Weighty Wednesdays – The Fourth



It’s my fourth Weighty Wednesday post where I update you with my progress in losing weight and getting bikini ready. Team Downton Abbey is still in the lead, no thanks to me. I’ve not been able yet to get number results on the scales at weigh-ins, which is very frustrating since I’ve dropped a clothing size and lost up to two inches in key areas so far, so I know I’m losing fat. But I also have some awesome bicep muscles forming, so it must be that I’ve added muscle weight, which is countering the fat weight loss. Still, I want to win that prize money, so I want to start seeing results on the scales too.

I’m up to two workouts a day, five days a week, and I continue to up my intensity each week. I’m also trying to stick to only 1200 calories a day, but I usually hit about 1225 because I can’t resist having a tiny piece of chocolate at the end of the evening. I’ve also begun a rather crazy experiment.

I’ve read that if you really want to make a significant body shape change, in addition to diet and exercise, you’ve got to visualize what you want your body to look like, and trick it into thinking and feeling that it does look like that, so that it will work extra hard to actually look like what it thinks it looks like. I’ve been trying to do this each night before I go to bed and each morning when I get up. The problem I’m having is once I get up, and see myself in the full length mirror, or weigh myself on the scales and I don’t see the change I’m visualizing, I get frustrated. I’m sending my body and brain too many mixed signals and need to stop that.

So to remedy the situation, I’ve covered up my mirror and hidden my scales. For the next two weeks, until the next official weigh-in, I’m going to rely strictly on how my body feels, and not on what I see. I’m going to strengthen my visualizations, (in other words lie to myself about my true shape), without any contradictions. I’m going to focus on my body’s signals during workouts; does it feel like it’s burning fat? Hopefully, without the frustration of not seeing results, my body will respond to all the other stimuli and drop about ten pounds. Think light, feel light, be light.  I’ll let you know how the experiment goes in two weeks. (By the way, I do have a small mirror for makeup, etc., so I won’t be going out in public looking scary or anything.)

*Visualizes lying on a beach in a bikini with a hottie* Eye on the Prize!!!!

TTFN!

Is there anyone he won’t flirt with?

Have you ever noticed that when Colin Firth gets on a red carpet, he becomes the biggest flirt on the planet? And occasionally with the people you would least expect?

Not sure why seeing him with George should surprise anyone. We know he's an equal opportunity flirter.

He must be tons of fun to work with for all his co-stars to like to cuddle up to him so often.

Titanic 2012

I was just reminded that Titanic 3-D opens in theaters in one month. This year is the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and the re-release of the movie coincides with it. But I have to wonder if a part of the re-release isn’t a little bit ‘let’s release it in 3-D, where we can charge more money, and keep it as the highest grossing movie of all time forever.’  Now don’t get me wrong, I love Titanic, (despite its lack of Colin Firth, Richard Armitage or Alan Rickman), I’ve seen the movie dozens of times. But I’m torn about going to see the movie in 3-D next month. Do I really want to spend $15-20 on a movie I’ve seen before?

Funny slide

When Titanic first came out in 1997, I think I saw it three or four times in the theater. Since then, I’ve seen it on TV or DVD tons of times. But I don’t have it on DVD myself right now. I know I’ll probably want to buy it on Blu-ray when they release it later in the year, (not 3-D version because I don’t have a 3-D television or player). But do I really want to spend the money to see it in a theater as well? Wouldn’t I be better off saving it for buying the Blu-ray, or going to see Hobbit a few extra times?

 But then I think of how the movie’s first scene, underwater, as it approaches the wreckage, took my breath away the first time I saw it, and how cool it might look in 3-D. Or I think of how much I love the scene where Jack is sketching Rose, or any of the other reasons I love the movie and I can’t help but want to go see it on the biggest screen I can find. Well, I’ve got a month to decide.  What about you? Are you planning to see it again in theaters?

Throwing away negative thoughts, Monty Python style

In a previous post, I wrote about some relaxation techniques that I find very effective when you are trying to get some sleep, relieve pain, etc. But I’ve recently found a new method of de-stressing which I would like to share with you all.

It all started one night last week, when my upstairs neighbor was being especially noisy in their kitchen, which happens to be above my bedroom, as I was trying to fall asleep, (it was after midnight already). I was getting a bit frustrated with them, (huge understatement), and was having lots of negative thoughts about them. In my mind I envisioned them being thrown out their window and flying through the air screaming in the manner of the knights at the Bridge of Death in the movie Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Here’s the scene again if you need a refresher.

The image of my neighbor flying through the air made me laugh, and my negative feelings toward them started to dissipate. It gave me an idea, and since then, every time I feel myself getting stressed over a person or a thing, I throw the thought out my window Monty Python style. My mom criticizes me, out the window she flies. Friends give me crap, they are eaten by a cave monster with a hundred eyes. Computer acting up, I whip out the Holy Hand Grenade.

It’s important for me to point out that I do not wish harm or pain to the people or objects I’m discarding in these humorous ways. That would only bring me bad karma. I’m only discarding the negative thought and replacing it with a funny image. Kind of like the Riddikulus charm in Harry Potter. The goal is to rid yourself of the negative thoughts and energies around you so that you can move on from them, not to wish bad things on others, which would only increase the negative energies. So next time something or someone starts to stress you out, grab your mental trebuchet or catapult and toss a cow or two. It’s fun.

When did they redefine what is sexy?

I want Marilyn Monroe’s body. Look at her. She’s perfect in this picture: tiny pooch in her stomach, a bit of a donkey booty, the tiniest bit of cellulite thighs; she looks so sexy and real here.  The measurements 36-26-36 were often thought to be hers, (her dressmaker says her waist was a bit smaller – 36-23-37), and her weight fluctuated between 118-140lbs, (she was 5ft 5 ½ inches), but whatever her stats were, they were healthy, attainable numbers that real women, healthy women, could aspire to.

 

But now, Marilyn would be considered overweight by fashion designers, and fashion magazines. When they say, ‘she’s a woman with curves,’ they’d really be saying, ‘she’s kind of fat.’ And then they’d point to this picture of Keira Knightly and say, ‘this is sexy!’ Now, no offence to Keira, I think she’s a good actress and very pretty, but in this picture, she might as well be a teenage boy, (or pre-adolescent girl). She has no shape, no feminine curves, nothing that I would consider sexy. So when did stick thin become sexy and real become fat? And why?

I think it started in the 60’s with this young model, Twiggy. She was naturally shapeless, (but I suspect she also didn’t overindulge in food…ever), but still adorable. Emma Watson reminds me a lot of her. I have nothing against Twiggy, I think she’s fine. But I suspect the reason fashion designers and magazines love models like Twiggy is because it’s really easy to fit clothes on a stick.

And this brings me to the why of my earlier question. Why are fashion designers and magazines trying to convince us that stick thin is sexier than curves? It’s not because it is true, because most people would say Marilyn was very sexy with that donkey booty. It’s because it’s easier to fit clothes on a stick. Real women require more fittings to get clothes to fit just right. Designing for real women requires more thought on the part of the designers. Their excuse is there’s no time to do proper fittings before runway shows or photo shoots, and to a certain extent I agree it’s not easy. But I feel they’ve just stopped trying, and now they are trying to convince us that they’ve chosen stick figures because they are more desirable and not because the designers are just a tiny bit lazy.

Maybe you think I’m being a bit harsh on designers, but have you ever watched Project Runway? If I had a dollar every time one of those designers whine about having to design for real women in the ‘real women’ challenge, or try to blame their model for not being the same size as the dress form, I’d be able to buy something off the rack. (They really do whine a lot on that show).

I know that I may have just insulted any readers I have who are naturally stick thin, and that really wasn’t my intention. I admit, being a curvier woman, I’m a tad bit biased here. I want to return to the days when all women of all sizes can be seen as sexy, unfortunately, the vast majority of us are not getting any love from fashion designers and magazines. So I beg your forgiveness for my unintended insult. But I will still issue this challenge to designers and editors the world over: Please remember that most of us are not the size that you are currently designing for and focusing your attentions on. And your very narrow focus is sending out a message that healthy and real isn’t beautiful and sexy, and that’s just not ok.

This post was inspired by I Want to be a Pin-up's blog that recently had several posts about Marilyn Monroe that I enjoyed.

I want to go to New Zealand!

Yesterday, Peter Jackson posted his sixth production video blog for The Hobbit. Have you seen it? I’ve watched it several times already. Here it is if you haven’t yet.

In addition to enjoying seeing what’s going on behind the scenes, and watching Richard Armitage wrangle his pony while whipping his long hair about, I’ve been mesmerized by the beauty of their filming locations. Whenever I watch The Lord of the Rings I think about how much I want to see New Zealand in person. But now after seeing that production blog, I REALLY want to go. Those locations are so breathtaking. They look magical. Even Richard had to stop to take pictures.

 

I did a search, and there are several tour companies that try to hit most of the filming locations for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Most suggest you go for two weeks to see most of the accessible locations. But these tours aren’t cheap. I definitely don’t want to try to find these locations on my own however, so I guess I’ll just have to wait until I can afford it, (unless my Mr. Darcy turns out to be rich, then I’ll have him take us to New Zealand on our honeymoon).