Here we go again!

OK folks, I'm gonna level with ya.

I've gained some weight lately.

Maybe it's not weight that anyone's really noticed, but I'VE noticed and that seems to be all that matters.

And it truly is just a little bit of weight, I guess. Two weeks ago I topped out at 138 and I was horrified. 138, if you remember, was the weight I was around this time last year. Then through a hardcore diet and exercise plan, I managed to lose 8 pounds and a bit more.

But as I started school back in February, I was no longer able to partake in the only calorie-burning exercise I didn't hate, which was spin class. My evening classes knocked out the evening spin sessions and I was left sedentary and disillusioned.

Yes, I did join a gym. But if you are anything like me, you LOATHE the gym and quit after 20 min on the treadmill cuz you are bored and had enough.

I needed the classes, I needed a reason to go and - more than that - I needed a reason to keep going. You can't quit in spin class, you have to endure.

Anyway, so my lack of exercise, combined with a vacation to Maui in which I ate and drank everything in sight (I still think it was worth it..maybe) and then a total relapse in diet led me to eventually gain all my weight back.

That's not to say I haven't been trying to lose it since school finished. I have. It's just my motivation levels were quite low. I watched what I ate, had a spin class or gym session here and there but it wasn't consistent and it certainly wasn't enough to start (or re-start) a habit.

So I've realized that in order for me to lose weight, I can't do it properly, which is to say slowly and gently. NO, I have to power on through like I did before, hardcore everything and then, finally, when I feel better again (and it has nothing to do with weight because this time, unlike last time, I AM building muscle and strength-training) then I can just maintain my weight.

When I do reach my goal weight in four weeks, does this mean pig out like last time? No. But it does mean allowing myself to eat more while still roughly counting calories (up to 1800) PLUS some exercise, which for me and hopefully everyone, is very important. Even if it's just twice a week, I will need that just to maintain the weight and stay strong. Yes, I have lost a bunch of weight before via the South Beach Diet where I did not exercise at all but I wasn't fit. I wanna be fit. Kick ass. Etc.

Anyhoo, I did Spin Class (which is mega intense and ranges from 45-60 min) 4 nights in a row this week and tomorrow morning - glorious Saturday morning when I should be sleeping - I am getting up at 8AM to do the morning class. Yeah, it's a bit much but I know myself enough by now to realize that A) do it while I can because next week I may have an excuse and B) if I don't do it every day or at least every other day, I will come to dread the workout and it will cease to be a habit. This a proven fact. The longer I go without exercise, the more I HATE it.

There is one thing though this time that is a lot different from the last time I did this regime. I AM FRICKIN STARVING.

No, I am not eating enough really, but that's the point of cutting calories. 1,200 calories a day. Which is actually OK for someone my height who isn't really overweight and only has a few pounds to lose. At that calorie count (which is the slowest you should go and still function) plus my exercise, I should lose 2 pounds a week.

But I am still starving. Last time I followed the same plan and I wasn't too bad, hunger-wise. This time, I'm just plain hungry. The only difference I can find is that THIS time I am at work, so though I am up and about, I am also chained to an Avid Editing system and bored at times. Many times. Which makes me think about food. And snacking. And so on.

I've decided to take the bull by the horns though and make some changes. I'm not used to this HUNGER feeling, I know in the past I ate because I was "craving" something or "emotionally" hungry but this is the real deal, your tummy is empty please fill it, kinda hunger.

So I've stocked up with low-cal foods that are either high in fibre and protein. Anything to keep my stomach from growling for a few hours.

I'll let you guys know how I get on by next week, and provide some diet-friendly filling foods for you guys as I discover them. Thankfully this extreme hoopla is only till the end of September and considering I am weighing 133.8 at this moment, it seems to be working.

Think I'll toast to that with a 4 0z glass of white wine!

(100 calories)

Make that two!

(200 calories - but worth it :)