of my things would make the move. I ended up selling a lot of stuff on craigslist and making a bunch of stops at Goodwill with donations.

When I finally moved into my new place, it didn’t feel like home. It seemed cold and not friendly at all.

Enter my mom.

My mom kicks ass at decorating. She’s done an awesome job on the house I grew up in (although she’s had help in organizing the study and her closet from me). And as soon as my mom saw my house, she knew exactly what I needed.

She got me some artwork (cheaply at Bed Bath and Beyond) and a new area rug. And since I’ve moved in 2.5 years ago, my mom continues to help me make my house feel like a home.

One of my favorite things that my mom has given to me for my house is my photo collage on canvas.

I helped by picking out some of my favorite pictures and choosing the colors, but my mom made it look awesome. I have it above my desk, and since my house is so small, I can see it from most places in my house.

I think that when you have things you love and that make you smile in your house, it makes it a home. And part of being a bombshell is being comfortable where you are.

I’m glad my home is one place that I feel awesome.

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Default ThumbnailA House Anniversary (or A Decade In One Place) Default ThumbnailGetting Rid Of Extras (or Cleaning House) Default ThumbnailMore Empty Space In My House (The Cleaning And Organizing Continues) Default ThumbnailLong Layover Visit (or Celebrating With My Mom In Person) Default ThumbnailA Birthday Present For Me And My House (or Thank You Mom And Dad!) Default ThumbnailGreat Days And Not-So-Great Days (or Overcoming Workout Struggles)

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Going Back Instead of Forward (or Trying to Learn From the What Ifs)

Posted on August 1, 2012 | 1 comment

Last night, I watched the women’s gymnastics team win gold. That was an awesome moment. I’ve always felt a connection to gymnastics. I did gymnastics for a few years as a kid (I can still do a cartwheel, roundoff, somersaults, and the splits). But I think my gymnastics interest peaked in 1996.

That was the year that the magnificent seven won the team gold medal. And Amy Chow was one of those seven girls. Amy Chow trained at the same gym that I went to as a kid. We were there at the same time (but not at all at the same level). I remember my mom telling me during the ’96 Olympics that she remembered watching Amy at the gym and seeing how amazing she was as a kid.

Back then, I wondered what would have happened if I never quit gymnastics. I honestly don’t remember why I quit (I think it had something to do with being fearful of the back handspring, but I might be remembering it wrong). Could I have been an Olympic caliber gymnast too?

I look back at my life at various points and wonder what if. Sometimes, I drive myself crazy with what ifs. One that kills me is wondering what if I tried to lose the weight when I wasn’t as heavy. Or what if I had realized that I wasn’t horribly fat and just needed to lose a little weight.

The picture below is the day I moved into my freshman dorm at Loyola Marymount University. I’m standing next to my best friend Kate.

I remember feeling so unbelievably fat in that picture. Those shorts were bought at Lane Bryant, and they were the first item that I ever bought there. I was so embarrassed that I wasn’t shopping at BP in Nordstroms.

Now when I look at that picture, I wish I looked like that. Yes, I was bigger than my friend, but I looked pretty normal.

If only I knew then what I knew now. Along with my eating disorder, I was diagnosed with panic/anxiety disorder and body dysmorphia. I don’t see my body the same way that the world sees it.

When I lost weight in 2006, I had a trainer. And my trainer would compare my body to others working out in the gym so I could have a sense of what my smaller body looked like. But without her constantly in my ear, I stopped seeing the reality and started to see my fake body in my head.

This time, I’m focusing on my objective benchmarks. I have a love/hate relationship with my scale, so I will use that, but I can’t always trust it. I’m using a tape measure for waist/hip measurements as well as paying attention to my clothing size.

I know that I can’t go back and change what I’ve done, but I’m really trying hard to learn my lessons from the past.

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Default ThumbnailAnother Set Back (or Why Can’t I Just Learn My Lesson) Default ThumbnailBiggest Loser Finale (or I Wish I Didn’t Have To Write About This) Default ThumbnailGetting Weighed In (or A New Orangetheory Challenge) Default ThumbnailMy Love/Hate Relationship with the Scale (or Can I Drop Kick a Scale without Hurting Myself?) Default ThumbnailWeight Loss Update (or Why I’m Trying Not To Get Frustrated) Default ThumbnailLunch and Learn (or Learning More About My Next 5K)

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