As I write this, I am sitting here wearing my pair of current "mini-goal" jeans. They are a size 14. Just 14, not 14W (ok, they are stretch). I can't remember the last time I wore size 14 jeans. Seriously, I'm thinking maybe 10 years ago...I'm pretty sure I was wearing a 16 when I got married in 2000. So these jeans are still too tight to wear out of the house. They are as tight as pants that I have worn out of the house, but I was only wearing those because I had nothing else to wear and I was probably on my way to the store to buy the next size up. But hopefully in another 10-14 days I will be proudly wearing my size 14 stretch jeans and I will be on my way to the store to buy a pair of new size 12 "mini-goal" jeans.
I am proud to say that I have been able to keep up with the 3 goals I set for myself 2 weeks ago (hmmm....could there be a connection between keeping my food & exercise goals and fitting into smaller clothes?? Maybe I'm onto something here....) To recap...
1) Protein shakes....everyday, mostly breakfast and a couple times for lunch instead. For me, the shakes have been about consistently eating breakfast and helping with getting at least 128g of protein a day.
2) Increase elliptical and stairmaster times....With one exception, I have increased my times every time I've done cardio. So elliptical is at 18 mins and stairmaster is at 6 mins. Will continue until I reach 30 mins elliptical and at least 12 mins stairmaster.
3) Keep a food diary....everyday since Feb 16th. And that includes 4 birthday parties. I've been pleasantly surprised that I have been able to keep my various totals within goal range about 80% of the time...calories under 1700, carbs at or under 200, protein at least 128, fiber at least 30...I really like using The Daily Plate to track my food intake and exercise.
I've done pretty good with these steps, so I'm going to add 2 more to my list...
4) Drink more water....It's not that I'm drinking too much of something else, but that I'm not drinking enough fluids at all. When I kept Coke in the fridge, I would drink it all day long. My current fluid intake is 1 Caffeine Free Diet Dr. Pepper, 16-32 oz water when exercising (which is not everyday), maybe 12 oz water at dinner.
5) Add abdominal exercises to every workout. I think I have been avoiding the abs because I am ok with keeping them covered in public for the rest of my life...so, let's focus on the arms and legs first (I'm referring to muscle tone, not pin pointing fat loss). But I know that I need to "strengthen my core" and so I will work on including at least one set of abs into every workout.
Good-Bye Obese! The scale is down 26 pounds and that means my BMI is now 29.3, which means that I am officially Overweight. There are 28 pounds between overweight me and normal weight me (based on BMI alone).
I'm making my first trip to Whole Foods on Tuesday. I've been working on my grocery list for days now. I can't believe I am this excited about going to the grocery store.
That's all for now...my legs are going numb from my "can't quite stretch that much" size 14 jeans.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Woo-Hoo!
Today was weigh-in day and the scale was 24.8 pounds down. I'm going to round that up and call it 25 pounds!
I started on Monday working on the 3 goals I re-made for myself, and I've done pretty good at all 3 so far this week.
1) Protein shake for breakfast every day....So far everyday, one day I had it for lunch to off-set the Chick-fil-A biscuit I was craving, but that's 5 days in a row.
2) Increase elliptical and stairmaster times....I've worked out 3 times so far, added 2 minutes twice to the elliptical so that's up to 14 mins, and added 1 min to stairmaster once so that's up to 6 mins.
3) Keep a food log...everyday at The Daily Plate, it is so interesting to watch the nutritional information add up for the day.
May try to add a new goal next week.
Ok, I'm trying to write with all 3 kids running around. I usually do this after they go to bed, but I just had to write about the 25 lbs! Yay for me!
I started on Monday working on the 3 goals I re-made for myself, and I've done pretty good at all 3 so far this week.
1) Protein shake for breakfast every day....So far everyday, one day I had it for lunch to off-set the Chick-fil-A biscuit I was craving, but that's 5 days in a row.
2) Increase elliptical and stairmaster times....I've worked out 3 times so far, added 2 minutes twice to the elliptical so that's up to 14 mins, and added 1 min to stairmaster once so that's up to 6 mins.
3) Keep a food log...everyday at The Daily Plate, it is so interesting to watch the nutritional information add up for the day.
May try to add a new goal next week.
Ok, I'm trying to write with all 3 kids running around. I usually do this after they go to bed, but I just had to write about the 25 lbs! Yay for me!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Time to Walk the Walk
The scale has been stuck at 23 pounds lost for about a week and half. Yes, I am happy to have lost every single one of those pounds, but I had been hoping for 25 when I weighed in on Friday. Could it be the dreaded plateau? Or could it be too much talkin' and not enough walkin'? I am so very good at talking the talk, but frequently fall short when it's time to walk the walk.
Here's a list of the promises and plans that I have made for myself in the past 6-8 weeks...
~~go to 1 RPM (spin) class per week...made it 2 weeks and haven't been at all in about 3 weeks
~~track calories burned and determine a daily goal, approx. 1500 for off days and 2000 for workout days....I do continue to wear my HRM when I workout, but I never did track it beyond that first day when I thought it was such a great idea
~~increase my time on the elliptical and stairmaster....I still gravitate toward the treadmill for cardio, and even though my speed and incline are better and I can even run a little, my elliptical and stairmaster times are still unchanged, barely 5 mins on stairs and 10 mins on elliptical
~~drink a protein shake for breakfast every day....kept up the first 5 out of 6 days, then off and on for the next 6-7 days, found some great recipes to try so hopefully I'll be back on track this next week
~~keep a food log....my trainer has asked me so many times to do this and I have read in numerous articles that doing so is one of the most important indicators of weight loss success, so why can't I do it? I have accounts at 2 different, free online services that are both user friendly, and I certainly spend plenty of time on the computer.
~~Try to eat 128 grams of protein per day....I do not count and track protein every day, but I have been making a conscious effort to switch or add items that are high in protein
Ok, so here's the 3 things that I am going to work on starting tomorrow...
1) Protein shake for breakfast
2) Must increase stairmaster by 1 min OR elliptical by 2 mins at each workout. Do this BEFORE stepping onto the treadmill.
3) Keep a food log...the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I can now fit into all of my original motivational clothing, so this weekend I purchased a new pair of jeans (size 14, no W, woohoo!) and several new workout pieces on clearance. I can technically put on the jeans and button them, but I would never leave the house in them and probably can't sit down!
I also need all new makeup, so I thought I would treat myself when I hit the 25 pounds lost mark. Which will hopefully be by the end of this week.
I have a 1 hour massage at a local spa that is already paid for, it's just a matter of scheduling the visit (i.e. requesting and getting time off approval from the "boss"!), so I was thinking that would make a great reward for hitting the 30 pounds lost mark.
Alright, enough talking, time to start walking...
Here's a list of the promises and plans that I have made for myself in the past 6-8 weeks...
~~go to 1 RPM (spin) class per week...made it 2 weeks and haven't been at all in about 3 weeks
~~track calories burned and determine a daily goal, approx. 1500 for off days and 2000 for workout days....I do continue to wear my HRM when I workout, but I never did track it beyond that first day when I thought it was such a great idea
~~increase my time on the elliptical and stairmaster....I still gravitate toward the treadmill for cardio, and even though my speed and incline are better and I can even run a little, my elliptical and stairmaster times are still unchanged, barely 5 mins on stairs and 10 mins on elliptical
~~drink a protein shake for breakfast every day....kept up the first 5 out of 6 days, then off and on for the next 6-7 days, found some great recipes to try so hopefully I'll be back on track this next week
~~keep a food log....my trainer has asked me so many times to do this and I have read in numerous articles that doing so is one of the most important indicators of weight loss success, so why can't I do it? I have accounts at 2 different, free online services that are both user friendly, and I certainly spend plenty of time on the computer.
~~Try to eat 128 grams of protein per day....I do not count and track protein every day, but I have been making a conscious effort to switch or add items that are high in protein
Ok, so here's the 3 things that I am going to work on starting tomorrow...
1) Protein shake for breakfast
2) Must increase stairmaster by 1 min OR elliptical by 2 mins at each workout. Do this BEFORE stepping onto the treadmill.
3) Keep a food log...the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I can now fit into all of my original motivational clothing, so this weekend I purchased a new pair of jeans (size 14, no W, woohoo!) and several new workout pieces on clearance. I can technically put on the jeans and button them, but I would never leave the house in them and probably can't sit down!
I also need all new makeup, so I thought I would treat myself when I hit the 25 pounds lost mark. Which will hopefully be by the end of this week.
I have a 1 hour massage at a local spa that is already paid for, it's just a matter of scheduling the visit (i.e. requesting and getting time off approval from the "boss"!), so I was thinking that would make a great reward for hitting the 30 pounds lost mark.
Alright, enough talking, time to start walking...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Where Does the Time Go?
Oh, where does the time go? I ask myself this just about everyday. I am convinced that all the clocks in my house have the ability to skip entire blocks of time simultaneously. There are several times a day that just seem to disappear....from 7am to 8am....and 11am to 12pm...then 3pm to 4pm.....and again at 8pm to 10pm. I'll think I have everything on schedule and right on track and then whamo!...we're running late! I used to be very punctual, that was before kids. I was actually still pretty good about being on time with one kid. But now it seems like we are always rushing, always racing the clock, always speeding in on two wheels. I know it is all about the planning...yeah, yeah, yeah.
But today this question is especially on my mind...my baby, McQueen, is one year old today. Oh, where did the time go? With my first, I was always pushing him to do more...roll over, sit up, crawl, walk. Typical first child expectations, I think. Then with the second, I slowed down a little, partly because of experience and partly because now my time and attention were divided by two. I always knew I wanted more than one child (I'm an only child), but I definitely had my hands full with two. So maybe two was enough? Husband and I had not yet come to a firm answer for that question when I found out I was pregnant with McQueen. That day, I was surprised and I cried, a lot. But wow, what a blessing he is. He is so incredibly sweet and happy and beautiful. (I have a dear friend who has one child, and I always thought she was crazy for still referring to her 3 year old as "the baby." Now, I have a feeling I'll be sending "the baby" of to college when the time comes.) The only pushing I've done with McQueen was in the delivery room! I have not pushed him to hurry up and crawl, hurry up and walk, hurry up and grow up. And I certainly did not ask him to hurry up and turn One. Oh, where did the time go?
I'm still working on more cottage cheese recipes and I'm also working on a list of goals and non-food rewards for myself. I weighed in last Friday and was very pleased with the results, so I'm hoping this Friday I'll hit the 25 pounds lost mark. Oldest son started T-ball this week for the first time and I am still trying to figure out how his schedule is going to impact my gym time and our dinner options. I need to sit down with a calendar and make a menu. We also have 3 birthday parties between Thur & Sun, not counting McQueen. Who knew Memorial Day was such a sexy holiday?
Oops, gotta run, I just saw the clock skip ahead....
But today this question is especially on my mind...my baby, McQueen, is one year old today. Oh, where did the time go? With my first, I was always pushing him to do more...roll over, sit up, crawl, walk. Typical first child expectations, I think. Then with the second, I slowed down a little, partly because of experience and partly because now my time and attention were divided by two. I always knew I wanted more than one child (I'm an only child), but I definitely had my hands full with two. So maybe two was enough? Husband and I had not yet come to a firm answer for that question when I found out I was pregnant with McQueen. That day, I was surprised and I cried, a lot. But wow, what a blessing he is. He is so incredibly sweet and happy and beautiful. (I have a dear friend who has one child, and I always thought she was crazy for still referring to her 3 year old as "the baby." Now, I have a feeling I'll be sending "the baby" of to college when the time comes.) The only pushing I've done with McQueen was in the delivery room! I have not pushed him to hurry up and crawl, hurry up and walk, hurry up and grow up. And I certainly did not ask him to hurry up and turn One. Oh, where did the time go?
I'm still working on more cottage cheese recipes and I'm also working on a list of goals and non-food rewards for myself. I weighed in last Friday and was very pleased with the results, so I'm hoping this Friday I'll hit the 25 pounds lost mark. Oldest son started T-ball this week for the first time and I am still trying to figure out how his schedule is going to impact my gym time and our dinner options. I need to sit down with a calendar and make a menu. We also have 3 birthday parties between Thur & Sun, not counting McQueen. Who knew Memorial Day was such a sexy holiday?
Oops, gotta run, I just saw the clock skip ahead....
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
First a little good news...
A few weeks ago I had blood drawn for a new patient profile at the Dr. office. So I received my lab results yesterday and my cholesterol is 129. I have never had high cholesterol, but this is the lowest it has ever been.
I have worked things out with my trainer and instead of being finished last week, we now have 12 more sessions, once per week until almost April. I am really happy about that because I was already worried about my self-discipline.
As of this week, I am down 20.6 pounds since October 1st and 30.6 pounds since May 2008. I had hoped my BMI would have crossed that threshold between categories but it is just barely holding on. Oh, well, next week.
I am learning to really like cottage cheese. For me, the simple solution has been blending it smooth. I have used it in the following 4 ways so far, and have several more to try soon. I've already gone through 2 medium size containers.
1) Add to protein shakes
2) Blend smooth with frozen strawberries, a little Splenda, a little milk, freeze
3) Add Hidden Valley Ranch powder to make a dip for vegetables or chips (it was Superbowl Sunday)...taste was somewhere between good and ok, may need to tweak the seasonings, but definitely has potential...hoping for a Ranch salad dressing substitution as well.
4) My favorite....replaced 1/2 the required cream cheese in a frozen peanut butter pie...could not tell the difference. I have rewritten the recipe with a few other changes and plan to make it again next week. Calories went from 305 per serving to possibly 135 with all the changes.
5) Almost forgot...I used smooth cottage cheese in place of mayo to make quick tuna salad one day. It was pretty bland, but tolerable. Will try again, I used ONLY tuna and cottage cheese, so I will try to add a few more seasonings.
I have a delicious spinach quiche recipe that includes feta cheese. I'm going to try replacing most or all of the feta with the cottage cheese, may not even blend it, since texture would be similar to the feta already.
Ok, a little off topic....I have become obsessed with the List of 25 Random Things about You on Facebook. Two aspects....the voyeur in me scours the pages of my "Friends" to read their lists...and the voice in my head is constantly trying to think of things to write on my List.
I sorted started my list and then realized everything sounded negative, like I was writing My List of 25 Random Inabilities and Shortcomings. So many other peoples were filled with awe inspiring accomplishments or overflowing with love for their husbands and families. Really, loving your husband is Random? Yeah, some days I can see it, but that wasn't what I was planning to tell my childhood friend that I haven't seen in years or the multitude of high school friends that I can barely remember and have to keep a yearbook next to the computer to spark a memory. Of course, they probably didn't want to know that I took down my Christmas tree on January 30th and I am totally ok with it, the white lights in the foyer make a great night light! Nor do they have any interest in the fact that I am paranoid of drinking spoiled milk or serving my kids spoiled milk, I even put ice cubes in their bottles or sippy cups when we leave the house so not to risk it.
So now I can't even come up with 25 things that I want to share with my "Friends" (by the way, I HATE that terminology on Facebook). But here are a few things that might have made the list, and they are pretty Random and useless...
--I learned to shoot a gun and drive a stick shift somewhere around the age of 12, might have been younger.
--I have a below average heart rate, resting is around 50 and sitting is around 58. And it is not because I am as fit as Lance Armstrong, it's just genetic.
--I graduated 2nd in my high school class, magna cum laude from college in 3 years, and have a Master's degree. But I have no idea what I will do when I go back to work and I rarely feel intelligent.
--I love that both of my boys have their dad's dimples.
--I taught high school science for 1 year and knew by Christmas break that I was not cut out to be a teacher.
--Both of my other professional jobs have been in sales. I hate sales and I am not good at persuading people to buy something they don't need. Again, I have no idea what I am going to do when I go back to work.
--I have known my husband for 21 years, dated him for 9.5 years, and have been married to him for 8.5 years. I love my husband. But if anything were to happen and we were to no longer be together, the first call I would make would be to the Dipsy Dumpster company to bring me an industrial size dumpster to throw all of his crap away. I might need two.
--I loved being pregnant so much the first time that I actually had thoughts that I might want to be a surrogate. The 2nd and 3rd pregnancies were very uncomfortable and I would probably shoot my husband if there were to be a 4th. (Refer to item #1 for proof of ability.)
Another very funny take on this current Facebook trend is at Pearls of Wisdom blog, take a look and be sure to read all the way to the bottom of her list.
http://pearlsofwisdom2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-annoying-is-facebook.html
A few weeks ago I had blood drawn for a new patient profile at the Dr. office. So I received my lab results yesterday and my cholesterol is 129. I have never had high cholesterol, but this is the lowest it has ever been.
I have worked things out with my trainer and instead of being finished last week, we now have 12 more sessions, once per week until almost April. I am really happy about that because I was already worried about my self-discipline.
As of this week, I am down 20.6 pounds since October 1st and 30.6 pounds since May 2008. I had hoped my BMI would have crossed that threshold between categories but it is just barely holding on. Oh, well, next week.
I am learning to really like cottage cheese. For me, the simple solution has been blending it smooth. I have used it in the following 4 ways so far, and have several more to try soon. I've already gone through 2 medium size containers.
1) Add to protein shakes
2) Blend smooth with frozen strawberries, a little Splenda, a little milk, freeze
3) Add Hidden Valley Ranch powder to make a dip for vegetables or chips (it was Superbowl Sunday)...taste was somewhere between good and ok, may need to tweak the seasonings, but definitely has potential...hoping for a Ranch salad dressing substitution as well.
4) My favorite....replaced 1/2 the required cream cheese in a frozen peanut butter pie...could not tell the difference. I have rewritten the recipe with a few other changes and plan to make it again next week. Calories went from 305 per serving to possibly 135 with all the changes.
5) Almost forgot...I used smooth cottage cheese in place of mayo to make quick tuna salad one day. It was pretty bland, but tolerable. Will try again, I used ONLY tuna and cottage cheese, so I will try to add a few more seasonings.
I have a delicious spinach quiche recipe that includes feta cheese. I'm going to try replacing most or all of the feta with the cottage cheese, may not even blend it, since texture would be similar to the feta already.
Ok, a little off topic....I have become obsessed with the List of 25 Random Things about You on Facebook. Two aspects....the voyeur in me scours the pages of my "Friends" to read their lists...and the voice in my head is constantly trying to think of things to write on my List.
I sorted started my list and then realized everything sounded negative, like I was writing My List of 25 Random Inabilities and Shortcomings. So many other peoples were filled with awe inspiring accomplishments or overflowing with love for their husbands and families. Really, loving your husband is Random? Yeah, some days I can see it, but that wasn't what I was planning to tell my childhood friend that I haven't seen in years or the multitude of high school friends that I can barely remember and have to keep a yearbook next to the computer to spark a memory. Of course, they probably didn't want to know that I took down my Christmas tree on January 30th and I am totally ok with it, the white lights in the foyer make a great night light! Nor do they have any interest in the fact that I am paranoid of drinking spoiled milk or serving my kids spoiled milk, I even put ice cubes in their bottles or sippy cups when we leave the house so not to risk it.
So now I can't even come up with 25 things that I want to share with my "Friends" (by the way, I HATE that terminology on Facebook). But here are a few things that might have made the list, and they are pretty Random and useless...
--I learned to shoot a gun and drive a stick shift somewhere around the age of 12, might have been younger.
--I have a below average heart rate, resting is around 50 and sitting is around 58. And it is not because I am as fit as Lance Armstrong, it's just genetic.
--I graduated 2nd in my high school class, magna cum laude from college in 3 years, and have a Master's degree. But I have no idea what I will do when I go back to work and I rarely feel intelligent.
--I love that both of my boys have their dad's dimples.
--I taught high school science for 1 year and knew by Christmas break that I was not cut out to be a teacher.
--Both of my other professional jobs have been in sales. I hate sales and I am not good at persuading people to buy something they don't need. Again, I have no idea what I am going to do when I go back to work.
--I have known my husband for 21 years, dated him for 9.5 years, and have been married to him for 8.5 years. I love my husband. But if anything were to happen and we were to no longer be together, the first call I would make would be to the Dipsy Dumpster company to bring me an industrial size dumpster to throw all of his crap away. I might need two.
--I loved being pregnant so much the first time that I actually had thoughts that I might want to be a surrogate. The 2nd and 3rd pregnancies were very uncomfortable and I would probably shoot my husband if there were to be a 4th. (Refer to item #1 for proof of ability.)
Another very funny take on this current Facebook trend is at Pearls of Wisdom blog, take a look and be sure to read all the way to the bottom of her list.
http://pearlsofwisdom2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-annoying-is-facebook.html
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