Normal

All my life, I’ve been above average.

For some areas, that’s been a good thing. Above-average intelligence, above-average drive, above-average socialization.

In many areas, however, it has been a bad thing:

Above average weight.
Above average body fat.
Above average BMI.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to just be “normal.” In all aspects of my life: average.

Well, I can’t change my height, my looks, my intelligence, or my personality, but I can officially say my weight, BMI, and body fat are “average” for a woman my age and height.

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Something feels really good about being average.

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori

I’m Alive!

For anyone that follows my blog with any consistency, you’ve probably noticed the sudden – and unannounced – silence.

First things first: I’m totally OK!

No melt downs, no binge/purge episodes, nothing.

I’m totally fine.

After weeks upon weeks of my Daily Accountability Reports (sharing with the world EVERY bite of food I ate and exercise I completed), I realized that I needed a few days off to give my brain a break.

I needed to take a few days of NOT tracking what I ate and letting my body tell me what it wanted again. Any time I catch myself becoming obsessive with something, I try to put the brakes on quickly: it’s very easy for me to slip back into my old behaviors. If I obsess too much about my food log or my gym attendance, I’ll start to let that cloying guilt sink in… you know, that weighted pain in the back of your mind that tells you each bite you take is BAD, BAD, BAD.

The moment I start to sense the voice returning, I do whatever I need to do to shut it down. FAST.

In this case, as I was writing my Thursday Night Accountability report, I could hear that voice again… it was mocking me as I typed. It was reading my food log over my shoulder, criticizing every snack. It laughed at my measly 45 minutes at the gym, and it made me feel guilty.

That’s when I realized I needed a short reprieve from the accountability reports.

Don’t worry – I’m still alive, positive, and kicking butts. 🙂 More posts to come!

T-Minus 10 days until my Dirty Thirty Birthday!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Throwback Thursday #tbt

Digging through a box of high school photos, I’m amazed by the strength and clarity of the memories produced.

Moments in time that I thought were trivial, insignificant, come back to me as if they were yesterday.

This picture is from a church event at Our Savior Lutheran. I was about 16, maybe nearing 17. It was shortly after my Confirmation ceremony, but before I entered senior year.

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I’ve come a long, long way – but I’m glad to see that I knew happiness at any size. Look at that cheesy grin! Ha!

It just goes to show you: happiness isn’t based on size, it’s based on self. Find your happiness through loving yourself.

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori

Wednesday Accountability Report

Man, I’m slipping up a bit on posting these – whoops!

It seems that any alcohol consumption around dinner time totally knocks me out (or causes amnesia), but oh well.

Here’s how I did yesterday:

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As you can see, drinking definitely loosens my inhibitions with my diet – I pretty much blew my whole day between dinner and late night munching. That’s OK: today is a new day!

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori

Making Money, Getting Fit!

OK, I know I’ve bragged about the GymPact App in the past, but I must tell you:

This thing is the BEST!

Why do I say that?

Because not only is it helping me stay on track with my diet, my workouts, and my fruit/veggie consumption, but I’m making REAL CASH from it.

Don’t believe me? Take a look below:

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By committing to a set number of workouts, food diaries, and veggies/fruits per week, I’m earning money for following through on my obligations. I’m basically “betting” the millions of other users of the app that I WILL workout and eat right, and I’m putting my money where my mouth is.

If I fail to meet any element of my pact, I’m responsible to pay out.

Here’s my usual weekly wager:

$50/day for my Food Log, for which I commit to all seven days of the week.

  • I do this because I am RELIGIOUS about my food log (I haven’t missed a day in almost a full year), so this is something I trust myself to do, even on the busiest of days.
  • I use MyFitnessPal for a food log, which autosyncs to my GymPact, making it simple to keep everything in one place and not doubling my work.

$10/day for my Workouts, for which I commit to five days of the week.

  • I’m pretty consistent with hitting the gym 6-7 days per week, but I commit to 5 days to account for sick days, fatigue, and “just not feeling it” moments.
  • GymPact works with RunKeeper, TrackMyRun, and many other GPS-apps, so you’re not limited to working out in a gym. I use RunKeeper all the time for my walks/runs, so it autosyncs back to GymPact.
  • You must log at least 30 minutes – either in a gym or moving outdoors – to get credit.

$10/item for my Veggie Pact, for which I commit to seven fruits/veggies per week.

  • I actually just joined this pact, as I was hesitant that it would require me to eat dozens of fruits/veggies per day. Come to find out, it’s much simpler than that.
  • You can log up to FIVE individual fruits/veggies per day. You have to take a picture of it that PROVES you’re eating it (or about to eat it). Think a bowl of chopped fruit with a fork in it versus a picture of the produce stand at Publix. It needs to be obvious that you’re going to consume it.
  • The “community” – AKA, the other users of the app – verify you picture with a Thumbs UP or a Thumbs DOWN: was it really a fruit or veggie? Did it look like you were going to eat it? Taking a picture of Starbursts made with “real fruit flavor” won’t cut it, bub!
An example of the type of thing you load to meet your "Veggie Pact."

An example of the type of thing you load to meet your “Veggie Pact.”

On average, I make between $2-2.50 per week.

So, where does this money come from?

The users that didn’t follow through on their pact!

Yes – if you commit to 5/week for the Gym and bet $10 per day, you’ll get charged $20 if you only make it to the gym three times. It’s a real pact, guys! You put your money where you mouth is, so you’ll risk losing it if you’re not consistent.

The app connects to either a Credit Card (you provide) or PayPal, so you have to be serious about your health and you commitment to using the app before you dive in. It’s helped me a ton with accountability and progress – and, to date, I’ve made over $150 from using the app for 9 months. Yeah, that’s serious money, folks.

I’ve told a lot of friends about this app and many have started using it. Some make money, some lose money (once or twice) and then get SERIOUSLY motivated… or delete the app. It’s not for the faint of heart, so only sign up if you’re prepared to follow through with your PACT!

Bon appetit, my friends (and don’t forget to put it in your FoodLog)!

Tori

 

Tuesday Accountability Report

What a great day!

I had a blast at work today, accomplishing surprisingly everything I set out to do (even with those surprise, time-devouring, pop-up meetings).

I was good almost all day, except for my afternoon snack (a coworker walked around passing out bags of candy) and the dessert at dinner (how can you resist frozen yogurt?).

Despite a sore knee, I got in over 2 hours of cardio (elliptical trainer!) and feel pretty good right now. A good day!

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Overall, it was a successful day!

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori

Saturday Accountability Report

Man, this has been a weekend of ALCOHOL!

I’ve been getting a hefty chunk of calories every day from my drinking – almost 700 alone today! Yikes. Definitely need to tone that down a bit.

Here’s today’s report:

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Way over my calorie allowance, but the workout helped to ease the deficit.

I hope everyone had a stellar Saturday! Hoping for more self-control on Sunday!

Bon appetit,

Tori

Friday Accountability Report

A few glasses of wine, a couple of cocktails and BOOM! Out like a light.

Out as in slept like a log – not anything bad. Haha!

I went out with girlfriends last night and ended up falling asleep the second I got home, so here’s yesterday’s report:

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The tiramisu (and lunch!) were killers, so I really hit the gym hard. My liquid dinner wasn’t the healthiest, but it definitely made for a fun night.

Hope everyone is off to a great weekend!

Bon appetit,

Tori

Milestone: 90 lbs Lost

I realized something pretty significant a few moments ago: as of yesterday, I’ve officially lost more than 90 lbs since high school.

At my peak, I weighed in around 214 lbs at the end of junior year.

I was large. I was exhausted. I was not comfortable in my own skin.

It dawned on me today that yesterday’s weigh in (under 124) meant that I had officially crossed the 90 lbs marker.

Am I doing the math right? Have I really lost the body weight of a 13 year old? Wow.

I never imagined it possible to be this weight. I never imagined wearing clothing from the mall or not being stared at by people as I ate. It really seems to be sinking in today how far I’ve come.

I’m not normally one to take bathing suit shots (not a fan of my stomach due to the excess skin), but I wanted to at least take a moment to commemorate this milestone in my journey of weight loss, fitness, and overall good health.

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I feel strong. Proud. Accomplished.

Today is a good day.

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori