Tag Archives: Losing weight

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE 8/27/2013

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Good Morning Tuesday. I just weighed myself and I lost two pounds bringing my total weight loss to 9 pounds and my weight is now officially 188 lbs. I am so excited, last November I actually weighed 207 lbs, so I have lost 9 pounds since I began my My Change For A Ten Project but since last November I have lost a total of 19 pounds. I am almost at my first ten pound My Change For A Ten goal, and then I will set the date to feed the homeless with The Monday Night Mission. I am really proud I am sticking to whatever I say I will do. This is just the beginning for me to change my life and to help make a difference in the lives of others. I am reaching for the moon.

Here is a photo of me and my wonderful friend Amy this weekend, we were out with our husbands at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood CA.  I will have more full body shots when I return to Richard Simmons this week, he was out of town but I believe he is back Thursday. I went out and I was disciplined. I ate extremely healthy, a turkey sandwich on whole grain with Dijon mustard, avocado, lettuce and tomato and steamed vegetables. I also had a cup of bean chili with no meat.  I believe you can eat healthy almost anywhere. I drank Perrier and tons of water since I do not drink, which helps me save on calories.



Tonight is my workout with Mike, and I am really learning so much. I am also learning how much food my body needs to sustain my workouts, walking, and yoga. So I will be sure to eat enough from here on out. The whey protein shakes help me fill in the blanks when I do not have time to sit down to a meal. I have also been watching my sodium intake. It really makes a big difference. At work I have been ordering my chicken plain with no marinade and no dressing, and I use oil and vinegar. Little changes add up for big results. I buy tuna and peanut butter with no added salt, and I try to eat as clean as possible without obsessing or depriving myself. I am achieving mind and body balance.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”


― Mark Twain


I wish everyone a terrific Tuesday.
Namaste’
Rose




GETTING STRONGER BY THE DAY

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On Tuesday’s I weigh in, and I work out with Mike my trainer and friend. I lost two more pounds this week bringing my total to 190 LBS. This made me so happy, I have been really working hard and sticking to everything I say I will do, and to see the scale go down seven pounds is such a wonderful reward. I know I have a long way to go but to know this is all working motivates me even more. I am almost to the ten pound mark, and a few weeks after I lose the first ten is when I will be volunteering with The Monday Night Mission. Of course all the time I will be working on my twenty pound loss, this is a lifestyle change and I choose to make being healthy and fit a part of my life.

My workout with Mike at the park was wonderful, I can see and feel I am stronger than I was when we began a little over a month ago. Some of the exercises are not as awkward as they once were, and my strength and balance are improving.  I can feel my once dancer’s flexibility coming back, which made me elated. He truly is a great trainer/teacher and I am grateful to him for the time he puts in. I know I am a work in progress but it is all starting to feel quite natural to me. Tuesdays are the day I measure my true progress.

We did something I would have never dreamed of doing, he brought boxing gloves and I practiced punching the targets he wore on this hands and  then he had me alternate arms and do all these boxing moves. It was fun, of course I hit like a girl but I got better and I will get better. I do have this competitive side with myself and I do not give up. We plan on doing it again, it was fun and I can totally feel the effects on my body this morning. I am sore but it a good way. The jogging felt easier for me, especially when I discovered to try to stay on the heals of my feet and not on the ball of my feet. I tend to naturally do everything on my toes.  

Today after work is my one hour walk and my yoga practice. I love the way yoga makes me feel, totally zen inside and out. If I could find a way to practice five days a week I would, it truly makes me feel peaceful inside. I wish all of you love and light and a beautiful Wednesday. full of peace and joy.
Namaste’
Rose






WEIGH IN TUESDAY

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Left to right….Rose, Santa who I just worshiped, and sister Gina

It is Tuesday August 13, 2013 and before I get to my weigh in I would like to wish my big sister Gina a very Happy Happy Birthday. Just a shout out across the miles, and some nostalgic family photos. I miss my family, but I send them love and light back east. I hope to see them soon. 


I weighed in this morning. I have decided I would weigh in at home on Tuesday Mornings and follow Weight Watchers on my own and online. I prefer to weigh in at home to get the most accurate read, and that gives me more time to workout. 

I lost two more pounds, bringing my weight to…..drum roll…..190 LBS. That makes my total weight loss since I started My Change For A Ten to seven pounds. I am almost at my first milestone of ten pounds. As soon as I lose my first ten pounds, it will be a few weeks before I do my first charity which is The Monday Night Mission. I need to give my work  a few weeks notice so they can have the food ready. I also want to make sure I am past the ten pound mark since sometimes there are those weeks when we gain a few. I want to have the first ten pounds lost for good so I can focus on the charities and then getting to the twenty pound mark.

Today is my weekly Tuesday workout with Mike. I always look forward to it, it is hard but I can see it works and of course I am so grateful that he gives his time to help me. I am also handing him my food journal, that really helped me stay on track. I promised I would have more information about him and his  personal trainer services in the future and I will. He is a wonderful trainer and friend. I was saying just yesterday. You can never have enough friends. I love the quote from the film It’s A Wonderful Life… “No man is a failure who has friends.”  It is such an inspiring film about appreciating your life, a must see.

Off for the day. Happy Birthday Gina, and I wish everyone else a beautiful day today. You woke up, you are breathing, now anything is possible as long as you have that opportunity to make it so. Every day is a Birthday if you look at it that way. 
Namaste’ 
Love and Light
Rose

left to right Niece Nerissa, Uncle Edward, Gina, me, Sister Dona and sister Frankie

Me on the bottom, My Aunt Elaine in center, left to right from top, Dona, Frankie, My lovely Mother, and Gina

Left to right me and Gina

The girls, all of them. Left to right Niece Calli, me, Gina, Niece Nerissa, Frankie, Dona, and babies Satya and Clara

DESTINATION MONDAY

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Happy Monday to all.  Sometimes I feel like life moves on the fast track and again like clockwork comes Monday morning. Where did the weekend go?  On Mondays I begin my week of workouts and make my plans for My Change For A Ten.  I am a little sleepy this week thanks to my Siamese cat Rascal and his fascination with the air conditioner cord. I have to get at the bottom of this mystery, I think he does it for attention because I wake up and feed him then he comes back and does it again. Thank goodness I hear him and I am able to stop him, this is a dangerous habit he has started and a great way to make me a little groggy Monday morning.

I have decided that I do not need to physically take the time to go into Weight Watchers to weigh in, when I can be using that time to do some sort of other workout activity. I can do Weight Watchers online and weigh in on Tuesday mornings first thing, and I believe that is the way to get the most accurate read on my weight. Plus my trainer Mike has asked to see my food diary on Tuesday, and that helps too. I really think I am doing well, and I have already started to get comments about my weight loss and I have only lost a few. I know I am losing inches too and I feel awesome albeit sleepy.

I wish everyone a beautiful and bright day. I am off to drink some needed coffee on this Monday Morning and eat a protein bar. I am way too sleepy for more. 

Here is a Monday poem, written in NYC waiting for the train in the midst of winter. It may make you appreciate that it is summer now. I remember how hard it was to be sleepy and go out into the bitter cold. California thank goodness saves me from that experience.
Namaste’
Rose

MONDAY

It’s another monotonous morning,
birds are chirping, but spring
has hardly paid a call or visit.
I drink my hot coffee, gripping
the cup like it holds liquid gold.
Fatigue sets in, mentally, physically;
a rat races inside my head.
I am emotionally, physically
drained from running mundane
marathons to empty destinations.
I imagine a kiss, a zealous kiss
that would bring summer
to my wintry body and soul.
Instead I sip, caffeinated tepid cafe;
and long for lips that scald,
daydreaming of a moment
that could warm all of my seasons.

(c) Rose Bruno Bailey


SCALE GAMES

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Good Monday Morning to all. I woke up definitely feeling like I did great last week. I feel and I think I look a little smaller. I am in total control of my food, and I have been keeping up on my workouts, classes, and my speed walking. My stomach definitely is getting flatter.

I weigh in today after work, and I usually do not give in to scale games. I get on the scale once a week at Weight Watchers and I get on with it.

This morning I was impatient, and if you ask my husband he will tell you impatience is one of my flaws. I broke down and got on the scale at home, twice. Now when I get on the scale at Weight Watchers later in the afternoon the result could be very different outcome. I am not going to do that anymore, it is just messing with my head and I do not have the opportunity to weigh in at Weight Watchers without clothes. Well, last week I took my top off, hey there was no one there and I asked first. Scale games, it is just another form of  weight obsession and I am trying to curtail all of those old self destructing habits.

So Monday weigh in at Weight Watchers, I will post my new weight Tuesday morning. 

I am going to just remind myself that I am doing everything right, and I am on my path to my first ten pound loss and my first charity. I am getting fit with my workouts too. Rome was not built in a day and I did not gain this weight overnight. I will reach deep inside myself and find the patience to go the distance without driving myself crazy with scale games.


Wishing you a beautiful Monday,
Namaste’
Rose

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE

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Kristen and Milo



The last few days my heart has been heavy, my friend  Kristen in Pittsburgh PA lost her cat Milo last week. She searched endlessly, posting fliers, sharing his photo on the Internet and searching for him on foot. The one thing she did not do, she never ever gave up hope. Finding her beautiful cat Milo was her number one mission and today I am happy to say I woke up to the happy news that he is finally back by her side. 

To never give up hope, that can be a hard one. Yes, sometimes in life problems seem to big to tackle and it is easier to admit defeat. This is a lesson to me as I continue My Change For A Ten that hope is never lost. To persevere even when things are difficult or downright impossible. Another thing I have learned is we are never in it alone. People are truly amazing. Kristen had the whole community at her side helping her find her beloved Milo. 

Yesterday I was on the bus and I glanced at my hand mirror, and thought I have so much weight to lose as I looked at my refection. A few seconds later an elderly woman sat next to me and smiled. She literally touched my face and told me in broken English I had a beautiful face. I thanked her and told her she did as well. We smiled at each other as I exited the bus and I was shamed that I had a moment of self doubt again. She gave me a life lesson at the very moment it was needed. Beauty is not measured by age, or size, just heart. 

I made my way to my weigh in at Weight Watchers, and I lost three more pounds making the total four pounds.  I also went to buy new work pants and I went down a size from a 16 to a 14.  I was very, very happy and pleased with myself.  I was so grateful to the elderly lady and her message I am beautiful regardless of my size.  From here on out I will try not to succumb to such negative self banter. 

I could not go this distance by myself, and I am blessed to have so many supportive people in my corner. I know I have a long journey ahead of me, to sponsor a charity with every ten pounds I lose and to keep the weight off for good, but kind words from a stranger and today’s news about Milo returning home reminded me I will never give up hope either and I am not in this alone. Thanks Kristen!!  🙂
Namsaste’
Love and Light
Rose

MONDAY MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES

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 Beautiful large tree in West Los Angeles shared with me by a friend who knows my love of trees.



Good morning, another Monday is upon us, and another weigh in for me.  I feel so confident I did well this week. I have kept up on all of my diet and exercise and have not given in when people have tried to tempt me to eat something I do not want to eat. I will post my new weight tomorrow. I definitely feel lighter and my work clothes are already getting big on me, which is wonderful. I know I have a long way to go though but I will keep forging forward. As of last week my weight was 196. It helps knowing so many people inspirational people. We are never in it alone.

My wonderful friend Ally asked me to post some quotes, I have often written quotes along with my poetry for years and she has as well. We have posted them on our Facebook pages for inspiration and motivation so I decided to share a few here. Melissa and I have talked about writing a positive affirmations type of book together after my poetry book is done. I hope you enjoy some of my own quotes I have written over the years. Happy Monday Love and Light to all.
Namaste’
Rose

Pick and choose your role models carefully. Remember the one quality in common all Disney princesses possessed, they were kind to all creatures of the universe. The practiced giving and they were never demanding. In fact I think it was always witches or wicked stepsisters that displayed selfish and mean tendencies. Rose Bruno Bailey

Take the time for others, pay attention. Life is a gift, and sharing kindness should be a given. No one should ever be treated as invisible. Rose Bruno Bailey 


Never take no for an answer, you hold the keys even if they do not fit. When a door locks, shatter a window!!! Rose Bruno Bailey

Explore the world, your dreams, yourself. Rose Bruno Bailey

Regrets are a waste of energy and emotion. You can pirouette in circles and spin out of control if you do not choose to live your true authentic life.

I  was born on December 21st, the winter solstice, shortest day of the year with the least amount of light, yet I have always felt enveloped by the saffron wonder above. Rose Bruno Bailey

Revisit yesterday’s passions and reinvent them into today’s resolutions. Be patient in your quest, remember to crawl before you walk. Enjoy the process of realizing your dreams and eliminating past regrets. As long as you are breathing you have the opportunity to begin anew.  Rose Bruno Bailey

Take a deep breathe and try to find a little calm within the everyday chaos. Rose Bruno Bailey

Change your perspective, go on new adventures, meet new people, it will enrich your soul and transform your life. Rose Bruno Bailey

I am in awe of the trees in Los Angeles. I live in an area where all you see are Bentley’s, Ferrari’s, and Lamborghini’s yet I am more interested in the beauty of the majestic trees. Nature holds more wealth than gold,  Walk barefoot in the grass, look up at the trees past the buildings, gaze at the azure blue sky, lay on your back and watch the clouds float by. Take time to notice the natural wonders we tend to take for granted. Rose Bruno Bailey

Organize your space, organize your thoughts. A clutter free home equals a clutter free mind. Rose Bruno Bailey


A visit to the ocean is the best cure for anxiety. There is nothing like diving in head first into crystal clear waters, it will clear your head in seconds. Do not be afraid to get your hair wet, it is well worth it in the end. No ocean nearby? Find a lake, a river, a pool. Just get in there and swim like you did when you were a kid.   Rose Bruno Bailey








EATING DISORDER PAST

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Age 22
Age 30 with James

                                                                   

Age 38 with Melissa


Age 40
Age 45
Present age 46


When I was thirteen I started dancing, and I was told I was too curvy. It was during a period when it was ok for an adult to tell a pre-teen such a statement. That summer started my obsession with not eating. Food had become the enemy. I literally drank diet coke for breakfast, diet coke for lunch, and when my Mother worked my dinner was lettuce with a slice of cheese and vinegar, sometimes I would crumble crackers in my salad. 

On days when my Mother would cook, I would drink my diet coke, (diet coke made me feel chic), and look through cook books at the photos but I would skip dinner. I ate enough to get by, a yogurt here and there, but when you are young it seems like you just have natural energy even without fuel. One time I starved for four days and then took a box of laxatives. Let’s just say my older sister said next time I try such a stunt she would kill me herself. At the age of eighteen my Dr warned my Mother I was headed to anorexia.

I continued this behavior into adult hood, maybe not as extreme but my food issues lingered. My weight sometimes would go up and down. I truly did not start eating normally until I met my husband at the age of 30. But when something would come up those bad habits would come back.
Over the years I have gone back and forth with eating disorders and issues with food. 

                                                                
When I was older, past the age of 38, my thing was Atkins. I did Atkins to an extreme. I would not let any starches touch my lips except broccoli and romaine lettuce. I worked in a very high volume restaurant in Time Square NYC and my manager used to beg me to just eat a damn biscuit. My brain was not functioning properly and I would forget to ring things in.

Now, I am doing Weight Watchers, and it is the best way for me to eat. I am overweight but I have never ever been an over eater. Weight did not become as big of an issue until I reached 40.  I still struggle with skipping meals, even now. I did it yesterday, after work I wanted to get a workout in, and I had errands to do before dinner. So I didn’t eat anything for lunch. I try to catch myself, but sometimes old habits die hard. I am a work in progress. My best friend Melissa is always on me about this., and I am trying.

So today I am going to work on kicking my bad habits, and I am going to eat. I am also attending another Richard Simmons class, which I am extremely excited about. I love his class, and Richard works you out or else. I have a friend joining me so more photos to follow. My plan is to sustain everything I am doing for the long haul. I have my work cut out for me but I am completely motivated and inspired. Wishing everyone sunshine and smiles.

Namaste
Love and Light
Be sure to eat
Rose




WEIGH IN MONDAY

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Monday was weigh in, and I lost a 1.5 pounds. It was less than I expected, but it was good that I did not gain that week being female and all. The Weight Watchers lady said I was lucky I did not gain. So I am now 196 pounds. Going down the healthy, slow way. I intend to lose the weight, get fit, and keep it off the healthy way. She suggested I eat a more substantial breakfast than fruit and a protein bar. My argument is at 7:00 am I am lucky I can eat that. I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I cannot eat much this early. I am lucky I can eat something at all.

Work today, then a workout with trainer/friend Mike.  I am a little tired and I am dragging a bit but I will pick it up as the morning progresses. More photos to follow soon, it seems I need a new battery for my digital camera. 

So today, no words of wisdom or poetry, I am too tired and my eyes are not properly focused as of yet.  Just a quick update on my progress so far. I admit I was a bit disappointed, but I cannot let that get me down. I lost over a pound. Plus I have heard not all victories are on the scale. So onward and forward it is. Wishing everyone a beautiful Tuesday.

Namaste’
Love and Light
Rose

MONDAY WEIGH IN AND WISDOM

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Today is Monday, and my first weigh in. Monday and weight, two things that are not so popular, but I am totally excited for my first weigh in. Monday, well I am a little sleepy thanks to our two Siamese cats Spanky and Rascal. They think three am is jungle gym time. Let’s just say the little Rascals are not so popular with me this morning as I make my way to begin my day and week. They are our babies but for some reason they only mess with me at night, and not my husband. Coffee is definitely needed today. I feel I had a successful week but I will see what the scale says later after work. Tomorrow is my second workout with Mike, my trainer/friend. This is a commitment but one that makes me happy and totally inspired and motivated. Bring it on, burpees and all.

After my first ten pounds I am volunteering with the Monday Night Mission, and donating food. I wrote a post about all of the wonderful selfless acts they do to keep the people at Skid Row in Los Angeles from being hungry. They are a blessing to the people of Skid Row and I am humbled by all that they do.

Homeless people have always touched my heart, and the fact that it could be anyone. No one on this earth is better than you or me, we are all the same. I was in NYC and I saw an older homeless woman crying on the street, and that night I wrote this poem. I do not rhyme usually but this one came to me in a rhyme. Remember, everyone has a story and everyone is someone important in the scheme of life. We are all one, we are all connected.
Namaste’
Rose

WALK IN EMPATHY
Step into my worn shoes,
How would you feel?
When People walk by,
Forgetting you are real.
Beyond your reach,
Hopes of a warm meal;
Or a place to lay your head,
To let your weary body heal.
Your spirit is broken,
But your head held high;
Only to be ignored,
By oblivious eyes.
A face with no name,
Is what they see;
Unloved, forgotten,
Throughout society.
Such lonely solitude,
Unanswered prayers;
Hopelessness and sorrow,
Does no one care?
Who will miss you
When it’s your time to go?
Will anyone remember,
Your name is not John Doe.
Rose Bruno Bailey