In which I try not to get starry-eyed

I got a star today. The Plan awards them after you lose a certain amount of weight, and I did. And I'm not going to lie, from a numbers game perspective, I found this really satisfying. 

Less satisfying is the fact that while I can feel a subtle change in the way my pants fit, I can also feel a not-so-subtle change in the way my bras fit. I am actually perfectly happy to lose weight from my breasts -- any of your friends who've posted links to Busty Girl Comics can tell you why -- but bras that don't fit are fucking uncomfortable, and bras that do fit are fucking expensive.

I also found myself describing the Plan today in positive terms to someone I know who had noted a pattern of weight gain and lack of fitness that she wasn't happy about -- with my usual caveats about there being free tools that one could get to do basically the same thing, and not being a huge fan of giving money to the weight loss industry. (I'm not. Truly. I no longer buy special reduced-calorie foods or bars, as a matter of principle as well as taste. I pay for the Plan, and that's it.) It felt weird. But the truth is, god help me, I think if you approach it healthily, the framework does have value above and beyond the number-on-the-scale thing.

Anyway, that's all I've got in the way of links and thoughts today. If you need me, I will be avoiding the temptation to continuously reload the comments section on this article about self-portrait photographer Jen Davis, to which I posted a comment in response to a doctor who admired the photographs but "sees the unfortunate problems [the photographer] is likely to run into and it makes [him] sad".   

[I'm not likely to develop the habit of posting trigger warnings on everything I post or link here, but like any comments section about weight, contains the usual bullshit about "condoning obesity."]

Oh, one other link. A writer friend of mine posted her thoughts on the current Plan recently, and since they are largely compatible with mine and I felt she expressed them eloquently, I thought I'd share them.

In which I post some awesomespiration

I was watching Make It or Break It the other day (because in my heart I am secretly twelve and obsessed with Olympic gymnastics and also shut up). And I noticed that Kathy Najimy, who has a recurring role in the show and who I've always kind of enjoyed, had lost a TON of weight, and I'd also seen her recently in reruns of Numb3rs (in one of the few roles  I've seen her in that granted her some actual gravitas). So I googled her, and came across the following passage from her website. And I was surprised at how positive her outlook was -- and in a small way, it supported my confidence that I can balance this tightrope I'm walking.

Fuck yeah Kathy Najimy.

In which I learn an important lesson from scones

So I had an odd experience two days ago. I've been eating on the Plan for about three weeks now, and so although I'm definitely still eating carbs and sugar (my lunch yesterday was a 250-calorie Healthy choice entree and 6 oz of frozen yogurt, because my favorite second cousin and I have an ice cream date tradition that will not be denied), I'm also definitely eating less of them than I used to.

Anyway, what happened was, I traveled overnight for work (to a larger college town about three hours away), and on the first day I went to a local café that I'm completely in love with. I had a very tasty veggie frittata for lunch, and got two scones as carryout. Now, these scones. Are. Freaking. Amazing. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought two. And I ate one scone before I went to bed (after a surprisingly healthy dinner at Outback with a friend, where I had My First Tuna Sashimi (freaking delicious) and a steak and All the Veggies), and the other scone the next morning with some scrambled eggs from the breakfast buffet at the hotel, and grabbed a skinny latté on my way in. I spent about half my weekly dots on those goddamn scones, and I can't say I regret it entirely.

And then, around 10 am on Tuesday, I experienced My First Carb Crash.

In which girls who wear glasses take exercise classes

Another week, another entry! I have been going to the gym, and because I am a sucker for gimmicky promotions, I've been playing the campus wellness center's Bingo game. They have a card on which you go to various exercise classes and get a stamp for participating, and you get a prize for a Bingo (a way better prize for a blackout, but that seems unlikely given that I started halfway through the month).

I've never gone to exercise classes before at a gym, with the exception of a strength training class in grad school, but I find this little game obscenely motivating. It's very unlikely I'll be able to get more than one Bingo, though, because I'm taking a training class all month that meets during the only time they offer water aerobics. This gives me a sad, because I freaking love water aerobics. It is my favorite of all the workouts, even if it isn't that intense. I love being in the water and not having to swim laps, I love not being all gross and sweaty at the end of a workout (I kind of love being gross and sweaty at the end of a workout, mind you, but it's a different kind of love), and I love using the hot tub afterward.

In which I recap my first week, and ruminate on carbs

So I've been following the Plan for a whoooole week now. (Ok, a week plus a couple days, but a week officially.) My second meeting is tomorrow at 9 am, so I'm recording some thoughts beforehand. (Fair warning: this and the next week or two may be a little more info-dump style than formal posts on a particular subject.)

How's it going so far? Pretty well!