This Just In!!!

I passed my scale set! and my sightreading! and my open score reading!!!   I am 6 scales and a Debussy piece away from graduation!!! (and I think I have a $20.00 library fine, but psh, that can be taken care of in two seconds).

So here's the plan...   Doubling up on lessons on the weekend. Friday and Sunday. Practice every day again and pass off the white scales next Thursday.

Do double lessons again and Pass off the Debussy the following week (dead week).

Do double lessons again and do the bonus piece the following week so I can be sure that my grade is high enough that there is no close call.

I've been doing okay with diet and exercise. My scale numbers have been all over the map. The calories have been pretty consistent. On the higher end of what I allow myself. The work outs have been on the lower end of what I allow myself, but they've been great and intense. My bum is all sorts of sore. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing things...   Sorry for the lame blogs as of late. I'm so distracted by this music thing. Health is still going okay... I just have to get this together.

Also, got my resume posted on Monster and sent it out to 6 different companies yesterday... I'm reducing my panic about moving daily. :)

Big Fat GRADUATING Love,
Nanette

Means More From A Stranger...

Back in the fatter days... I used to go and get baclava every Friday with my friends. There is a little Persian store next to the music building. In that store is a round and feisty lady named Arianna. She has big round hips and a wide bosom along with long, straight, black hair and darkly crayoned eyebrows. She knows each of us by name: Ethan, Joey and me.

She will tell us what's new at her store and walk us past a lot of different glass bottles, but knows that we're really only going to buy the baclava. She makes pans and pans of it at home. People come to that store mainly for this sticky, flaky treat.

Well, it also happens to be where I purchase peppermint water (I add it to my water bottles when plain water is too boring). I walked in there today after about a six month absence. And she walked up to me "Where are your friends? You haven't been here in such a long time! Look at you... did you get sick?"

"Oh, no... I'm good. I've just been busy and away for a little while."

"No. You must have been sick."

"Arianna, I wasn't sick, I just stopped eating your Baclava!"

"Is my baclava bad?"

"No... it's TOO good!"

We laughed and she tried to sell me flat bread, hummus, goat cheese and feta. I wound up buying my peppermint water. I walked out into the sunshine. Happy. Purchase in hand and compliment in head.

I'm sporting a tube dress thingy today. It's too sunny to not be getting some of that on my big white... WHITE arms. I packed a cardigan in case I got insecure... but realized it was silly to even take it with me. What would make me feel insecure? I'm not going to work, where they can actually dictate what I wear. I'm not showing any inappropriate booty or boobs, so there's nothing offensive happening here... I'm a college student, walking to campus to practice the piano in my sundress and that's the long and short of it! :)

I got another piano session in. I MIGHT be ready for tomorrow. But I just need to wake up early and warm up before the actual test. I'm slightly nervous because I'm much less prepared this time. But I will pass. I have to pass.

Big Fat Summer Day Love,
Nanette

Progress!!!

I've got to check in on this piano and work out thing. I need some super accountability today.

Okay... so after another hour in the practice room today I got 4 out of 6 scales up to speed. Good news. I have one more day before I need to take the test.... So I should be able to claim victory on Thursday. Leaving the next round of scales, two pieces and a sight reading. I can do this!!! I can get this done! I am so close to my degree!!!

In fat news, I got two work outs in. I got the swim class in and a HIIT with Trainer. I'm stiffening up already. It's weird. I got a run in on Friday and did a couple short interval things on Sunday. Monday was spent walking around campus and stuff. So not an inactive weekend. Today's workouts kicked my butt... well... abs, quad and shoulders specifically.

Food has been great today. Veggies with every meal and I'm ending with a pretty good calorie deficit. :) I weighed in this morning and I'm down another 2lbs. But I refuse to believe it's real until the ACTUAL weigh in this Saturday/Sunday.

Big Fat Accountability Love,
Nanette

Monday Night...

I got a session of piano practice in this afternoon. My scales are getting a little better. I MIGHT have them up to tempo by Thursday. I need to put another hour in tomorrow. Keepin' my chin up. Going to stay positive about it. Get another test passed off or at least partially passed off.

I have NOT had a work out today. I'm bugged. It's not like I didn't have time. I was making these stupid excuses about "Well, Nanette, this week you've got to concentrate on piano. You can put work out on the back burner."

After the other side of my internal dialogue stopped giving me the silent treatment for being so lame, It reacted. "Here's the thing. You had a great lesson on Friday after your run. You don't need to be sedentary to concentrate. You have enough time to both exercise and practice. If you feel like mentally you don't have it... Get over yourself. Push your boundaries."

I AM cracking down on food this week. More veggies. More fresh. More quality calories. I'm pretty good at eating under my caloric limit... but I budget for dark chocolate or an extra serving of cottage cheese...  and This week is veggies with every meal! I'm doing okay with that today.

I feel like the cautious nutrition is the safety net for this battle of piano vs fitness vs laziness... It is temporary. The whole thing is so silly! I know that I'll benefit from telling myself  YES! YOU CAN! YOU ARE CAPABLE! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUSH YOURSELF TO DO! This stupid struggle of procrastination and the fallacy that I can only have one or the other (extra work outs or piano practice time)... is such a waste. I've got four more weeks of this. Adapt. Take on both. Succeed, Nanette. Get it together.

Big Fat HAVE IT BOTH WAYS Love,
Nanette

Discouraged...

I just had one of the worst piano lessons of my life. Which is weird... because Friday was awesome. But here's the deal... I have to learn 6 scales in 4 days in order to pass my next scale test. Or I have to learn a piece of music in 4 days. Or pass off my last sight reading test. Or I have to do an improvised accompaniment for a piece I haven't received.... I MUST pass ONE test this week.

I hate more than anything this feeling of disappointment in myself. This piano class is the only thing between me and my degree. I'm not IN the class so I don't get the benefit of classroom instruction. I'm finishing an incomplete and it's my own damn fault that I've got to pass everything off so quickly. I'm so discouraged. But I think Ms. Adams knows. I think she'll be sympathetic (not that I want to count on that in any way).

I refuse to let this hold me back. I refuse to feel like I have this loose end in Idaho. So... modification of this week's goals.

NSV goal: PASS ONE PIANO TEST, PRACTICE EVERY DAY. Even if it means dropping a work out here or there. I HAVE to get practice time in. Degree needs to come first this week. Plus that degree is part of "fancying up" my resume.

Big Fat'n Panicked Love,
Nanette

RFSC Week 2 Review and Goals.

Goals In Review

Weight: 308 (-5) Thus exceeding the -3 goal AND making up for last week's -0!

NSV: Lose .5 inch on the waist. From 47" to 46.5"! Also paid close attention to my skin with lotion and massage. I didn't notice a huge difference. But I figure it's not a detriment. Also, secured my sublet for the move in June... and booked my ONE WAY TICKET... and finished brushing up my resume.

Nutrition: Take multivitamin every day. I made it 4/7. My vitamins have been making me queasy. But I can adjust by taking them at night instead of during the day... No excuses!

Fitness: 90% I dropped one work out because trainer cancelled and we both were to sore to function. It's important to give the body time to recoup. I hope to repeat it this week!

Mini Challenge: I did 3 interval runs this week. I've moved up a level for tonight's run. I'm kind of worried about it. But I know it's a silly worry... what? It's going to be hard? I wont' do anything but benefit from it. So after my piano lesson, I'll be doing an alleyway run tonight.

This week... 

Weight: -3lbs. Aiming high and trying to get a repeat of last week. 

NSV: Fancy up the resume. Continue to take good care of my skin. 

Nutrition: Eat a vegetable at every meal - including breakfast!

Fitness: 575 bicep curls with resistance band (75 a day)... in addition to this week's workout routine. 

Mini Challenge: yet to be given... 

E2E Final Post

Sept 14

April 7

Progress

Weight:
Goal: 299
Began at 325
Down to 308 (-5 this week) and -17 total. Almost met the goal!

Waist:
Goal: 49"
Began at 51"
Down to 46.5" (-.5")


Hips:
Goal: 60"
Began at 65"
Down to 62"... ambitious... I was close? heh.

Sept 14

April 7

I might not have hit the goal weight. But I feel great about what I have accomplished. Doubling up the work outs was hard. I was more careful with my eating this past week. My freaking period stopped finally (not that it was abnormal, I'm just impatient). Yesterday my weight was even LOWER! But I take the "official" weigh in of Saturday morning.

My progress photo shorts are very near retirement. I can now pull them up and down with out unzipping or unbuttoning them. The cami... You can see it gaps around my armpits because I'm getting narrower... but my belly still stretches it. Though not nearly as much.

I believe I have changed every single method that I was planning on using to lose weight.
I've cut calories down to about 1300-1700.
I've stopped spending HOURS at the gym and doing 12-30 minute HIIT work outs.
I've started cooking different things, but I've cut out wheat this time around.

There are no intentions of quitting here. I'm probably going to have to do this for another 1-2 years before I can really hit my goal weight. So I'll continue blogging and following those of you who are still going.

Mir has been awesome for hosting this challenge, particularly through her own hard times. I've loved the small challenge. It's been so much more manageable to get to know each one of you. You guys have all taught me things whether it be through observation or example. It's been great. I'm doing the next challenge (Ready for Summer Challenge) which is much larger and a little less intense, but I like the standard of E2E... the waist measurements, the weigh in, water and calorie goals, plus the mini challenges of RFSC... Another accountability tool! I will still be reading blogs from all those that post and choose to continue.

However, Come hell or high water, I WILL BE MOVING TO NYC Under 300lbs.

Big Fat Losing It Love,
Nanette