Total Calories-1193
Breakfast-Low fat cottage cheese w/pineapple tidbits
Lunch-Lean Cuisine Spaghetti w/meat sauce and mushrooms meal
Afternoon snacks-94% fat free popcorn, homemade shredded beef wrap
Dinner-Homemade chicken chili over baked potato
Notes:
Today I made a homemade shredded chicken breast chili with tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, unsalted chili beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and pepper, then served it over a quarter of a baked potato with a dollop of sour cream on top. Yum-o!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
30DS: Day 3
Done!
Just finished Day 3. Did Level 1 again today and it almost seemed like it was a littler harder than it was Day 1, but I think that's because I was trying to sink a little deeper into the moves, and I know my butt kicks looked better today than they did the first day. Pretty proud of that! My arms are on fire again though and I need work on my bicycle crunches...but hey, that's what the next 27 days are for right?!
3 days down, 27 days to go! Come on Day 4!
Just finished Day 3. Did Level 1 again today and it almost seemed like it was a littler harder than it was Day 1, but I think that's because I was trying to sink a little deeper into the moves, and I know my butt kicks looked better today than they did the first day. Pretty proud of that! My arms are on fire again though and I need work on my bicycle crunches...but hey, that's what the next 27 days are for right?!
3 days down, 27 days to go! Come on Day 4!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
30DS: Day 2
Done!
Just finished Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred! You're supposed to do Level 1 for 10 days then move to Level 2, but Josh is off today so we did Level 2 kind of as a comprimise. It worked the same as Level 1, but with a little more intensity and the moves were a little more complex which made it more difficult for me, but I powered through it! I did a lot of the "modified" moves which were a little more modified in Level 2 than in Level 1, so that was helpful, but jumping jacks were a piece of cake today! I hate jumping jacks and they're usually one of the hardest things for me to do, but I conquered 'em today. Now the double jump rope or whatever it was called...that was another story. Single jump rope for me, but got the same cardio effect, so I was pleased with that.
Then we followed it up with the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga on Level 1, which was surprisingly harder after just finishing 20+ minutes of The Shred, but I liked it because it was relaxing, but still a workout.
So that was my (our) workout for today. I'll be back to Level 1 tomorrow because I'd really like to perfect those moves before moving on. 2 days down, 28 days to go! Onto Day 3!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast-Life cereal w/ fat free milk
Morning snack-Quaker Caramel Rice Cakes (2)
Lunch- Smart Ones Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce meal
Afternoon snack-Nature Valley crunchy granola bar
Dinner-Steak taco w/white rice
Notes:
I just realized that I was too starving and forgot to take a pic of my dinner, so no real pics today LOL But for dinner I cubed up some sirloin steak and marinated it in Kroger Chipotle Lime 30 Minute Marinade. Then quick tossed it in a pan to heat and served it in a small tortilla with white rice (for a little extra "filling" since steak is higher in calories).
30DS: Day 1
Done!
Just did my very first workout of the 30 Day Shred and I did GREAT! I loved it! Definitely wasn't easy, but I didn't pass out or keel over dead, and I didn't even have to stop! I'm so proud of myself!
Ok so let's start with the basics of the DVD. Obviously hosted by Jillian Michaels and she has two lean, ripped chicks with her. One going all out and the other doing "modified" versions. I put modified in quotes because they're not really all that modified. LOL Anyway, there is a short warm up, then there are three levels (1, 2, and 3) and each level goes through three circuits each. A circuit consists of three minutes of strength training, two minutes of cardio, and one minute of abs. Oh and NO rest. LOL So you do the first circuit then move straight to the second, then to the third, then there's a short cool down.
All in all I think the DVD is great and so is Jillian at least in level one. She was firm, but motivational and NOT a bitch by any means. She wasn't a major hard ass, but she wasn't cutting any slack either. At one point she has you go into jumping jacks then says, "If you're looking for a modified version of a jumping jack don't look at my girl so-and-so (the modified one...) because there is no modified version of jumping jack. I've got 400lb people doing jumping jacks. YOU can do a jumping jack." I actually thought it was pretty funny, but it did motivate me to push through ALL the jumping jacks. Every single jumping jack in the workout. Done. In my Biggest Loser DVDs I had been doing modified jumping jacks at least half the time, but today I pushed through and I was actually surprised at how well I did. Of course my legs were killing me and I had to close my eyes and picture myself lying on a beach for the last 5 seconds, but hey, I did it!
Anyway, back to Jillian, I actually really enjoyed her. She clearly knows what she's doing and seems very trustworthy as a trainer. Plus, she really explained all the moves and how to do them properly which has been one of the biggest challenges for me: getting the moves right. I never know if I'm doing it right, but she really went into how each move should be done and it helped a ton. Not to mention the "moves" themselves weren't terribly sophisticated anyway. She used a lot of basic moves that were "simple, yet effective", as she kept saying, and it was true because I could totally feel the burn LOL Especially in my arms. Holy smokes! This DVD has WAY more arms than my Biggest Loser ones. I was only using 3lb weights and my arms are burning right now as I type this blog. Seriously.
As for me, I think I did great! I did struggle a bit with bicycle crunches at the end and did end up yelling out "Holy shit!" when I had about six left LOL, but otherwise I did awesome. The way the circuits work out was actually great because just about the time you're ready to give up on the move you're doing and you feel like that particular body part is about to fall off... BAM. Time to move to the next step in the circuit, so it actually kept me going and kept me motivated because I could tell myself, "Only a few more seconds".
Anyway, I'm super proud of myself, I feel great, and I can't wait to do it again tomorrow! She says by day 4 or 5 I'll be amazed at how much my endurance has improved. Looking forward to it!
Just did my very first workout of the 30 Day Shred and I did GREAT! I loved it! Definitely wasn't easy, but I didn't pass out or keel over dead, and I didn't even have to stop! I'm so proud of myself!
Ok so let's start with the basics of the DVD. Obviously hosted by Jillian Michaels and she has two lean, ripped chicks with her. One going all out and the other doing "modified" versions. I put modified in quotes because they're not really all that modified. LOL Anyway, there is a short warm up, then there are three levels (1, 2, and 3) and each level goes through three circuits each. A circuit consists of three minutes of strength training, two minutes of cardio, and one minute of abs. Oh and NO rest. LOL So you do the first circuit then move straight to the second, then to the third, then there's a short cool down.
All in all I think the DVD is great and so is Jillian at least in level one. She was firm, but motivational and NOT a bitch by any means. She wasn't a major hard ass, but she wasn't cutting any slack either. At one point she has you go into jumping jacks then says, "If you're looking for a modified version of a jumping jack don't look at my girl so-and-so (the modified one...) because there is no modified version of jumping jack. I've got 400lb people doing jumping jacks. YOU can do a jumping jack." I actually thought it was pretty funny, but it did motivate me to push through ALL the jumping jacks. Every single jumping jack in the workout. Done. In my Biggest Loser DVDs I had been doing modified jumping jacks at least half the time, but today I pushed through and I was actually surprised at how well I did. Of course my legs were killing me and I had to close my eyes and picture myself lying on a beach for the last 5 seconds, but hey, I did it!
Anyway, back to Jillian, I actually really enjoyed her. She clearly knows what she's doing and seems very trustworthy as a trainer. Plus, she really explained all the moves and how to do them properly which has been one of the biggest challenges for me: getting the moves right. I never know if I'm doing it right, but she really went into how each move should be done and it helped a ton. Not to mention the "moves" themselves weren't terribly sophisticated anyway. She used a lot of basic moves that were "simple, yet effective", as she kept saying, and it was true because I could totally feel the burn LOL Especially in my arms. Holy smokes! This DVD has WAY more arms than my Biggest Loser ones. I was only using 3lb weights and my arms are burning right now as I type this blog. Seriously.
As for me, I think I did great! I did struggle a bit with bicycle crunches at the end and did end up yelling out "Holy shit!" when I had about six left LOL, but otherwise I did awesome. The way the circuits work out was actually great because just about the time you're ready to give up on the move you're doing and you feel like that particular body part is about to fall off... BAM. Time to move to the next step in the circuit, so it actually kept me going and kept me motivated because I could tell myself, "Only a few more seconds".
Anyway, I'm super proud of myself, I feel great, and I can't wait to do it again tomorrow! She says by day 4 or 5 I'll be amazed at how much my endurance has improved. Looking forward to it!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast-Life cereal w/ fat free milk
Morning snack- Pringles Reduced Fat Sour Cream and Onion chips
Lunch-Leftover spicy chicken taco
Dinner-Homemade chicken and shrimp fried rice
Notes:
Tonight I made a varied version of "fried rice" using brown rice, chicken breast, shrimp, peas,carrots, bean sprouts, green onion, egg substitute, lite soy sauce, and half a packet of fried rice seasoning mix. Came out GREAT!
30 Day Shred
I've never been a fan of exercising or any sort of physical activity at all for that matter (which is probably a large contributing factor to where I'm at now...) Anyway, I really don't like exercise and although I have several exercise DVDs that I love, I still lack the motivation to workout on a daily basis and have never stuck to a routine, so...
I've heard a ton of great things about the 30 Day Shred and thought, "What better way to hold myself accountable than to HAVE to do something for 30 days straight", so I ordered it. Now I'm sure many of you know who Jillian Michaels is, but in case you don't she's most commonly known as one of the trainers on NBC's TV show "The Biggest Loser" and...she's a complete bitch. She's crazy tough, mean, and sometimes just plain rude. I don't know if her and I are going to get along too well, but hey maybe getting pissed of at her will help me power through a workout... Who knows? LOL Plus, it has three levels and each level is only about 20 minutes long. Who can't take 20 minutes out of their day to workout?
Now I know it's going to be SUPER hard and I'm not expecting that I'll be able to do every move perfectly the first day, but you have to start somewhere right? I'm going to give it my all, do the best I can, and just keep at it no matter what!
I've got my starting weight recorded, all my starting measurements recorded, and have taken "before" pics, so I'll keep updating in my blog throughout the 30 days, then when the 30 days is up, I'll post all my stats and "before and after" pics (something to look forward too!) I've also made a "30 Day Shred" countdown ticker to countdown the days for me to keep track and for you all to see where I'm at as well.
Now you may be thinking, "But that's only 30 days. You're going to have to work out for more than 30 days to meet your goal and change your life..." and yes, that's totally true. My plan is to use the 30 day shred to A) jump start my exercise regimen, B) get my mind and my body used to working out on a regular basis, and C) as a "go to" tool for whenever I need to change up my exercise routine and "shock" my muscle groups. My plan is to start with the 30 Day Shred, then continue to workout 4-5 days a week using any combination of my other Biggest Loser DVDs: Cardio Max, Bootcamp, and Weight Loss Yoga, all hosted by The Biggest Loser's OTHER trainer, Bob Harper, whom I love!
Anyway, this is it! This is my new month long mini series and it starts...TOMORROW! So stay tuned for details on my first day and updates all along the way!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Today I had...
Total Calories- 908
Breakfast-Egg white omelet w/ham, tomato, and onions
Morning snack-Raspberries
Lunch-Smart Ones Chicken with Broccoli Cheese meal
Afternoon snacks- Pringles Reduced Fat Sour Cream and Onion chips, Quaker rice cake, strawberries
Dinner-Spicy chicken taco and fat free refried beans
Notes: Today I finally mastered an egg white omelet. Learned that you have to whip the whites REALLY well and make sure they are firm befor trying to flip. I've been CRAVING chicken wings, so for dinner I made homemade spicy chicken tacos using boneless skinless chicken breast and spicy garlic wing sauce. Put the meat into a small flour tortilla, added a tiny bit of cheese and sour cream, and had some fat free refried beans on the side. De-licious.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast- Scrambled egg whites w/ham, tomatoes, and onions
Lunch- Steak soft tacos from Qdoba w/ tomatoes, salsa, and lettuce only
Afternoon snack- Pringles reduced fat Sour Cream and Onion chips
Dinner- Lean Cuisine Four Cheese Cannlloni meal
Notes: Today the kids and I had lunch with grandma at Qdoba. I hate salad with a passion, so I ordered steak tacos. The tortillas are a little higher in calories than I'd like, but slightly better than a whole burrito with rice and beans, so I had just the steak on soft flour tortillas with tomatoes, salsa, and lettuce. No rice, no beans, no sour cream, no cheese, and no guacamole. I ate all three and it was still around 500 calories. Not bad for a meal out :)
Quick Update
Just wanted to update and say that I'm still here and still on track. I haven't "fallen off the wagon" and I'm not on some crazy eating spree LOL I've just been busy and had trouble finding time to do "Today I had..." every night. I still plan to do "Today I had..." as often as possible, but I may not get to it every night, so if I skip a day or two it doesn't mean I'm off stuffing my face and eating stuff I don't want to post about, just means I didn't have time. :)
Anyway, like I said, I'm still on track and everything's going great. I have my next weigh in coming up in a week on Sept 2nd, so I'll be updating with that. Hopefully the numbers are good. *fingers crossed*
I'll try to update more often, but I do have a new mini-series coming to this blog VERY soon, so be on the look out for that. I'll explain soon enough... :)
Anyway, like I said, I'm still on track and everything's going great. I have my next weigh in coming up in a week on Sept 2nd, so I'll be updating with that. Hopefully the numbers are good. *fingers crossed*
I'll try to update more often, but I do have a new mini-series coming to this blog VERY soon, so be on the look out for that. I'll explain soon enough... :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast-Skipped breakfast again...
Lunch-Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada meal
Snack-Boiled shrimp
Dinner-Homemade sloppy joes with ground chicken
Notes:
Crazy day today. Barely had time to eat. Barely have time to do this blog LOL but I skipped yesterday so I'm doing this real quick. (Pics to come tomorrow)
Came in WAY under my calorie goal again...by accident of course, but again...oh well. It was a crazy day and that happens. Better day tomorrow!
Anyway, definitely want to get into the sloppy joes super quick. Made them from scratch using FRESH ground turkey courtesy of the meat guy at the local grocery store. Started with a slew of finely minced veggies (again, used our new food chopper). Had bell pepper, purple onion, carrots, yellow squash, mushrooms, and a bit of fresh jalapeno. Minced it all up fine and let it cook down all day in tomato sauce with my own seasoning. Had Josh (my hubby) add in the meat for the last hour and half, the we had 'em on Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Hamburger Buns. Only 110 calories per bun. Yummy!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Today I had...
Total calories: 787
Breakfast-Life cereal w/fat free milk
Lunch-Lean Cuisine Four Cheese Cannelloni meal
Afternoon snack-Homemade salsa and baked Tostitos Scoops
Dinner-Chicken breast, white rice, grilled yellow squash
Notes:
Came in kind of low on calories today...Didn't mean to, but now it's 8:30pm and I'm not eating anymore, so too bad, so sad. I'll do better tomorrow. LOL
Today mom and I made some homemade salsa in our new food chopper. It was great. Roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, fresh jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro, and a tiny bit of salt, and we ate it with Baked Scoops. Delicious, but way too spicy for me! LOL
And for dinner we grilled chicken, but we also grilled big, thick slices of yellow squash with a little bit of salt and a lot of pepper (I like pepper! Yum!). Also delicious! I did have a little white rice as a side (seasoned with Molly McButter and "No Salt" sodium-free seasoning), but I only had a tiny serving now that I know how many calories are actually in rice...Probably could've had a bigger serving seeing as how low I came in calorie wise, but I wasn't sure where I was at, so better safe than sorry.
 |
| Grilled yellow squash |
I feel like I did really well today! I ate a lot of fresh and yummy veggies and feel really fulfilled!
Yesterday I had...
I didn't get around to doing my "Today I had..." yesterday, so now it's "Yesterday I had..." LOL
Total calories: 1065
Breakfast- Skipped breakfast again...
Lunch- Southwestern Steak Salad (see notes)
Afternoon snack-Dry Life cereal
Dinner- 6" Steak Sub (Subway)
Notes:
So I missed breakfast by mistake again...*slaps wrist* But I did great the rest of the day, especially lunch! For lunch my mom and I made a steak salad. We used romaine lettuce as the base, sauted some eye of round steak in a skillet (with non stick cooking spray of course) and seasoned with Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle seasoning, and I made mine with black beans, reduced fat cheddar cheese, light sour cream, and salsa. It was delicious!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast- Got busy and accidentally skipped breakfast...
Morning snack- Imitation crab meat (around 11am)
Lunch- Extra lean pork loin (leftover) wrap
Afternoon snack- Popcorn
Dinner- Small serving of spaghetti w/meat sauce
Notes:
I really hate skipping breakfast, but I got busy cleaning and giving the kids a morning bath and before I knew it it was 10:45am, so I snacked on a few pieces of crab meat. It's strange to eat crab meat because it's one of the foods I LOVED "before" (as in...before dieting) so it's weird to be able to eat a "before" food while "dieting" (I don't really like to think of it as that, but I'm still adjusting...). Anyway, aside from being processed the crab meat isn't all that bad for you, in an appropriate serving of course. One-half cup has 80 calories, no fat, and 14g carbs. The only "bad" part is it's a little high in sodium (450mg in 1/2 c), so again, must watch my portions on this. It's not something I'll indulge in all the time, but it's actually a fairly healthy snack for every now and then.
For lunch I wrapped some of the pork loin (about 4oz) in a tortilla with a little A1 steak sauce. It was tasty, but I got full quickly and only ate half of it. I wasn't feeling very well this morning for some reason and had little appetite which was probably because I skipped breakfast... *slaps wrist*
I had a bit of popcorn with the kids this afternoon which is another "before" that's nice to be able to still eat. Smells great and really nips a "snack food" craving right in the bud.
And for dinner I had a small serving of spaghetti. I really need to look into some of the healthier pastas. I used regular spaghetti noodles which are really high calories. 210 calories in 2 oz uncooked noodles. Yikes...So I'll be looking into finding a new pasta soon. I also made a meat sauce with lean ground beef and some sausage that I made sure to drain well and hopefully got rid of some the fat. I knew this particular spaghetti wasn't the healthiest I could make it, so I had a small serving and managed to stay under my calorie goal for the day! Yippee!
Weigh-In
Last time I weighed in at 211 lbs on August 5th...
Today I weigh...
210 lbs! I've lost 1 lb!
I know this may not seem like a lot, but I finally made it passed my 211 lb plateau! I was at 211 lbs two weeks in a row and didn't weigh myself the third week because I did awful with my diet and maybe even gained some weight back, so I avoided the scale last week, but today I weigh 210 lbs! Only 11 lbs away from being in the 100s again! I'm so excited!
Next weigh in....September 2nd.
Today I weigh...
210 lbs! I've lost 1 lb!
I know this may not seem like a lot, but I finally made it passed my 211 lb plateau! I was at 211 lbs two weeks in a row and didn't weigh myself the third week because I did awful with my diet and maybe even gained some weight back, so I avoided the scale last week, but today I weigh 210 lbs! Only 11 lbs away from being in the 100s again! I'm so excited!
Next weigh in....September 2nd.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Today I had...
Total Calories: 1004
Breakfast: Ham and egg whites w/ tomato and onion
Lunch: Lean hamburger on Sandwich Thins bun
Snack: Imitation crab meat
Dinner: Extra lean pork loin, skinny mashed potatoes*, SteamFresh veggies w/Molly McButter
*skinny mashed potatoes made with potato flakes, fat free chicken broth, and reduced fat milk. No butter.
Egg Yolk vs Egg White: An Eggs-cellent Dilemma
Anyway, the big red numbers weren't just 5 or 10 over my goal...it said I was 300 OVER! So I look across to see what I'm over on and....it's cholesterol. Now, I don't have a cholesterol problem, but I still want to be consuming too much of any one particular thing. Then I had to go on the hunt to figure out what caused this overage which is when I remember the eggs...
One whole egg contains nearly two-thirds of the daily recommended intake of 300mg of cholesterol (source), so if you eat just ONE egg, you've consumed almost your entire daily limit of cholesterol in just one sitting!
In general I thought eggs were pretty good for you, which they kind of are, but herein lies the dilemma. Let's break it down, shall we?
Egg White Egg Yolk
Calories 17 59
Fat (g) 0.6 4.51
Saturated fat (g) 0.0 1.6
Carbohydrates (g) 0 .24 0.61
Protein (g) 3.6 2.7
Sodium (mg) 55 8
Calcium (mg) 2.3 21.9
Vitamin D (IU) 0.0 18
Folate (mcg) 1.3 24.8
Source
So, while the egg white has less calories, less fat, and no saturated fat, the egg yolk provides all the calcium, vitamin D, and folate, while containing less sodium and also providing Omega-3 fatty acids. So how do you decide what to eat?
The same way you decide what to eat the rest of the time: anything can be fine in moderation. So for now, egg whites the majority of the time and egg yolks/whole eggs...in moderation.
 |
| This morning's ham and egg whites with tomatos and onions |
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Today I had...
Total calories-1168
Breakfast-Life cereal w/fat free milk
Morning snack-Skinny Cow chocolate crisp
Lunch-Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Beef
Afternoon snack-Pretzels
Dinner-Lean hamburger on Sandwich Thins bun w/baked sweet potato fries
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast-Breakfast burrito*
Lunch-Lean Cuisine Four Cheese Rigatoni
Snack-Popcorn
Dinner-Chicken Caesar Salad with Kraft light/reduced fat Caesar dressing
*burrito made with egg, canned potatoes seasoned with Mrs. Dash, reduced fat ham, reduced fat cheese, and topped with salsa and reduced fat sour cream. Cooked in fat free cooking spray with no added salt.
Monday, August 15, 2011
My Fitness Pal
Today I joined My Fitness Pal. I had heard great things about it and even had a link off to the right of my blog, but I'd never been to the site. Well today I went there and signed up and I LOVE IT. It's not only a personal weight loss aide, but also a weight loss community with message boards. You can build your profile, add a picture, enter your weight goals, and record all your inspirations for wanting to get healthy.
It also has a really neat calorie intake calculator that accounts for how much weight you'd like to lose, how quickly, and how much you are (or aren't) exercising, then gives you a daily calorie goal based off of all that info which is awesome. You can track and record your food and exercise, weigh in, and update your "status" like on Facebook, which will be shared with your "friends" whom you can meet and talk to you in the message boards.
It records everyday you log in and will update that as a status for you automically like, "Christine has logged on 14 days in a row", stuff like that. Also, you can enter all your food for the day and it will add up your calories, fat, carbs, and protein and show you if you're under or above your goals for the day. When you submit your daily food log it will do a status for you that says, "Christine completed her food log and was UNDER her calorie goal". Neat :)
Also, when you submit your daily food log at the bottom it will say something like, "If everyday was like today...you would weigh 201 lbs in 5 weeks". That's really freakin' sweet if you ask me.
It also helps me to realize just how many calories are in some foods. I thought that rice in general was fairly good for you, but upon entering it into my food log, I realized just how many calories are actually in rice or any "grain" really, so I'll really have to watch that...
Anyway, the site is AWESOME and is a great way to stay motivated. I've only used it today and I got the "Christine was under her calorie goal" on my status, so I'm already looking forward to seeing the same thing tomorrow!
Today I Had...
 |
| Actual photo of my dinner |
Breakfast-Life cereal w/fat free milk
Morning Snack-one nectarine and four Sunsweet prunes
Lunch-LeanCuisine Spaghetti w/mushrooms meal
Afternoon Snack-Snack wrap*
Dinner-Grilled chicken breast, white rice**, Green Giant "Lightly Sauced" broccoli sides
*Snack wrap: flour tortilla, low fat sliced deli ham, pickle slices, mustard
**White rice: prepared with "No Salt" sodium free seasoning, Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb salt free seasoning, and MollyMcButter
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Today I Had...
Calorie Totals: 790
Breakfast- Modified french toast*
Lunch- 6" Subway steak sub, extra veggies
Dinner-Baked cod fish and half baked potato**
*French toast prepared with wheat toast, dipped in egg and reduced fat milk mixture, topped with cinnamon and "fried" with fat free cooking spray
**Baked potato I topped with Molly McButter seasoning, reduced fat cheese, and light/reduced fat sour cream
Friday, August 12, 2011
Today I had...
Breakfast- Life cereal and reduced fat milk
Lunch- SmartOnes by Weight Watchers, Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables meal
Afternoon snack- Baked Lays, half a white nectarine, unsweetened iced tea
Dinner- Grilled lemon pepper chicken breast with roasted red potatoes seasoned with Mrs. Dash
And today Cooper found some frosting in the cupboard and just begged me to make him chocolate cake...So of course I did and I let the kids help frost it and add sprinkles, which they just dumped in the middle of the whole thing LOL Anyway, I did not have any cake! (Ok well I may have licked the knife, but that was it! LOL) I did not have a piece of cake. I'm pretty darn proud of myself today :)
 |
| The kids' cake! Mickey Mouse with sprinkles :) |
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thoughts for the Week
This week I had a few different thoughts...
Thought One: I absolutely have to start exercising. I despise exercising and always have. Anything physical or athletic has never come easy for me. I remember taking "P.E. classes" in middle and high school and always coming in last. My senior year I was lapped running the mile around the track. Lapped. Yes lapped. As in I was running and someone ahead of me passed me and became an entire lap ahead of me. I remember being the very last person on the track, the whole class panting at the "finish line", and the teacher literally checking his watch because our period was almost over. Yes true story. Embarrassing, but true story. I believe it took me 17 minutes to run that mile...
I currently have three exercise DVDs in my possession, all by The Biggest Loser. I have Bootcamp, Weight Loss Yoga, and Cardio Max Weight Loss. All three DVDs have three "stages". The first two weeks you do the beginner stage, then you add the intermediate, then you add the skilled by week 4, so that within 6 weeks you're now doing all three sets. The Bootcamp one I did pretty religiously for awhile, but only was on the first stage. It's a combination of some cardio and weight training and is instructed by Bob whom I love. Now the Cardio Max I've only ever done twice. The first time I almost gave up half way through, but DIDN'T and I pushed through. The second time was a tad bit easier, but still super hard. The Yoga I love. Still has three stages like the other two and I've only ever done the first stage, but it was fairly easy. I could still feel a burn, but I've done yoga before so I actually knew what I was doing which made it fun.
My plan is to do either the Bootcamp or the Cardio Max (preferrably alternating) in the mornings, then do the Yoga in the evenings, since I actually find it very relaxing. The kids actual do pretty well while I'm exercising and will even ask, "Mommy you doing you eckey-sizes?" The first set on the Bootcamp and the Cardio only takes about 30 minutes, so my kids are pretty good about keeping themselves entertained for that period of time. Then of course I'm a sticky sweaty mess and need time to shower and change which is a whole different story...
So again, "Thought One" is workout.
Thought Two: If I'm going to be working out I'd like to begin taking my measurements. I've done this one other time, but only lasted two weeks dieting so I was only able to take my beginning measurements and my two week measurements. I saw a huge difference which made me feel awesome, so I'm not quite sure how I feel off the wagon that particular time... Doesn't matter now though because I'm back on!
At any rate, when you're working out a lot of the time people see more of a difference in their measurements than their weight, which brings me to....
Thought Three: I may begin weighing myself every TWO weeks instead of every week. When you're working out you tend to gain muscle which weighs more than fat. I always thought this was just an excuse people used when they weren't losing weight, but it's actually too, so if I'm going to be working out then I'm not going to see the scale numbers change as quickly, and I don't want to weigh myself too often and get discouraged. I still like the idea of weekly weigh-ins though, so "Thought Three" I'll still need to think about some more.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for this week. Tomorrow I'm supposed to weigh myself and considering my rough weekend I'm not expecting much change, but I am hoping to at least not have gained any weight, so we'll see what tomorrow holds...
Today I had...
Breakfast- Quaker cereal with reduced fat milk
Morning snack- Popcorn
Lunch- 93% Lean hamburger patty with pickles
Afternoon snack- Cottage cheese w/pepper
Dinner- Spaghetti
(The spaghetti noodles are a little higher in calories than I would've liked, but it wasn't fried and it wasn't full of fat, so that's a plus in my book)
I know the day's not exactly "over", but I figure if I do "Today I had..." right now, it'll prevent me from eating anything else tonight. LOL
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
My Theme Song
Around here "Despicable Me" is a favorite. We call the theme song "Bad Bad Day". That's why it's MY theme song this week....
Last two days have been a struggle for me. Every "weekend" so far as been a struggle. Our weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'm sure like many other dieters do, I have a hard time with the weekends. We often have errands to run, go out with the kids, then the kids get hungry and what do we do? Stop to grab a quick lunch. My mistake today was waking up late and not having time for breakfast, so by the time it was time to eat I was STARVING, and whenever I allow myself to get too hungry the cravings come out and I suck at fighting them. I cave in big time. *smacks forehead*
Then once I've "caved" once for the day, I feel like the whole damn day is shot, so why worry about what I eat the rest of the day and guess what? I cheat again come dinner time. Grrrr.
That's why "dieting" sucks. There should be no such thing as "dieting". It's really a lifestyle change. I need to plan better and plan ahead, so days like this DON'T happen. Like wake up early enough to pack a lunch for the kids (something we hardly ever do) so that if THEY get hungry it doesn't mean we all have to stop to grab something. They can just eat there lunch. And I need to make sure I'm starting my day with breakfast and packing healthy snacks for myself if we're going out for the day, that way I don't get famished and want to stuff my face.
These are tough lessons to learn and tough changes to make, but tomorrow is a new day and a new chance for make to take some small steps towards my goal, so here's to a better day tomorrow!
Humor...
"They second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day, you're off it." -Jackie Gleason
Monday, August 8, 2011
Today I Had...
Today I had:
Breakfast- I didn't get around to breakfast until 11:30am, so for...
Lunch- I had low-fat cottage cheese with black pepper
Snack- handful of original Life cereal, dry
Dinner- 6 inch steak sub from Subway, no cheese, no mayo and plenty of veggies
Dessert- 5 raspberries
Tips for Dining Out
We all know that it is completely impractical to avoid dining out or eating at restaurants. Whether it's a birthday party, family dinner, or just a special occasion, eating out is a part of our lives. Eating healthy while you're "out and about" is an extremely difficult task, but one we must all face at some point or another, so here are my top four tips for going out.
1) Plan ahead. The interent and smart phones make it extremely easy to plan ahead and look up a restaurant's nutrional menu before you even go out. If you know where you plan to eat, get online and check out that restaurant's nutrional guide. You may be pretty surprised at what you find. Even if you do not know in advance where you're going, you can use your phone to look it up or even ask for a nutrional guide at the restaurant. Most places are more than willing to provide you with this, so don't be afraid to ask. Then all you have to do is follow through and order what you planned (that's the hardest part for me LOL)
2) When ordering ask questions and be specific. Ask about how certain foods are prepared and what comes with your meal. Try to order foods baked, grilled or broiled, and stay away from things that are fried or breaded. You can also ask your server to replace things like french fries with a salad or veggie instead. Just be sure the veggies are cooked WITHOUT butter or oil, and watch out for salad dressing, which bring us to...
3) Dressings. Everyone thinks salad is always healthy, but surprise! It's not. Yes lettuce and veggies are great, but additional calories, fat and sodium are often hiding in that little thing we call dressing. Avoid anything creamy or fatty. Stick to vinegrettes or even substitute salsa to avoid dressing altogether.
4) Simply cut back. Often times restaurant portions are WAY bigger than what we should be eating. Even by just cutting back to a smaller portion and taking left overs to-go, you can really help yourself quite a bit.
Luckily we don't eat out all too often, but those are just the main ones I have used in the past and will TRY to be using in the future. I know it's a little embarrassing to ask a lot of questions and take more time ordering than anyone else, but it's worth to feel good about what you ate and feel good leaving the restaurant.
Here is a link to Reader's Digest's Top 20 Tips: http://www.rd.com/health/eat-smart-when-dining-out-20-tips/ Definitely worth checking out, especially if you eat out regularly.
Welcome!
Hi everyone and welcome to the first post of my weight loss blog! As you can see I've assembled this blog not only as a tool for myself, but also as a way to help and inspire others in reaching their own weight goals. In this blog I'll be discussing my diet and exercise program, keeping track of what I'm eating, and staying on track with my goals.
Rather than cram all the stats and facts and pics into my first blog, I've made some seperate pages where all those things can be viewed. To read a little bit about who I am and how I got here check out "About Me". If you'd like to see my past weights I've added a "Weight History" link. Inside "Stats" is where I'll be listing my current weight and goal weight, as well as updating my weekly weigh ins. I've also included a "Photo Gallery" with some current and past pictures of myself, and a "Inspirational Quotes" page where you can hopefully find some inspiration and motivation to not only reach your weight goals, but to be the person you want to be!
To the right I've added some helpful sites including links to MyFitnessPal and to a BMI (body mass index) calculator where you can enter your own information to find out what a healthy weight is for you.
So thank you very much for checking out my blog and being a part of this journey to a healthier me!
Rather than cram all the stats and facts and pics into my first blog, I've made some seperate pages where all those things can be viewed. To read a little bit about who I am and how I got here check out "About Me". If you'd like to see my past weights I've added a "Weight History" link. Inside "Stats" is where I'll be listing my current weight and goal weight, as well as updating my weekly weigh ins. I've also included a "Photo Gallery" with some current and past pictures of myself, and a "Inspirational Quotes" page where you can hopefully find some inspiration and motivation to not only reach your weight goals, but to be the person you want to be!
To the right I've added some helpful sites including links to MyFitnessPal and to a BMI (body mass index) calculator where you can enter your own information to find out what a healthy weight is for you.
So thank you very much for checking out my blog and being a part of this journey to a healthier me!
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