A Lesson Learned

I'm sure I have already learned the lesson of NOT setting unrealistic goals. But apparently I need to learn it again! I really thought I'd be able to "report EVERY day" this holiday month. I knew how important it is for me TO report since I always do so much better on those days. But, when it really comes down to it... IT IS SO HARD! Especially being away and with family. So, I am with Carrie, I am officially on vacation mode and OH how lovely are the treats! I am positive I will have gained a few pounds by the end of our two week vacation, but I have now proven to myself that I can focus and get back to a schedule. I KNOW I can lose it again! I have not weighed myself, but I am planning on weighing in tomorrow to help scare me/motivate me to not go overboard. I have about 6 weeks until Hawaii and I REALLY want to make my goal! The last two months have been rough and I never thought that the last 5 pounds would be SO HARD (it will probably be 7-8 pounds by the time I get back in town). I DO feel happy that I have been able to maintain my previous weight loss for as long as I have. It feels good to be able to enjoy it for awhile.

So, I will try to report a couple times a week on how I'm doing. Here is a breif report of the last week:

EXERCISE:
3 of 7 days

WATER:
drinking as much as I can. No diet coke

DIET:
lots of yummy treats. Trying to keep my portions small and not going back for seconds.

Until next time...

Sunday

Diet:
zone bar - 200
banana bread - 250
milk - 110
tortilla - 150
chicken - 100
refried beans - 80
tomatoes - 30
cheese - 50
sour cream - 40
m&m's - 150
banana bread - 250
roast - 120
ptotato cottage cheese and cheese - 350
vegetables with parmesan - 100
chocolate covered jo jo - 150
cupcake w/ no frosting - 100
snap pea crisps - 400 (I ate these at midnight! Ugh!)
TOTAL = 2630 (sometimes I HATE reporting the truth!)

Water: 65 ounces so far

Exercise: none

Saturday

Today was a pretty good day. I didn't mentally track calories that well, but I think I was in range. Here is what I remember:

DIET:
Go Lean Cereal - 200
yogurt - 120
milk - 30
hot dog - 170
ketchup - 30?
some bites of Jaxson grilled cheese sandwich - 50?
open face tuna - 300
potato chips - 150
tomato soup - 150
crackers - 120
m&m's - 250
cupcake with no frosting - 120?
zone protein bar - 200
TOTAL: 1890

EXERCISE:
20 minutes on elliptical
20 minute abs class
45 minutes weights class

WATER:
50 ounces? (I've got to be better with water!)

Until tomorrow...

Work out is KEY

Today I woke up and did plyometrics... which is basically an hour of hell! Just kidding, I really like it even though it IS quite hard. I also did about 15 minutes of abs. Aside from the fact that the first thing I ate after working out was about 350 calories in m&m's and pumpkin roll, I feel so much better after working out! I had an absolutely crazy day getting ready for Jaxson's school party I was in charge of, and I felt like the workout beforehand helped me to push through my RUNNING around the house getting everything ready. The party was a huge success and although my eating was not the best today, I don't think I went too far over my needed calories (not my "diet" calories). I should have tracked it better, but here's what I remember:

m&m's - 150
1/2 pumpkin roll slice - 200
open face tuna - 330
cupcake batter - 150? (gross, I know)
cupcake - 150?
crab stuffed chicken - 300
broccoli - 50
carrots - 30?
potato - 200
2 dark chocolate covered grahams - 300
m&m's - 150
milk - 80
TOTAL: 2090

Tomorrow is going to be a BIG work out day. I think I'm going to hit TWO classes.

Talk about FAILURE!

Man, all I can think of is... "I Failed!" Now I know why some people chose NOT to set goals... so they don't feel disappointed when/if they fail to meet that goal. One of my holiday goals was to "report every day, even weekends and holidays." Well, let's see... I am now going on my 6th day of not reporting. Oh wait, I'm reporting TODAY. Okay, 5 days then. Bad enough! Sorry to my fitness friends for dropping off the face of the planet there for the last week! I have not been encouraging you!.. sorry. In attempt to get back on the horse, I am going to give a pathetic report summing up my 5 missed days (be warned... it's not pretty)

Saturday - no exercise, eating just okay
Sunday - no exercise, eating just okay
Monday - 50 minutes on elliptical, 2 miles on track, 20 minutes weights/abs, eating bad
Tuesday - early morning work out, eating BAD (started my holiday baking)
Wednesday - early morning work out, eating EVEN WORSE (thanks to Amanda Y's Mountain Dew Apple Dumpling! Ugh! oh, and more holiday baking)
Thursday - I FEEL so YUCKY! Seriously, I can't believe how gross I feel from eating holiday food! I tell myself "it is NOT worth it! But then a piece of pumpkin roll stares me down and I HAVE to take a bite!) No work out today.

As for tomorrow... I am getting back to counting my calories and REPORTING! Hold me to it fitness friends - holiday food is good, but it is NOT worth the way I feel right now. Oh, and FYI... I am NOT weighing in tomorrow!

Good Day Friday

Today was weigh in and, drum roll... I lost .8 pound! I thought I might just stay the same with my weekend Christmas party indulgence, so I am happy to have shown a little loss. I have mixed feelings about the rest of my "numbers," here they are:
BMI - DOWN .1
% Body fat - DOWN 1.1%!
Waist - UP 1/2 inch
Hips - UP one inch
Thigh - same
Arm - DOWN 1/2 inch (finally)

My waist and hips are definitely where I gain my weight. I can't believe that my arm measurement is down. It has not changed AT ALL since I've started tracking months ago.

Maybe I can tone up my waist by working out more this next week (I totally slacked in the exercise department this past week!)

Here is my daily report:
DIET:
Zone bar - 200
Raisin Bran - 200
Milk - 60
Christmas goodies - 130
crackers - 80
100 calorie pack - 100
hard boiled egg - 70
Chips - 160
tortilla - 140
beans - 60
rice - 80
Chicken - 100
Sour Cream - 80
Cheese - 60
Salsa - 20
hot chocolate milk - 210
Total: 1750

EXERCISE:
50 minutes on elliptical
ran 2 miles on track
20 minutes abs and weights

WATER:
85 ounces so far

Thursday

Go Lean Cereal - 200
yogurt - 120
milk - 30
crackers and cheese - 200
Christmas Goodies, assorted kinds - 300?
shrimp scampi w/ parmesan- 700!
bread - 110
peanut butter - 100
banana - 110
orange juice - 120
Total - 1990 (urgh!)

WATER: 50 ounces? Not enough! I'll keep plugging along tonight!

No exercise (again)... Another late-nighter and a day full of video editing (it is consuming my life!). As soon as I get my 2006 home movies edited down, I can get back to reality (unless I get tempted to do 2007-08, but those years will be fast because I don't have nearly as much footage!) Until then, I am in la la, neglectful mother-mode!

Wednesday

I have somehow managed to pull my hip flexer muscle and it is killing me! It started yesterday and is worse today. I probably only got about 4 hour of sleep last night it hurt so bad. I must have done something to tweak it when I did some CORE exercises. It is making me kind of mad because I really wanted to work out today, but I can barely hobble around my house, let alone exercise (you should see me try to make it up and down the 40 stairs in our house! I am not being very productive with house cleaning/laundry!) So, instead I am getting some reading in while I keep heat on it! I think I'm going to try to hit the weights class tomorrow so I can at least get an upper body work out in.

DIET:
Go Lean Cereal - 200
Yogurt - 120
milk - 30
bread - 110
peanut butter - 100
honey - 40
Chips - 170
zone bar - 190
parmesan crusted tilapia - 350
mixed vegetables - 180
sourdough bread - 80
2 jo jos - 140
bit of a treat from Natalie - 100?
TOTAL so far: 1810

WATER: 75 oucnes (so far)

Do you see what I mean about getting in a rut with my eating? Especially when I'm dieting... I just eat the same things each day (except for dinner). I KNOW I need to work on that!

Tuesday

It is 7:00 and I am committing now that I am NOT going to eat anything else for the rest of the night. The last two nights I have given in to things late at night. I have been staying up until 1:00-3:00 working on editing down our family home videos (again!); it is so easy to give in at midnight when my stomach is growling like crazy! So, hold me to it! I will report in tomorrow on whether or not I kept this commitment!

DIET:
Go Lean Cereal - 200
Yogurt - 120
Milk - 30
ZONE Protein bar - 200
bread - 110
Tuna - 100
mayo - 40
cheese - 40
100 calorie pack pretzels - 100
1/2 cup of milk - 55
Pizza - 600?
TOTAL: 1595?

WATER:
I didn't track it very well today. I probably drank 50 ounces? I'll try to get another 25 ounces before bed.

EXERCISE:
Didn't happen today! I could not get out of bed for the 6:00a.m. class!.. went to bed TOO late!

Monday

DIET:
banana - 150
1/2 tuna sandwich - 250
1/2 peanut butter & honey sandwich - 250
two cheese crackers - 65
zone protein bar - 200
dorritos chips - 300 (ouch!)
graham cracker - 60
turkey meatloaf - 150
1/2 potato - 100
broccoli - 30?
candycane jojos - 350 (oouch!)
TOTAL: 1905

WATER:
90 ounces

EXERCISE:
hour weights class
ran 2 miles

Sunday

Man, it is HARD for me to report on weekends! I am going to have to guess on these calories because I didn't measure or keep track throughout the day:

oatmeal with walnuts and raisins - 250
zone bar - 190
cracker with cheese - 40
candy - 60
spagetti and chicken (with sauce and parmesan) - 500?
sourdough bread with butter - 350?
oreos - 150
milk - 200
almond cookies - 140
TOTAL: 1880

WATER:
probably only 25 ounces (that is probably why I don't feel great right now)

Man, I really ate bad today. At least I stayed in range, calorie-wise.

Saturday

Well, as you can see from below, the diet was shot tonight. But I ate lots of yummy food and I don't feel guilty about it! That's because I know I can kick it in gear again and be okay. Oh the joy of the holidays. At least I'm sticking to my goal of reporting each night...

DIET:
ZONE Protein bar - 190
bread - 110
tuna - 100
mayo - 40
macaroni and cheese - 300
m&m's - 300
decorating gingerbread house - 300?
ward Christmas party! - 1500?
total: 2840?!?!

WATER:
65 ounces?

EXERCISE:
1 hour of "CORE Synergistics"

Friday

Finally, I got a workout in today! It felt SO good!

DIET:
Protein Shake - 350
- (berries, milk, banana, protein powder)
ABC Crackers - 90
Tuna - 100?
Mayo - 40?
Cheese - 60?
Bread - 110
Chips - 200
coconut shrimp - 250?
bread and butter - 150?
Salmon Cakes - 400?
Ahi Tuna - 100?
asparagus - 50?
TOTAL SO FAR: 1900?

WATER:
75 ounces (not counting a bunch of sparkling water)

EXERCISE:
45 minute interval class
20 minutes on treadmill

OH! I almost forgot. I weighed myself today. I am down from last week. Sara you were right about just getting all that extra food from Thanksgiving out of my system. After this week, I see that I only gained .7 from Thanksgiving, which means I am down 2.6 from last week. (thank goodness, I was starting to get discouraged over all that work I put in for a month!) I did not measure body fat, BMI, or measurements. I'll do that next week.

OFFICIALLY... 3.2 pounds to go!

Thursday

My alarm did not go off this morning and I had a busy day from 8:00 until now. Maybe I'll do something after the kids are in bed (I'm all dressed and ready, so I hope I can keep the motivation after I lay in bed with the kiddos! I seem to lose it pretty easy after that! I don't know HOW people work out in the evening!)

DIET:
Go Lean Cereal - 200
Yogurt - 120
milk - 30
Atkins Protein Bar - 200
Fat free Pringles - 100
Pretzels - 40
sugar free chocolate - 120
butternut squash soup - 200
sourdough bread - 200
almond shortbread cookies - 210
Dark chocolate covered pepermind Jo Jo's - 450! (150 each!)
TOTAL: 1870
(man, no fruit at all today! Maybe I'll eat an apple later!)

WATER:
75 ounces (I'm still going...)
I think I'm going to brave up and weigh myself tomorrow. I'm not sure what I expect.

Busy Wednesday

I am afraid I'm going to be going TWO days without working out. Hopefully the 2.5 hours of "Turkey Burn" at the gym on Saturday will help compensate. Today is a busy one, so I thought I'd record my calories so far and then update it tonight.

DIET:

Go Lean cereal - 200

yogurt - 120

milk - 30

tuna - 160?

mayo - 50?

bread - 110

cheese - 60

pretzels - 100

almond cookies - 140
m&m's - 300
arugula - 50
apple - 20
hazlenuts - 100
dressing - 40
turkey stuffed croissant - 120
vitamin water - 50

TOTAL: 1650

WATER:

32 ounces

One more IMPORTANT goal I need to add to my previous post (I can't believe I forgot it because it is SO crucial for me)...

NO EATING PAST 8pm!!!

My Holiday Goals:

The girls and I have realized the need to keep some focus and motivation going. So, I decided to write out my goals for the month.. just FOUR to keep it simple:

1. FOCUS on water intake (I tend to slack off when it's cold outside). 85 ounces a day and report it on the blog each night (like Carrie does)

2. Report EVERY day, including Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas day, etc. My goal is to NOT miss ONE day of reporting.

3. Allow some treats, but count them into my calories. My calorie goal is 1800 calories a day

4. I am going to continue on the work out schedule I am already on since that seems to be working, but I'm going to add two things:

- I'd like to be able to run 5 miles by Christmas (at first I thought I would tie a time to that goal, but I think I'll be happy if I can just run that far)

- Do one new P90X a week, whether it's weights, yoga or Kenpo. I always feel sore when I switch it up so I know it does my muscles some good so they don't get used the same old thing.

Here's the report for today:
DIET:
Go Lean cereal - 200
yogurt - 120
milk - 40
almond cookies - 140
peanut butter - 100
bread - 110
honey - 40
Atkins Protein bar - 200
sugar free chocolate - 40
crackers - 60
burritto - 300
salsa - 50
some bites of the kids macaroni - 150
broccoli with parmesan - 75
TOTAL: 1625

WATER:
100 ounces

EXERCISE:
none (yet). I hope to do something after the kids are in bed

What a WEEK!

Man, Thanksgiving is brutal to the diet! The good news is that I enjoyed LOTS of great food! The bad news is that I have officially gained back the 3.5 pounds that I worked for 4 (FREAKIN) weeks to lose! URGH! Isn't it crazy how fast you can gain weight but how L...O...N...G it takes to LOSE it?! Kind of frustrating, but that is the reality of life! And, everyone deserves to enjoy GOOD food every once in awhile, so, I'm starting at square one. Seeing as how my 5 week challenge to lose five pounds is up THIS week, and considering the fact that it is NOT a good time of the month for me to even try to count my weight this week, I am extending my goal date a couple weeks. I have not decided when. The girls and I are trying to come up with a "PLAN" on how best to deal with the holidays realistically... meaning, enjoying it, but not ruining our diets because of it.

Here is my report for the day:

DIET:
ended with about 1800
(I'm posting this the day after and don't remember specifics)

EXERCISE:
abs class
hour weights class
ran/walked 2 miles

Monday's Report

After a weekend of not tracking my calories, I tried hard to get back to it today. The thing that helped me was the fact that I have NO FOOD in my house right now. Tomorrow is a BIG grocery shopping day for me (to stock our fridge AND get ready for Thanksgiving). I hope I can control myself when I have food around me! I only have a week and a half before DECEMBER 5th... my goal date to have lost the last 5 pounds! So, I'm hoping that knowledge will be my motivation!

DIET:
banana - 130
1/2 peanut butter and honey sandwich - 250
string cheese - 60
ZONE protein bar - 200
Trader Joe ABC crackers - 130
string cheese - 60
1/2 peanut butter and honey sandwich - 250
chicken noodle soup - 250?
crackers - 120?
Sourdough bread - 130?
bowl of cereal - 300
TOTAL = 1880

EXERCISE
30 minutes on bike
20 minute abs class
hour long weights class
10 minutes on elliptical
**(I am behind on my Book of Mormon reading goals and HAVE to catch up so I'm not reading all Christmas break, so there may be extra time reported on bike/elliptical in the next couple weeks!)

SUCCESS!

Today was weigh in and I did not expect to lose much because, whether I've admitted it or not, I have pretty much allowed treats back into my diet.  I shouldn't because those calories spent on chocolate would be so much better for my body if acquired by eating vegetables!... something I NEED to start eating more of.  Anyway, despite my expectations, I lost... drum roll... 2.4 lbs!  I give full credit to weight lifting and boosting my metabolism by lowering my body fat.  I think it is totally true that the more muscle you have, the more your body is burning, even when sitting around doing nothing!  Anyway, here are the rest of my stats for the day:

BMI - down .1

% body fat - down .2

Weight loss - 2.4 lbs

waist - down .5

hips - down .5

thighs - down .25

arms - still the same as when I started this diet months ago!  Why is that?

EXERCISE:

45 minutes triple fit (interval) class

20 minutes speed walking on treadmill

5 minutes leg weights

DIET:

ZONE protein bar - 200

(I will report the rest of my eating at the end of the day)

I HOPE EVERYONE ELSE HAD A GOOD WEIGH-IN FRIDAY!  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Wednesday's Report

My day was okay.  I fell into old habit and ate after 8:00.  Now I remember why it is so important, because I NEVER make good choices after 8:00!  I would have been GREAT if I would have distracted myself with something or gone to bed (early).

DIET:

protein shake (soy milk, banana, berries, protein powder) - 300

ZONE protein bar - 200

1/2 peanut and honey sandwich - 250

turkey burger - 150

whole wheat bun - 180

cheese - 60

mayo and ketchup - 60

chips - 200

joe joe's - 200

coconut almond clusters - 210

milk - 220

 TOTAL = 2030

EXERCISE:

1 hour of plyometrics

I never reported for yesterday.  It was pretty good.  I ended below 2000, which lately, is good for me.  I DID do some cardio on Monday night, so that was good.  Yesterday I did 4 miles on the treadmill (running 3 of it).  I also did 30 minutes of a Zumba class and biked for about 15 minutes.  

Monday's Bleak Report

My weekend was not the greatest. My dinner date on Friday kind of flowed over through the weekend. Today started out okay, but then my kids convinced me to make chocolate chip cookies (they are both out of school today). That kind of killed the numbers. My body needs 2300 calories to maintain my weight and I have been dangerously close to that number for the past FOUR days. So, I have to hit it HARD for the next three days if I want to lose anything (I'll be happy if it is .25 lbs! I just need gradual progress)

DIET:
banana - 150
Go Lean cereal - 200
yogurt - 120
milk - 40
sugar free chocolate treats - 150
graham crackers - 150
milk - 220
chocolate chip cookies - 500
Cafe Rio style pork - 350?
black beans - 130?
cilantro sauce - 130?
tortilla chips - 100
TOTAL: 2240

EXERCISE:
20-minute abs class
hour-long weights class

I was dragging today and didn't have it in me to do any cardio, so I'm going to try to do some tonight at home.

Friday Weigh In

THE BIG DAY!  Today was weigh in and I am actually happy to report that I lost .7 lbs (happy after Kolby's pep talk!)  The thing I am MOST happy about is losing .5% of body fat which means that I have officially met my goal for getting under 17%!  I have also lost 1/2 inch off my hips and a 1/4 inch off my thigh.  It is crazy how SLOW BMI takes to get down.  My first BMI test was on Sept 22 and it has taken me almost two months to get it to drop 1.0 point.  So, overall I am happy.  Kolby keeps reminding me that I need to stop obsessing over a "number" that I want to reach, weight-wise, because my body is different now than it was 8 years ago - I'm older, I've had two kids, I am actually MORE active now than I was back then, so my % of body fat is much different.  Regardless, although I am CLOSE to where I want to be, I am going to keep plugging along to see if I can lose a few more pounds.  

I should mention also that Kolby has dropped two pounds in the last couple weeks (he weighed after doing plyometrics and I think he sweated about a gallon of water, so I don't know if that affected it at all).  He is going to come into the gym this month to do weigh on a REAL scale and test his BMI and Body Fat.  

So, here is my  report for the day!  

DIET:

banana - 150

graham cracker - 60

Go Lean Cereal - 200

Milk - 40

Yogurt - 120

two bites of kids sloppy joe sandwiches - 60 

strawberries - 15

orange juice - 110

ZONE protein bar - 200

coconut shrimp - 400?

bread - 100

Caesar side salad - 600

sirloin medley - 500?

Diet Coke - 0 

TOTAL - 2555 (that's what I get for EATING OUT!)  

EXERCISE:

45 minutes of speed walking (3 miles)

15 minutes abs

I forgot how GREAT speed walking is.  I used to do it a lot because I heard that it "elongates" the muscles rather than bulks them up like running does.  I won't be surprised if my butt is a little sore tomorrow.  I raised the incline which helps get the heart rate up.  I'm going to try to do this maybe once a week.  I felt great afterward!

Thursday Report (and a funny story)

Good day today.  Here's the low down:

DIET:

yogurt - 120

go lean cereal - 200

milk - 40

ZONE protein bar - 200

battered fish - 175

tarter sauce - 75

2 slices of trader joe pizza - 200

two Joe Joe's - 130

Stir Fry with:

- wild grain rice - 150

- Broccoli - 30?

- Carrotts - 30?

- Onion - 20?

- Cashews - 110?

- Chicken - 120?

- Soyaki Sauce - 50

TOTAL: 1650

EXERCISE:

an hour weights class at the gym

ran 2 miles

Okay, so there is this guy at the gym who looks just like Michael Scoffield (Wentworh Miller) from Prison Break.  He has got to be a runner or something, because he is often doing sprint training on the treadmill.  Today, I ended up on the treadmill next to him and seeing him do mile runs at a speed of 8-10 (you know when you SNEAK a peek at another persons numbers on their machine!); it was making me feel somewhat competitive.  I usually run at 6.5... Not the fastest, but good for me since I am NOT a runner.  Today I started out at 7 and went up to 9 on each of my mile runs.  I have seen this guy get up to 13 on some runs before.  But for me, I felt good because I pushed myself and had a little bit of adrenaline at the thought of running next to Wentworth Miller (what if it really was him, you know?  Ha!  I am TOTALLY kidding!)  But I had a BRIGHT red face by the end of two miles and when I checked my heart rate... don't worry, it was in the 190's!  Okay, so definitely OUT of my zone, but maybe it's good to push my heart every once in awhile..?  (I am going to research that because Kolby thinks I was crazy and says that it's NOT good to be out of your zone).        

... Okay, I researched it (I'm posting this after the fact).  This is what I found.  It's interesting so I thought I'd share.  I probably won't be pushing my heart like that again:

QUESTION:

Is it bad to exercise above your target hear rate?:

ANSWER:

YES, this is bad because your workout becomes anaerobic.  This means that your body is burning energy without the presence of oxygen.  The carbohydrates in your muscles start to burn which causes acute exhaustion when this energy supply is burned off.  Your body can exercise aerobically until your body can no longer provide nutrients and oxygen to your muscles; this burns energy provided to your muscles, not the energy that the muscle is made of.  Anaerobic exercise only burns the energy within the muscle.  So, keep the heart rate down a little.  Let the body provide the energy, not the muscles.  

MY TARGET HEART RATE - 105 - 163

CLICK HERE To calculate your  T.H.R.

Wednesday Report

DIET:
Banana - 120
Protein Shake - 350
(Includes milk, banana, berries, protein powder)
ZONE Protein bar - 200
Light popcorn - 150
sesame honey cashews - 200
edemame - 200
blueberry pancakes - 250
croissant - 110
eggs - 130
TOTAL = 1710

EXERCISE:
1-hour of Plyometrics

Tuesday's Report

It's NOT pretty today, but here it is:

DIET:
Raisin Bran - 250
1/2 peanut butter and honey sandwich - 250
Orange Juice - 110
trader Joes baked cheesies - 130
ZONE Protein bar - 200
Kit Kat - 200 (don't ask!)
Trader Joe's Pizza - 350
tiny slice of ciabatta with peanut butter and honey - 130
Trader Joe's chocolate - 350 (don't ask... again!)
TOTAL: 1970

EXERCISE:
none :(

I'm not sure what my deal was today, but I know that NOT working out this morning affected my eating. Although it was nice to have a couple extra hours to get things done that I would not have had I worked out. I am realizing how much of my time during the day is spent exercising (part of the reason why I love early morning classes, so it doesn't cut into my day). I usually do a 6:00 a.m. class on Tuesdays but I didn't get to bed until after midnight and slept through my alarm... UGH!

On a positive note, my research has shown me that I can lose weight on a diet of 1730-1850 calories a day. I am doubtful of that since my success has come when I keep it below 1500. But we'll see on Friday (I better kick it in gear!)

Monday Report

Here is my report for the day:
DIET:
small apple - 60
hard boiled egg - 70
simple harvest oatmeal with pecans - 160
1/2 cup of milk - 45
Atkins protein bar - 200
butternut squash soup - 150
string cheese - 80
raisin bran - 250
turkey sloppy joes
bun - 120
meat - 200
cheese - 70
pickles - 15
potato chips - 150
orange juice - 110
TOTAL SO FAR: 1680

EXERCISE:
35 minutes on treadmill
20 minute abs class
hour long weights class

I am worried about bulking up with all the weights that I am doing. I seem to either be doing weights or high cardio (at the peak of my target heart rate zone). So, I have decided that I am going spend more time in the cardio and "fat burning zone," which for me is a heart rate of about 125-140. I will still do weights, but I think I'm going to keep it to Monday and Thursday and do Yoga on Saturdays. That is pretty much what I was doing except instead of Yoga, I've been doing an extra day of weights. We'll see how it goes.

Great Resource!

I found this great resource for figuring out your daily caloric needs each day (for maintenance, weight loss, and weight gain). It is all based on weight, height, age, and % body fat. There is a link into an excel document at the bottom of this web page. Open it up for a spreadsheet that will calculate the "Katch-McArdle" and the "Harris-Benedict" method for you. (at the top of the spreadsheet, just delete the current weight, height, age, body fat info and type in your own... the rest is automatically calculated).

I hope this is helpful!

Click here for the link (remember to scroll to the very bottom for the spreadsheet link)
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com

Sunday Report

Okay, so the P90X legs work out obviously KICKED my butt, because I could barely get out of bed this morning. Even Kolby is sore (surprising to me because his butt is seriously hard as steel!... ha, I'm sure you ALL were dying to know that!). I am growing to love P90X. The guy who made it is a total goofball and I often rolled me eyes at him at first, but after noticing a difference in our lives (Kolby more than mine so far), we have grown to LOVE him! His quirkiness has become endearing. Anyway, hopefully the soreness will be gone in time for my weights class tomorrow.

Here is the damage for today:
DIET
steel cut oats - 130
pecans - 80
raisins - 65
brown sugar - 80
milk - 40
hard boiled egg - 70
half tuna sandwich - 200
chips - 130
ZONE protein bar - 200
turkey meatloaf - 200
Butternut squash soup - 200
ciabatta bread - 150
butter - 60
Trader Joes Chocolate - 300
TOTAL = 1905

Okay, I am embarrassed to have to admit that I CANNOT let go of sugar right now! Seriously, I don't know what my deal is! I don't know if I just need a "light bulb moment" like Natalie talked about (I love that Nat). I am kind of getting discouraged with myself that my willpower is so weak. I think I am going to move ALL of the chocolate in our house up to Kolby's study room. We are bad because we ALWAYS have trader joe treats around. I know that is the only thing that is going to work for me, so I will report in tomorrow on how I do. Hopefully keeping it out of sight will be enough (that the treck up the two flights of stairs better be enough to keep me away from it! If not, I may have to just throw it out).

Saturday Report

DIET:
Banana - 170
yogurt - 120
cereal - 200
open face tuna - 260
trader joes cheetos - 130
turkey burger with cheese - 450
potato chips - 150
TOTAL = 1480

EXERCISE:
An hour on legs and back (pull-ups baby!)
20 minute P90X ABS!

Good day but Kolby and I talked today about how we tend to eat the same meals for breakfast and lunch... for me that means repeated protein drinks, yogurt, cereal, and tuna. Although I know it is all good for me, we talked about trying to switch things up and have more variety in our diets. P90X has a link to "Michi's Ladder" which ranks foods by nutritional value. Check it out HERE

Speaking of repeated meals. Can I just mention my new favorite... I highly recommend trying this one for breakfast:The small carton of yogurt (blueberry is my favorite). The plain yogurt is better for you though; sweeten it with splenda or maple syrup.

I mix a cup of GO LEAN cereal with my yogurt and add just a touch of skim milk. It is so good! The calories end up being the same as my protein drinks and I get the same amount of protein - 16 grams. Plus 8 grams of fiber. The sugar is a little high, but it is organic (on my "strict" no sugar diet, I would not allow this). The reason I like it so much is that it satisfies me longer. I am REALLY full until lunch and don't feel the need to snack before the next meal. I'm telling you, you HAVE to try it!

Friday Report

Today was a good day except in the sugar department. My kids trade their Halloween candy in for a prize and I stashed it away to use for stockings at Christmas. Well, the knowledge that it was there got to me. The good news is that it is gone. The bad news is that I ate it. Not all of it, but several chocolate pieces. The rest is now in the trash since I obviously cannot handle having it around. I did so well last weekend on my NO SUGAR challenge that I'm going to start it up again. Since I need a time frame to work within... I am going to try to go TWO FULL weeks with NO sugar. I think I was shy one day the very first time we did the two week challenge, so for me, I need to use the "challenge" as motivation. Hold me to it!

Here is the my daily report:
DIET:
banana - 150
raisin bran - 375
zone bar - 200
snack-size snickers - 100
Butternut Squash soup - 300
Ciabatta bread - 200
arugula salad - 400
TOTAL (before junk): 1725
total estimated calories on junk candy (I am only reporting this because I promised Natalie that I would report EVERY day. You don't know how bad I want to LIE right now! I guess I need this as one of those "light bulb moments")
total candy calories - 600
TOTAL = 2325

EXERCISE:
hour-long triple fit class
6 miles on the bike
ran 1 mile

Kickin' it in GEAR!!!

I just spoke with my friend Natalie. We both cheated and weighed in a day early (not knowing that the other was doing it), and we both feel discouraged by our lack of progress. In short, we concluded that we need to KICK IT IN GEAR! We are both on the countdown to our vacations (a cruise for her, Hawaii for me). So, since working out is not enough for me (I do it EVERY day... well 6 days a week... and I haven't lost a pound in 3 weeks!), Natalie is going to HOLD ME TO a more strict diet! Thank goodness for friends who can hold me accountable, because I obviously NEED it. With this re-commitment, I am going to report daily my calorie intake. I know they are not the most exciting posts to read, but I am not doing this blog for anyone but myself (I doubt I have many readers... other than my support girls). So, starting today, although it's not pretty, here are my calories for the day:

Diet:
blueberry yogurt - 120
Go Lean cereal - 200
1/2 cup of milk - 45
open face tuna on whole wheat bread - 320
potato chips - 150
dark chocolate covered blueberries - 180
ZONE protein bar - 200
Calzone - 650
TOTAL = 1865

Exercise:
hour long weights class
5 1/2 miles on bike
30 minutes walking on treadmill
(I know this may seem like a lot, but it is the only way I can get some reading in that I need to in order meet some reading goals that I have!)

Deadline Adjustment

In my last post I mentioned my 5lbs-in-5-weeks challenge.  I was wrong on the dates and wanted to clarify... (in case there is anybody else out there who wants to take on the challenge with me, Carrie and my hubby). 

STARTING DATE: today (10/31)

END DATE: Friday, Dec. 5th

Okay, so I'm a week behind...

I have no idea what has happened to this week!  Okay, actually, I do.  It all started with last Friday's "Trunk or Treat" that our ward did.  I decided I could handle "a few" little candies.  That few turned into a weekend binge for me that I have been recovering from ever since.  I have worked out GREAT every day in my attempts to recover; however, I don't think it will help.  I really will be happy if I stay the same weight as last week at tomorrow's weigh in... we'll see.  

Anyway, aside from the candy fest, I feel like I've done well in the "strength training" department.  I have spent extra time doing weights this week and have increased the amount of weight I've done.  I did plyometrics again this week and came away without the soreness I suffered from last week (success!)  I am also tracking my time on my mile runs and trying to beat it every time.  It has been good to push myself.  I have been walking in between each mile so I can focus on my time.  

After my weekend candy craze I have decided I need some clear set goals for myself.  I have TWO:

1. NO candy or sugar on Halloween (or the weekend following)

2. I am going to lose 5 lbs in 5 weeks!  (By December 1st)  

  * This goal is starting next Monday, since I am still trying to recover from my binge!  

Kolby is taking on this challenge with me, as well as my friend Carrie - so we'll see how it goes!  

OUCH!

I AM SO SORE! I did an hour long P90X Plyometrics video on Wednesday and I have not been able to really work out since. I did upper body weights on Thursday and then very casually did a bike today (but did it so I could read rather than get good exercise). I have not really gotten sore from my gym classes and it makes me wonder if I am working hard enough. I don't expect to feel sore after every class, but I want to know that I have exerted myself. I think I LIKE to feel sore every once in awhile. Anyway, aside from that, here is my run down for the week

ANY LOSS IS A SUCCESS...
Lost .7 pounds
Lost 1/2 inch off my thighs
Dropped an entire % of body weight!
(I am most excited about the % of body weight!)

Overall an okay week. Of course I wish I could lose these last 5 pound a little FASTER! but I am at least happy that it is progressing (slowly but surely).

Monday/Tuesday Report

Well, I thought I'd post a quick report on the last two days.  I have struggled with the sugar cravings, but have not given in.  I feel like I am so focused on NOT eating sugar and NOT letting myself get too hungry (with my eat-every-three-hours rule), that I have probably gone over on calories.  Monday was a good exercise day.  Yesterday was not.  I slept through my alarm and missed my early morning class.  Not eating after 8:00 is a big deal for me.  I usually go to bed hungry, but I take that as a good sign since I NEVER make good choices after 8:00 and I KNOW I have eaten plenty of calories.  Why would I eat a snack to curb the hunger when I'm just going to sleep on all those calories?  Anyway, so far so good.  Thank you Sara for challenging all of us to go strict on the sugar thing again.  It really is JUST what I needed.  I am not planning to lose anything this week (because of my sugar/calorie filled weekend), but we'll see.  

Until next time...

No Sugar (again)... a RE-COMMITTMENT

My friend Sara encouraged us girls to go OFF sugar again. So, I have re-committed myself. It is exactly what I need AFTER making sugar cookies with my kids over the weekend and sneaking in a daily treat nearly EVERY day last week. Today marks my first day on no sugar. It was a success and I feel optimistic. Here is my report for the day:

Exercise:
Ran 2 miles
20 minute abs class
hour long weights class

Diet:
1800 calories (estimated)
about 50 ounces of water (I need MORE)

* New goal of mine:
- Eat within an hour of waking up, even if it is just something small (to kick my metabolism in gear), and...
- Do not go longer than 3 hours without eating something

Great Inspiration

My friend Carrie posted a link to this site on her blog and I found great inspiration in it. Here is a link to one particular post I enjoyed... it has good tips on how to keep your metabolism up (something I am going to try harder to work on)

Check it OUT

I met my 5K GOAL!

Kolby was such a good husband to me today! Weeks ago I asked if he'd run a 5K with me and he graciously said he would. So, I started to "train." I know it is a shorter distance run, but I am NOT a runner and can't just pick up and run more than a mile. So, I've been adding a couple miles of running into my work-outs each day and did several 5K's this last week to get ready. Kolby's enthusiasm for the race was apparent by his preparation... NONE! On the way to the race, he reminded me that he could have been playing flag football at that moment, but that he loved me enough to miss. I (half-way) doubted how Kolby would do having not incorporated running into his workouts each day, but don't worry, he not only ran the whole thing just fine, he set the pace for me and helped me to run it well under my goal time! He keeps reminding me that I "won" because I sprinted at the end, even though it was just seconds ahead of him. Whatever, we "won" it together because he is AWESOME! Oh, I should mention that he DID walk away with blisters from his "running" shoes (weird and frustrating since they've never bothered him before... the mean side of me says "he deserves it!")

Anyway, it was fun! We ran with some friends, Holley, Stacey, and Justin (& their cute little boy Jack who worked pretty hard in his stroller. He was our cheerleader behind us the whole way!) It makes me want to run more races, nothing big, maybe a 10K in the next year. I don't think Kolby will be joining me, however. He can stick with his P90X and weight lifting! So, it was fun while it lasted! (THANKS HONEY!)

My new swim suit for Hawaii!

I am going to start an official countdown to my Hawaii Vacation (coming up in February), but for now, I thought I'd share this new swim suit that I got on clearance. Isn't it cute? I will be thinking of these polka dots when I'm craving a big piece of chocolate cake, or when I don't want to get on the treadmill!

GOOD WEEK!

I haven't been "reporting in" on my blog as often as I used to, but I AM still plugging away with this diet. This last week was good. I kept the mindset of no sugar, but did eat one treat 4 of the 7 days. But I was able to stop and not binge, which is a success for me. I worked out 6 days, didn't ever eat after 8:00 and just kind of plugged away. I did go over on calories; I probably averaged 1700-1800 each day. The fact that I still FELT hungry though, told me I was okay. I wonder if my body is requiring more with 'fat-to-muscle-conversion.' Hopefully that IS the case.

Here are the results of my week:
- LOST 1.5 pounds
- Lost 1 inch off my thighs! (that has occurred over several weeks, I just haven't reported it)
- Lost 1/2 inch off my waist
- HIT my target body fat %!
- Met my 5K goal!

I realize that I am going at a slow rate with this diet, averaging 1 lb of weight loss a week, but, I think maybe it is good to prolong this lifestyle because it is making me more and more committed to monitoring my daily diet and exercise even after I hit my target weight. I think with the ups and downs I have had in the past, that this is the FIRST time I have felt EXCITED, PASSIONATE, and COMMITTED to living a healthy lifestyle. The way I FEEL is completely worth it. I still have a little ways to go to meet me target goal, but this is the closest I've been to my pre-pregnancy weight in nearly 6 years and I feel like I'm in better shape than I was back then. Kolby has mentioned that is is kind of weird how I am working so hard to lose this "pre-pregnancy weight" when I'm probably just going to turn around and get pregnant (hopefully... cross your fingers it will happen when we want), but I feel really good knowing that I will be in a healthier state and that I will be at a better starting point. The ups and downs of weight is just part of being a mother. It's just that THIS time, I am hoping to be smart about the gain so that I won't carry the extra weight around for years!

My Sister is Biking to Shaker Heights!

My sister and brother-in-law have recently gotten into biking. They have come up with a goal to "bike" from American Fork Utah, to my house in Shaker Heights Ohio! They are tracking the number of miles they bike each day. Their goal is to make the 1,763-miles "journey" by the end of the year. Check out the story HERE

Best Weekend in a long time...

I am happy to report that I had a sugar free weekend and that I worked out on Saturday (even if it was 1.5 miles at 10:30 at night).  The last couple days of success have been encouraging to me.  I think I am ending up with around 1500 calories each day.  We usually make dinner and it's always hard to track calories with home cooked meals.  

Here is the report for today (so far)

Ran 3 miles (gearing up for my 5K this weekend!)

20 minute abs class

hour long weights class

It is 4:00 and I am at 1050 calories.  

(I will report back later on my final calorie count).

** I have to give a SHOUT out to my support group!  I was a little discouraged after not losing much last week, but I have to say that the psychi of this little support group (between me and my three friends Natalie, Carrie and Sara) has helped me SO much!  They each had great weight loss and I realize that when they have good days, it makes ME  want to have a good day.  I also realize that when I hear of one of them eating something with sugar, I WANT to eat something with sugar.  I started feeling guilty and wondering if the sugar rampage I was on for a couple weeks negatively affected them.  I am using this as motivation to NOT give in.  I tell myself, "this does not affect JUST me, if affects THEM too."  So, thank you girls for helping me (as I said in my email, I would NOT have gotten on that treadmill Saturday night if I didn't have YOU to account to!)  

Friday Weigh IN

I had my weekly weigh in today and lost a pound (I think... I was down .4 before I worked out and 1.6 after I worked out, I'm going to count it as a pound). I don't expect that it should have been any better than that considering the bad weekend I had. I know I should feel happy about it, but I am not FEELING like I've lost anything. I am feeling yucky, actually, and bloated. I'm sure it's just bad timing of the month.

Here is my report from the last couple of days:
Wednesday:
I think I ended with around 1500 calories. I did eat a couple candy corns and smarties and should feel guilty about it, but instead I felt like I had a little victory by only eating a couple and being able to stop. I didn't work out because I injured my ankle on Monday and tried to give it some rest. I soaked it in epsom salt and braced it and now (two days later) it is already feeling better.

Thursday
Diet:
- I did okay, except that even though I stayed with my calorie limit, I did NOT make the healthiest food choices. I need to start tracking how many fruits/vege's I get each day.
Exercise:
- I did the treadmill for an hour and ran 3 miles.

Friday
Diet:
- I did great all day and then went over the calories at date night tonight with dessert. Yup, I ate two sugar cookies. What is my deal? Seriously, I did so well at first and now it seems like I am slacking every day! I REALLY AM going to have to go cold turkey, absolutely NO sugar, no cheating, no anything!
Exercise:
- 45 minute interval class

My goals for the weekend:
- NO SUGAR
- Exercise on Saturday
- 1400 calories each day
- 8 FULL glasses of water/day

Thank Goodness for a New Week

My weekend consisted of a great workout Saturday morning which was BLOWN by kettle corn, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and trader joe's chocolate. Yeah, I pretty much binged. Last week was my WORST week since starting my diet. Hence the title of this post... THANK GOODNESS FOR A NEW WEEK!

So far so good. I had a good Sunday and stayed within 1400 calories.
Monday (yesterday) was a good day...
Exercise:
- ran 2 miles
- 20 min. abs class
- hour weights class
Diet:
- 1500 calories

I am feeling really good about this week! I am back to strict guidelines, including: 1400 calorie limit a day, no sugar, exercise every day (5-6 days a week), 8 glasses of water a day, vitamins, and no food after 8:00p.m.

HERE'S TO A GREAT WEEK!....

Just Glad I Didn't GAIN!

Well, after my last couple days (especially yesterday), I am just SO GLAD that I didn't GAIN two pounds at weigh in this morning.  I am actually down .4 (I am calling it a half pound).  Normally I'd be bummed about it, but considering that I probably ate 1000 calories for dinner alone yesterday (eating turkey burgers, garlic fries and an arugula salad with a few chocolates and a pack of smarties after), and the fact that I feel totally bloated and emotional from that time of month approaching, I am actually super motivated by it.  I am most motivated by my friend Natalie's loss of 2 pounds!  (Congrats Nat!)  So, here's the report for the last two days:

Thursday 

Eating 

- BAD (probably 2200-2400 calories)

Exercise

- hour-long weights class, ran 1 mile

Friday

Exercise

- hour-long triple fit class

- worked out abs for 15 minutes

- ran 1 mile

Eating

- protein shake - 350

- raisin bran cereal - 250

- cheese stick - 45

- protein bar - 240

- chick filet grilled sandwich - 210

- cup of fruit - 50

- diet coke - 0

- some fries and sauce - ?? (150)

TOTAL: 1300 calories

**I have had two diet cokes this week, and I have NOT felt good afterward.  They make me feel bloated and too full.  Sure they taste good, but I FEEL so much better when I stick with water.  So, my goal for this coming week... NO DIET COKE!

Willpower is HARD!

I did well yesterday. My biggest success was NOT caving on sugar, since ALL I could think about was giving in. I literally walked into the kitchen 5 or 6 times to grab some chocolate, but turned around and walked out. Willpower is a hard thing!

I went to an early morning triple fit class, but wasn't able to get any weights in. I will get more weight training tomorrow (I'd like to do weights three times a week to work on building muscle as much as building up my cardio).

Today is okay so far. I slept in and only had time to run a mile before running off to journal writing at Jaxson's school. But, I did crank up the speed and ran it a minute faster than I normally do, so that was good.

I am nervous that I won't lose on Friday since I am allowing the extra calories, but we'll see. My mother-in-law said that to burn 1 lb a week, you need to burn twice as many calories as you consume. So, for her, she did a 1200 calorie diet and burned roughly 2400 calories a day. Also, she has a great way to slowly go back to a maintenance diet (which takes 4-6 weeks). I will share the details later.

I have a ways to go before I think about that, however... 10 more lbs! My goal is to have it off in 10 weeks! That puts me at December 15 (roughly).

Sunday/Monday Report

Well, I wish I could say I did okay over the weekend, but I caved after 8:00 and ate some coconut macaroons and chocolate covered blueberries! I felt guilty and sick and bloated all night. I wish I could say it wasn't worth it, but it tasted so dang good. The bloated feeling made me feel like I'd gained back everything I've lost. So, first thing at the gym this morning, I weighed myself just to make sure and it was just a bit lower than Friday, so maybe I'm okay.

Monday Dieting & Exercise:
I did okay today. If I guessed at my dinner calories (mushroom risotto), I'd say I was around 1600 calories. I ran 1.5 miles, did a 20 minute abs class and Urban Iron weights class. I felt pretty good after.

My mother-in-law is in town and she has recently lost weight with LA Weight Loss. I really like their philosophy and I'm going to come up with an eating plan based on what she did. I think it will help me to accomplish my goal of following the food guide pyramid, since that is basically what the diet does. I will keep you updated and maybe provide some meal ideas here on my blog.

I am wanting to allow a sugar treat every once in awhile while I diet, so my body doesn't completely freak out and not know how to handle sugar in my system... I am scared of what my body is going to do once I reach my goal weight and after I allow sugar again. I'd like to say that this "no-sugar" thing is a permanent change in my lifestyle, but let's be realistic! I am going to enjoy a good treat now and then. Going without teaches me how much better I feel and reminds me to PERMANENTLY restrict it from my daily diet... but I really want to conquer my weakness of feeling like I can't stop eating junk once I start. I don't want to be forced to live an all or nothing lifestyle with sugar; I think it is impractical. So, I am trying to think of ways to build will power so I can enjoy a little treat every once in awhile. For the next couple weeks, I am going to allow one treat a week. If I find that it is too hard to keep the sugar craving out of my system, than I'm going to take it all away again. Also, I am not going to be so strict with "no sugar." If there is a healthy, whole grain cereal with more than 6 grams of sugar, I'm going to eat it (as long as it is not one of the first 3 ingredients!), also yogurt with sugar fructose... I am going to allow that. Maple syrup and natural sugars are now allowed as well. We'll see how it goes!

Until next time...

A little shift in eating goals

I have been worried lately about gaining weight back after I hit my goal weight. My lifestyle has been so drastically changed, that I don't want to start the up and down roller coaster that so many people experience when they diet. I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy a few good things along the way. On Friday, Natalie said something that really made me start to think... she said, "I think I've been eating too few calories." She thought maybe that was why she didn't lose weight. I understand that if the body doesn't feel like it's getting enough, it will store away fat and it becomes harder to lose that fat.

So, I have done some research online and figured exactly what my body needs, calorie-wise (I don't know why I didn't figure this from the start..?)

For my age, weight and height, if I work out 60 minutes a day, I need 2,435 calories a day to maintain my current weight. It says I will reach my goal weight by eating 2,381 a day, but I'm not sure that is a significant enough of a difference. My current calorie intake goal has been 1400 and, as you know, I complain about feeling hungry often. I also don't feel like I'm getting all my nutritional needs from the food guide pyramid when I'm so restricted. So, I have decided to UP my calorie intake for the next week and see how I do...

My NEW CALORIE INTAKE GOAL: 1,700 calories/day. If I can lose weight at that amount, I may try to up it to 1,800. That way when I reach my goal weight, I can continue to add a bit more until I find a number that will be my maintenance intake.

So, here's to MORE calories!...

Hunger, Sushi and Jeans...

I cannot get rid of constantly feeling HUNGRY! Seriously, I feel it about an hour after I eat and live with it all day long. I guess I should be getting used to it by now. (Natalie, I seriously don't know how you went on such few calories this week!) I weighed in with Nat and I too only lost a pound. It is a lesson to me that I cannot have TWO bad days like I did this last week. It makes me recommitted to make my weekend a good one (especially since I usually don't get a work out in on weekends... Maybe I'll do P90X with Kolby, except that I can't stand the smell of his sweat when we work out together! Gross, I know!)

Today was a good day. I did an hour-long Triple Fit class, but didn't have the energy or will power to run or do abs or anything more. To be honest, I'm pretty sore from Thursday's class.

Eating was okay. By 6:00, I was at 800 calories which allowed me a little wiggle room for dinner. Kolby and I went out for sushi and I have no idea how many calories I ate, but I have to RAVE about an arugula salad I had with hazelnuts, berries and fetta cheese. It was SO good! The sushi was good too. I always feel good after eating it.

Oh, good news! I DID fit into some hand-me-down jeans that my mother-in-law gave me! I know she probably gave them to ME because they were too big for HER, but hey, I feel pretty good that they fit my butt now!

I also did measurements and lost 1/2 inch off my waist. My BMI was down .2 and my % body fat was UP 1% point!? Crap! Maybe it was affected by the fact that I'd already started working out..? I guess that can affect it sometimes.

Well, until next time...

Thursday

Today was WONDERFUL! The Office was awesome! More awkward moments than ever! Ha! I just want to run out the room and hide, but as I always say, Michael Scott is like watching a train wreck, you can't look away! Oh! Wait a second, I'm suppose to be reporting in on my HEALTH goals!? Oops!

Today was a good day. I can't say that any of this is easy for me! Every day I want MORE FOOD! And I have an entire package of Smarties sitting in my cupboard right now; if you know me, you know that I have a particular weakness for straight sugar candy... pixie sticks, fun dip, bottle caps, chewy sweat tarts, smarties! I got them as little reward treats for Emma with reading and writing. Overall though, I guess it is getting easier to not STARE at the bag (I should not let TEMPTATION into my house!)

Here's THE REPORT:
Exercise:
Woke up at 5:30 for an Urban Iron weights class.
Ran 1 mile

Eating:
Ended with roughly 1400 calories
Drank lots of water (I'm going to start counting to make sure I get 8 cups, at least)
Took my vitamins
didn't eat after 8:00
I did have sugar in the marinara sauce I used for our spaghetti dinner tonight. I have a recipe for a great sugar free sauce from Suzanne Sommers (in her wonderful "Sommersizing diet"). I should have taken the time to make it, but ended up pressed for time after school, park, homework, etc, etc. It was 7 grams.

(Sara, I would LOVE that website that helps me figure calories on home cooked meals)

Wednesdays Report

Today was a pretty good day. I DID struggle with wanting to SNACK ALL DAY. But I had a good workout doing cardio kickboxing, an abs class, and running a mile. I think I ended up with around 1500 calories. I don't list all the foods I eat because I just track it mentally throughout the day. I think I want to get into swimming again. My girlfriend and I did it quite a bit in college and it is a great workout. I think I will start next week while the kids are in their swimming lessons (rather than sit idly on the side). Overall, a pretty good day. I am nervous about weigh-in this week and hope that I just at least maintained the weight loss from last week.

I'm struggling with my "report"

Okay, I am kind of struggling to sit down at the end of the day and report how I did. If I didn't get emails and support from "my girls" I think I would just slack. So, thank you Sara, Natalie and Carrie for keeping me accountable to you!

Yesterday was a good day. I ended up with around 1450 calories and had a great work out: a step class, an abs class and I ran two miles (one on the treadmill and one off)

Today has been a little harder. I slept through my alarm at 5:30 this morning and didn't wake up until 7:30. Oops, too late for a work out at that point. I felt like I was dragging all day because I didn't work out. My Calories were okay. It is hard to know how many calories are in my dinners. Tonight we had Pecan crusted Trout and veges and I'm not sure how many calories were in that. So I am just guessing that I ended around 1500 calories.

Oh, I forgot to report that yesterday I measured my BMI and % of body fat and both have dropped so that's good! In fact, I've lost 2% of body fat (so I am officially under my goal of getting it below 19%... I think I will try to lose more). And my BMI went down my .5.

Well, I want to give a shout out for "my girls" who are all doing so great! Keep up the good work girls and THANK YOU for motivating me!

Until tomorrow...

Weekends are HARD!

Well, I need to come up with a solution for weekends! This weekend, Kolby and I ran off of necessity eating (which never includes anything healthy and often includes eating out). We worked from sun up to sun down (literally) on Saturday on home improvement/yard/garage projects. All of that while tending Jaxson's little friend whose parents are out of town for the weekend.

Through my exhaustion last night, I justified that I DESERVED chocolate. And not the sugar free kind! I splurged and ate two oreos, one dark chocolate coconut almond ball and a handfull of dark chocolate covered blueberries! Aaahhhh! My mistake last night made it easy for me to repeat it today. More Oreos and a handfull of potato chips.

SO, needless to say, I am STARTING OVER TOMORROW! I am kind of mad, because our goal was to go 2 weeks with NO sugar, and I was one day away from that goal! So, now, I am starting all over with that goal to prove to myself that I can do it! Also starting tomorrow is calorie counting (which I have neglected for the last two days).

And so... HERE'S TO TOMORROW!

SUCCESS

Well, I will report on today and yesterday...

YESTERDAY:
Calorie Total: 1450
Exercise: Urban Iron Weights class
Ran one mile

TODAY:
I had my weekly weigh in with Natalie and I LOST 3 POUNDS!!! I don't think I have ever lost 3 pounds in one week... EVER! It goes to show that counting calories works! Is it hard? Yes! Do I feel hungry? Yes! But it helps me be more conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth, AND to make whatever I eat COUNT both substance-wise (staying full) and nutrition-wise. My other success is that I have lost another inch off my waist (total of two inches since the beginning of summer).
Total weight loss for me so far: 8 pounds
(also since the beginning of summer)

Kolby also realized great success today. We measured him and found that since the beginning of summer, he has lost:
4 inches off his chest
5.5 inches off his waist
4 inches off his hips
Total weight loss for Kolby: 18 pounds!
(next week, he may officially be below 200!)

* Can I just add a side-note saying that it stinks how easy guys can lose weight? Kolby allows himself one treat every day (and sometimes more). He is enjoying some of my favorite treats on a daily basis, including: trader joes - chocolate raisins, blueberries, grahams, almonds and coconut!

Okay, off my rant (I really am proud of you honey). For exercise today, I did an hour "triple-fit" class and en went back to turbo kickboxing (SO FUN!  Carrie, I see why you like Turbo Jam so much!) 

I am SURE I went over my calories today.  I was at 1000 calories by 9:00 p.m., but hadn't eaten dinner yet and was STARVING!  My evening was kind of thrown off by the evening kickboxing class I went to.  So, we did PF Chang's take-out and I am sure I ate 1000 calories.  I am so full right now (a feeling I haven't felt in a long while).  But, I am justifying somewhat the fact that I worked out for two hours (is that justifiable?)  Anyway, hopefully I'll control the diet better tomorrow!

CrApPy DaY

Okay, my day started off bad when I went to bible study and indulged in a spinach cheese dip my girlfriend made. I think we almost licked the dish clean when we couldn't get anymore with our tortilla chips. She has been wanting to make this for me for MONTHS! So, I had to compliment her cooking by inhaling it, right? Okay, I am trying to justify. I kept thinking the whole time, "there is no way I can track how many calories are in this!" My guess is that I consumed over 500-600 calories (if not MORE!) After that, I had a half a peanut butter and honey sandwich and for dinner, leftover burritos (which are hard to figure the calories on). And with that, I ate four sugar-free cookies (my first sugar free treat in 4 days). I am positive I went WAY over the 1400 calories! All of this is piled on top of the fact that I DID NOT wake up this morning to work out! Whew! I feel the guilt! I've got to work my butt off tomorrow if I want to show any weight loss at Friday's weigh-in! I don't know, I may have blown the chance of any weight loss by my choices today :(

Until tomorrow...

High Fructose Corn Syrup and MSG

I may have mentioned before that Kolby and I are trying to eliminate as much, if not all, high fructose corn syrup and msg out of our diets. Well, I found out that the bread that we eat has high fructose corn syrup in it. In fact MOST breads do, 100% whole wheat or not! I am really bugged, because I thought I had eliminated it completely from our diets. Not like I eat a lot of bread, but still. So, I went out and bought Brownberry bread today (one of the few that does not have it).

It is a good reminder to me that I need to continually check the labels! This can be hard to do seeing as how msg can hide under 25 different names including "spices" and "natural flavoring." I will post a list of all the names msg can hide under soon.

On that note, I have copied a great article about msg over to yet ANOTHER blog. This one will be a place that I post interesting facts, articles, or just MY opinions about certain things. Check out this article which relates how a scientist used msg to create a new strain of mice/rats... an OBESE strain (since no strain of mice or rats is naturally obese). His research is going toward a book he is writing called, "The Slow Poisoning of America."
http://alissoapbox.blogspot.com/2008/09/truth-about-msg.html

Shout out for my husband

You know, I just have to give a shout out for my husband, who has been working on his own fitness and health program. In the last couple months, he has lost over 15 pounds! Probably more than that now, actually. He is going to weigh in this Friday, so I'll report his progress as well.

As for me, today was a good day:
EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes on the Cybex machine (like an elliptical)
- ran 1 mile on the track
- 15 minutes weights
- 20 minute "absolutely abs" class

** to report in from last night. I said I was going to try to do something after the kids went to bed. It didn't do weights, but I did a 17 minute P90X Ab Ripper... that made my ribs feel bruised today!

DIETING:
- I feel really good about having the sugar craving officially out of my system.
Here are my calories for the day
- protein shake - 350
- toast - 100
- protein bar - 250
- chicken burritos with avacado, rice beans, and a mojo sauce - ???! (I'm going to guess that is was 600 calories!)
a cup of milk - 110
TOTAL: 1410

Daily Report

CALORIE COUNT FOR THE DAY:
Protein Shake (bananas, berries, milk, protein powder) - 380
apples and peanut butter - 300
pretzels - 100
wheat chex - 200
blue tortilla chips - 100
parmesan crusted flounder - 300
asparagus - 80
TOTAL: 1460

Okay I went a little over on the calories again. It is so hard to stay full! Do I need to just adjust to the permanent feeling of hunger? My friend Carrie says my body will adjust. It has been years since I've tracked calories like this. One time years ago, I dieted at 1000 calories a day! I don't know HOW I did that! I will feel better if I lose more than a pound this week (after tracking calories).

EXERCISE:
I ran for 2 miles this morning, sprinting the last quarter mile again. I'm feeling pretty good about the race in two weeks. I need to get out on the road though! It is much different than running on the treadmill. I am going to try to do some weights and abs after the kids go to bed. I will report tomorrow.

PS - My good friend Carrie has decided to join Natalie and Sara and I in our no sugar challenge! Yeah! Welcome aboard girl! The bigger the support group, the better! She has also started a fitness blog I've posted to the left (furna girl).

Calories

Okay, after tracking my calories today, I realize I need to do it every day. Today I ended with 1540 calories. I was so hungry when I woke up that I consumed 820 calories for breakfast alone! And egg burrito with 2 eggs, cheese and a tortilla, a banana and 2 cups of milk! Woa! Slow down Charlie! I will be more wise tomorrow. My daily calorie goal is 1200-1400/day. I may stay a little on the higher end because I feel quite drained and hungry on days when I get a good work out.

Today, no workout. Tomorrow will be tricky because I am babysitting my friends kids all morning... so wish me luck on getting a good work out in!

No BIG Cravings; New Rule

Today went pretty well.  Why is it that I find myself surrounded by temptation EVERY day this week?  I went to a stake women's conference that had tables FULL of yummy-looking desserts!  But I resisted!  I find myself feeling hungry quite a bit, but I'm choosing NOT to satisfy it with empty calorie sugar-free snacks (that I keep on hand when I have a BAD sugar craving).  I need to think wisely about what I consume so it can stick with me and satiate my hunger.  Anyway, so other than the hunger feeling, I feel better.  I think the craving is pretty much out of my system (it didn't take as long as it has in the past).  My girlfriends Sara and Natalie have a rule that they don't eat after 8:00.  I have implemented the same rule and have done it the past two days.  Right now, it is harder than eating no sugar!  I am BAD at snacking in the evening just because that is when I sit down to relax.  Overall, a good day. 

No exercise today (weekends are hard for me!)

Time to Re-Evaluate

I had my weigh-in today with Natalie and it was good... I lost a pound. I am so proud of her for loosing 2.5 pounds (good job Natalie)... In fact her success is totally motivating me!

Exercise:
- 30 minutes on the treadmill, running 1.5 miles of it (I sprinted the last quarter mile).
- I easily accomplished my jump roping goal (of 100 reps) on the first try :) ha ha! I didn't realize how much easier it would be starting from a non-cardio heartbeat (not the case when I tried it in class!). I have obviously never jump roped before, but I like it. And, after 100 jumps, my heart rate was definitely up there. So, I am increasing my goal now to 120 jumps (with no mess-ups!).
- weights and abs for 30 minutes.

Other Fitness Reports for the Day:
- I checked my body fat percentage and made an adjustment to my goals on the side bar with that as well. I'd like to get below 19% body fat.
- I also realized today that I need to be measuring inches as much as I'm measuring pounds, so added that to the goals on the side as well.

Diet:
- So far so good. I had my protein shake later in the morning, which means lunch might have to be combined with dinner (maybe that will help me cut back on some calories... I should really be tracking my calories. Maybe I'll start that soon).

Thursday's Report

I'm going to make this one a quick one...
Exercise:
- Urban Iron (an hour-long weights class)
- Ran a mile on the treadmill

Eating:
- I did okay. I had to cheat with a little sip of vitamin water because I was SO parched! My water filter in the fridge was empty and I didn't want to drink tap water. I also turned down a fondu chocolate fountain and cake at a baby shower; but it was okay because both Natalie and Sara were there, so we supported each other!

Good Day

Today was a lot better on no sugar. I didn't feel as drained. I've had some people ask how strict I go with the "no sugar" rule. I personally go pretty strict because the only way to get the craving out of my system is to eliminate it all together. That means I don't eat anything with more than 3 grams of sugar. This includes cane sugar (organic or not), sucralose, fructose, honey, you name it. I even avoid eating carrots as much, which have more sugar in them any other vegetable. I DO eat fruit and have to say it all tastes SO much sweeter after going without the sugar!

The things I miss the most: vitamin water, protein bar, and dark chocolate covered blueberries (I pop them like little miracle energy pills!... so good!)

Today was just okay with exercise. I don't know why I thought my WORLD would change having my kids in school. By the time I drop one off and then the other, I swear it's time to pick them both up again. So, I did not work out as LONG as I would have liked, but that was my fault for sleeping past my alarm. My Bible Study group went about an hour over so that kind of took away from more work-out time I wanted. SO (I'm going to stop listing my excuses each post, I promise!)... I ran a mile on the treadmill and walked for another mile. I hope to get up to running two miles by the end of next week.

Oh! And I found a 5K that Kolby and I are going to try to run together. For any of you Clevelanders who are interested... it is in Chagrin Falls on Saturday, Sept. 27. Here is the link for more information:

Karen Scheer Memorial Run
Saturday, September 27, 2008—8:30 am
Distance: 4 Mile/ 1.5 Mile
Location: Chagrin Falls, OH
Contact: HMA Promotions 216-752-5151

www.hmapromotions.net

Withdrawal Headaches, Good Work Out

Today was a good day. I got up at 5:30 to make it to the 6:00 class at the gym. I really worked hard and won't be surprised if I'm a bit sore tomorrow. I also walked Jaxson to and from school which is a good little bit of exercise.

Eating went well, except that rather than find something to appease my appetite, I chose to neglect it, which did not help the sugar withdrawal headache that hit me around 3:00p.m. I stocked up on fresh veges today - a quick snack throughout the day when I have sugar cravings. And, I decided that diet coke is allowed during this time of sugar famine.

TIP: nuts and cheese are great little appetite suppressors (for me anyway... it may or may not be FACT)

NO SUGAR!... (for two weeks)

My friend Natalie asked if I wanted to do a "NO SUGAR" challenge with her and another girl from our ward, Sarah. I am all for a challenge! I have done the no sugar thing before and it was really hard, but I think it will be easier this time because, Kolby and I have already tried to eliminate all "high fructose corn syrup" out of our diets. Since it is in most ALL snack foods and many drinks, we have really adjusted our family's diets (and grown to LOVE Trader Joes!) So, here is how I did today...

I did pretty good for this first day except that I mistook a jar of "low sugar" jam for what I thought was "sugar free." It was only 5 grams, but still. Also, I realized that a certain protein bar that I love has 15 grams of sugar :( bummer. Anyway, it takes me a day or so to realize which foods I need to eliminate (like BBQ sauce!), but it will all come back to me quick, I'm sure.

No work out today - I had an eye doctor appointment in the morning that kind of threw me off! I've got to hit it hard tomorrow!

The Consequences of Eating Out!

Last night we went to Benihanas for our friend Garrett's 30th birthday. (click here for the story) It was REALLY good. But I wondered how I would feel afterward as I watched the chef load the garlic and herb butter into the food. It didn't help that I am a complete sucker for the pink sauce (I pretty much poured it onto my rice). Kolby and I shared a sushi appetizer with our friend Ben. It was my first time ordering sushi in 3 years and I was surprised at how much I REALLY liked it. Before, I think I would order a California role and PRETEND to like it. But after eating a lot more fish over the last few years and developing a LOVE for tuna, I really enjoyed it this time. After getting home and feeling overstuffed and yucky, I wished that would have just stuck with the sushi (I feel so good after eating it). Today, my body is angry with me for eating so poorly and I have had an upset stomach most of the day. On top of that, I have not worked out! Since I don't work out on Sunday's, I am going to have to hit it hard on Monday!

until then...

My First Official Weigh-In

My girlfriend Natalie and I are going to weigh in once a week with each other to track our success. I am not going to post what I weigh in at, I will just say that I did it. I also went to a Triple Fit class today. I didn't do so well with eating and need to start some crack down on the diet. I intend to spend some time over the weekend to write out my goals and get them up on the blog.

New Class at the Gym

I have been excited to get into a routine with the kids starting school so that I can get my work-out schedule set and so I could hit more classes at the gym. Today I went to Urban Iron, a weights class. I like the class, but often feel like I need to do extra to get some cardio in. So, I stayed for the next class which is new and SO fun! It is called Jump O' Lean. In fact this was the first time they taught it. I guess they are having several news stations/papers come and do a story on it next week. It is with rebound jumpers (little trampolines) and jump ropes. I will be honest, it nearly killed me and I wanted to quit 3 or 4 times. But it was fun and different and motivated me to build up my cardio to be able to jump 100 times on the jump rope without messing up. Today I think I did just over 30, so I have a ways to go, because that alone nearly killed me!

So, a new goal after today... JUMP 100 times with jump rope with messing up!

Here we go...

Well, I have decided to start my own personal blog that I can use as a daily journal. It will mostly be used as a place I can account to for my success/failure in meeting my health goals. So, if you dare... check in as often as you want!