I did okay this last week, I tried to make up for my complete failure of the previous week. This is a hard time of the year to try to be losing weight, but I'm hoping that if I try to just maintain, then maybe I won't completely fall off the wagon this coming weekend during Christmas.
I've been jogging. Back in May or June I had decided to try the couch to 5K program to see if it would help me get into shape. I don't really care about running 5K's or anything, I was just using it to be more active, and I actually really enjoy running. But then I had to stop in July because Bo got transferred to Sierra Vista and was never home so that I could go. So since he's back, I've picked it up again, I've lost some of the headway I made, when I stopped in July I was up to jogging 17 minutes, now I can jog 8 minutes, and probably could do more, but I thought I'd go slow again to not hurt myself. I did find that I can run my 8 minutes, and then walk to catch my breath (asthma) and then run again another 5 minutes or so, walk to catch my breath, then finish my 2 miles with a brisk jog. Back in July I wasn't able to jog a second time around more than a minute or so. It's progress I guess. As soon as my time gets better, I'll start jogging 3 miles.
This may be the same for all people, but I find no matter how much I exercise, I won't lose weight unless I'm controlling my diet. The exercise doesn't seem to be hard for me, yeah, some days I don't want to do it, but for the most part I don't mind it. But eating! Man! I just really like food, thus the reason I gained almost 50 pounds after I left high school. But some days, I just want to eat. I guess that makes me an emotional eater. During this Christmas break, I've made the resolve to eat everything! ....but only a smaller portion of everything. Why deny myself of what tastes good, I just need the self control to take less.
As we'll be on the road for Christmas, I also have to keep in mind where we stop to eat while we travel and what I buy at those places. Since discovering that caffeine may be my issue with head aches I've not been tempted to get a soda while out. That will help limit road side calories for me. Where are your favorite places to eat while traveling that don't completely kill your diet?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bad. So Bad.
So yeah. I had a bad week. Really. Bad. I had fast food. I had soda. I had WAY too much sugar. And now, I've regressed in some of the weight I've lost. Sucks. But never fear, I am starting my couch to 5K program today. I was on week 7 when I had to quit last time, so I hope to actually finish it this time. Plus I have to get back on track with eating. You don't even want to know what I've eaten this week. So bad. I just don't know where my self control went! Out the window that's for sure.
Weight loss is such a frustrating and yet rewarding thing. It is one of the most frustrating experiences I ever encountered to have lost weight and to re-gain it. SO FRUSTRATING. Well, mostly disappointing. I worked hard for those pounds and it was so easy to gain them right back. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I bought some new pants. Smallest size I have been in in years. Since before having my 5 year old. And they fit, or at least they did when I bought them, so now I am making myself wait to wear them until I re-lose the weight I gained and as punishment I have to wait to wear them until I get under 170. It really shouldn't be hard, it just takes dedication and hard work. I still believe my mantra "I can have the things I love when I get where I want to be, so I can live without sugar and bad food I love for a couple months as a sacrifice to good health." I can go without stuff, as evident of my almost year and a half with no chocolate, but I'm finding it harder everyday to give up some things. Things like over eating. I can be eating great food, good-for-you-food, and eat way too much which destroys my calorie count for the day. I just need to go all MP (Military Police) on myself for a couple days to get back into the groove. And just keep remembering, when I'm done, I have a half case of caffeine free pepsi with my name written all over it! I just drooled a little thinking about it...
Speaking of caffeine, I'm interested, have any of you ever had a bad reaction to caffeine? Last week, while being completely bad, I shared a couple of sodas (I'll leave out how large these sodas were) with my husband and ended up with two migraine headaches with spots in my vision. I get these headaches every once in a while, genetic - I get them from my dad, but I never have more than one ever couple of months even as long as 6 months in between. But I had 2 last week! Just curious.
Weight loss is such a frustrating and yet rewarding thing. It is one of the most frustrating experiences I ever encountered to have lost weight and to re-gain it. SO FRUSTRATING. Well, mostly disappointing. I worked hard for those pounds and it was so easy to gain them right back. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I bought some new pants. Smallest size I have been in in years. Since before having my 5 year old. And they fit, or at least they did when I bought them, so now I am making myself wait to wear them until I re-lose the weight I gained and as punishment I have to wait to wear them until I get under 170. It really shouldn't be hard, it just takes dedication and hard work. I still believe my mantra "I can have the things I love when I get where I want to be, so I can live without sugar and bad food I love for a couple months as a sacrifice to good health." I can go without stuff, as evident of my almost year and a half with no chocolate, but I'm finding it harder everyday to give up some things. Things like over eating. I can be eating great food, good-for-you-food, and eat way too much which destroys my calorie count for the day. I just need to go all MP (Military Police) on myself for a couple days to get back into the groove. And just keep remembering, when I'm done, I have a half case of caffeine free pepsi with my name written all over it! I just drooled a little thinking about it...
Speaking of caffeine, I'm interested, have any of you ever had a bad reaction to caffeine? Last week, while being completely bad, I shared a couple of sodas (I'll leave out how large these sodas were) with my husband and ended up with two migraine headaches with spots in my vision. I get these headaches every once in a while, genetic - I get them from my dad, but I never have more than one ever couple of months even as long as 6 months in between. But I had 2 last week! Just curious.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Getting Healthy in 2010
It's been a while since I updated. I figured it was time to log in. Getting healthy is going good (I hate the term dieting). I've had a couple weeks lately where eating has been a challenge, but I've always tried to get back on track. I read on a blog lately that at sometime in your journey you are going to fall, but the right thing to do is just try to do better. Whether it is later that day or the next day, you should just try to do better. A lot of people think "I'll just work hard later to make up for this brownie", instead you should treat yourself every once in a while and just try to do better the next day. I've often thought of this on days that I don't eat so well that I will just do better the next day, but I struggle to get in the groove the next day because eating sweets and cake or whatever is so tempting. I guess the real point is to try to not keep those things in my house.
I wrote in my last post about experimenting. I thought I'd update that. I found that the weekend I was out of town didn't really hurt me. I just tried to remember portions and if dessert was served that I only take a small serving so that I didn't feel deprived. I ended up coming home from that trip and didn't gain any weight! It felt good to maintain while still eating out and eating sweets. Eating out is hard for me because frankly, I like fast food. Some people don't have a problem living without fast food, but I like it. It's bad for me, and so it is a rare thing that I actually eat it, but while traveling it is almost unavoidable. Seeing as how we were traveling I tried to think of better choices and portion sizes. It made me really evaluate what I was shoving in my mouth. It also helped to plan some snacks and meals that I took with me and ate while gone, instead of resorting to snacking on the road and eating fast food.
I also gave a list of food that are supposed to aid in losing belly fat. I'm not sure that is helping lose the belly, but I do know that they are better snack/food options so I still try to get 6 of them into my diet every day. If anything, it helps me limit my food intake and not over eat. Plus, I like most of the things on the list and it's always a treat in the afternoon to have whole wheat bread with a little peanut butter spread on it.
My husband has also gotten on board with me in eating better. He has done really well becoming conscious on what he's eating and helps remind me when I'm wanting to make a bad food decision. He's lost about 8 pounds so far! It's nice to have the support but I'm also happy he's going to be on this journey with me to lose weight, get healthier and feel beter. We both have some goals set, and it will be nice to reward ourselves when we achieve them. We weight in daily and track it, it always makes us more inclined to keep going when we see our numbers going down. Just this morning I had my lowest weight yet, which made me stand a little taller and actually want to do good today. I just have to keep feeling motivated...
I was looking at a weight loss site yesterday and they have a BMI calculator there, I know those things aren't completely accurate because how can it be the same for men and women, and for different body types? But going according to their calculations, I'm 10 pounds away from being "healthy". And it just so happens that if I lost that 10 pounds I'd meet my first goal. So that is my goal for 2010, end the year being "healthy" so I can say I got healthy in 2010. I've got 10 pounds to lose in 2 months, that's 5 pounds a month, and 1.25 pounds a week. Totally do-able, right? If I achieve this goal I will end the year with losing a total of almost 35 pounds!
What are some ways that you find helpful to stay on track? What is the most effective way to keep going each day when you want to eat that big piece of cake, or whatever your indulgence is? What are your most effective weight loss tools? What is your favorite healthy snack?
I wrote in my last post about experimenting. I thought I'd update that. I found that the weekend I was out of town didn't really hurt me. I just tried to remember portions and if dessert was served that I only take a small serving so that I didn't feel deprived. I ended up coming home from that trip and didn't gain any weight! It felt good to maintain while still eating out and eating sweets. Eating out is hard for me because frankly, I like fast food. Some people don't have a problem living without fast food, but I like it. It's bad for me, and so it is a rare thing that I actually eat it, but while traveling it is almost unavoidable. Seeing as how we were traveling I tried to think of better choices and portion sizes. It made me really evaluate what I was shoving in my mouth. It also helped to plan some snacks and meals that I took with me and ate while gone, instead of resorting to snacking on the road and eating fast food.
I also gave a list of food that are supposed to aid in losing belly fat. I'm not sure that is helping lose the belly, but I do know that they are better snack/food options so I still try to get 6 of them into my diet every day. If anything, it helps me limit my food intake and not over eat. Plus, I like most of the things on the list and it's always a treat in the afternoon to have whole wheat bread with a little peanut butter spread on it.
My husband has also gotten on board with me in eating better. He has done really well becoming conscious on what he's eating and helps remind me when I'm wanting to make a bad food decision. He's lost about 8 pounds so far! It's nice to have the support but I'm also happy he's going to be on this journey with me to lose weight, get healthier and feel beter. We both have some goals set, and it will be nice to reward ourselves when we achieve them. We weight in daily and track it, it always makes us more inclined to keep going when we see our numbers going down. Just this morning I had my lowest weight yet, which made me stand a little taller and actually want to do good today. I just have to keep feeling motivated...
I was looking at a weight loss site yesterday and they have a BMI calculator there, I know those things aren't completely accurate because how can it be the same for men and women, and for different body types? But going according to their calculations, I'm 10 pounds away from being "healthy". And it just so happens that if I lost that 10 pounds I'd meet my first goal. So that is my goal for 2010, end the year being "healthy" so I can say I got healthy in 2010. I've got 10 pounds to lose in 2 months, that's 5 pounds a month, and 1.25 pounds a week. Totally do-able, right? If I achieve this goal I will end the year with losing a total of almost 35 pounds!
What are some ways that you find helpful to stay on track? What is the most effective way to keep going each day when you want to eat that big piece of cake, or whatever your indulgence is? What are your most effective weight loss tools? What is your favorite healthy snack?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
My Experimental Week
I have been feeling less than motivated lately, so I made the resolve to do better. I actually looked at it like an experiment really. When I was doing so good before I went on vacation, I was doing really good at eating. I was running, which has stopped because of a conflict with Bo's work, but I still try to at least walk everyday. But even with doing the walking I haven't lost anything. Needless to say I've been feeling frustrated which leads me to be even less motivated. It's made me realize there is no ONE thing that makes you lose weight. It has to be a combined effort with a balance of staying active whether it's actually excersizing or just cleaning your house to break a sweat, and eating better. I can do active...most days, but my struggle is food. I've done really good to stay clear of sugar, but it's over eating. Stopping when I'm full whether it tastes good or not. So my experiment this week is to live life the same activity wise, but be strict about my eating, and see if that really makes the difference in my life. So far, I'd say my hypothesis is correct. I started the week (Sunday) out at 182.8 lbs, and today (Wednesday) I weighed in this morning at 179.8. Since starting this journey, I've never been below 179.0 which was my pre-vacation weight in July, so I'm interested and a little excited (although I'm just trying to stay positive and not get my hopes up too much) to see what I weigh in on Monday. It's more than a week, but that because I'll be gone until then. That also the twist to this experiment is that I wanted to incorporate travel into the equation. Wish me luck!
I wanted to mention a couple interesting things that I've run into lately. I'm not up on who's popular in the media, so you all may know who Dr. Oz is, but I didn't. Anyway, he has a program called Just 10 lbs, where he is encouraging you to lose just 10 pounds to improve your life. Go there and you can sign up for the challenge and they'll send you a braclet to remind you to live healthy. There are also 10 suggestions on how to lose the 10 pounds. To me, they were just mostly good reminders since I do most of them already, but it was nice to have the reminder. For anyone looking to start weight loss, or become healthier, it's a great place to start.
The other thing I've been referencing lately is from this issue of Women Health Magazine:
I love health magazines! It's my guilty pleasure. If I could buy all the ones they have at the checkout stand each month, I would live happily. I don't know why I love them, but they are so fun to read. Maybe it is simply that they inspire me to be better. And I'd love to look like her, it won't ever happen, but I can dream, right?
Anyway, this particular issue I did purchase, and have found quite a few interesting things in it. The one I've included in my weight loss challenge this week talks about The Abs Diet. What was interesting to me was it mentioned and acronym of food that improve weight loss especially in your tummy area. Here it is:
A - Almonds (& other nuts)
B - Beans (& other legumes)
S - Spinach (& other green veggies)
D - Dairy
I - Instant Oatmeal
E - Eggs
T - Turkey (& other lean meats)
P - Peanut Butter
O - Olive Oil
W - Whole Grains (breads & cereals)
E - Extra-Protein Powder (whey)
R - Raspberries (& other berries)
It says to include at least 6 of these power food into your diet everyday. I'm including these into my experimental week to help control my eating and be eating things that are beneficial.
Once I'm through this week, I hope to keep going. It only takes 21 days to make a new habit, 3 weeks isn't that long, right?
Well, I better get moving, cleaning burns calories!
I wanted to mention a couple interesting things that I've run into lately. I'm not up on who's popular in the media, so you all may know who Dr. Oz is, but I didn't. Anyway, he has a program called Just 10 lbs, where he is encouraging you to lose just 10 pounds to improve your life. Go there and you can sign up for the challenge and they'll send you a braclet to remind you to live healthy. There are also 10 suggestions on how to lose the 10 pounds. To me, they were just mostly good reminders since I do most of them already, but it was nice to have the reminder. For anyone looking to start weight loss, or become healthier, it's a great place to start.
The other thing I've been referencing lately is from this issue of Women Health Magazine:
I love health magazines! It's my guilty pleasure. If I could buy all the ones they have at the checkout stand each month, I would live happily. I don't know why I love them, but they are so fun to read. Maybe it is simply that they inspire me to be better. And I'd love to look like her, it won't ever happen, but I can dream, right?
Anyway, this particular issue I did purchase, and have found quite a few interesting things in it. The one I've included in my weight loss challenge this week talks about The Abs Diet. What was interesting to me was it mentioned and acronym of food that improve weight loss especially in your tummy area. Here it is:
A - Almonds (& other nuts)
B - Beans (& other legumes)
S - Spinach (& other green veggies)
D - Dairy
I - Instant Oatmeal
E - Eggs
T - Turkey (& other lean meats)
P - Peanut Butter
O - Olive Oil
W - Whole Grains (breads & cereals)
E - Extra-Protein Powder (whey)
R - Raspberries (& other berries)
It says to include at least 6 of these power food into your diet everyday. I'm including these into my experimental week to help control my eating and be eating things that are beneficial.
Once I'm through this week, I hope to keep going. It only takes 21 days to make a new habit, 3 weeks isn't that long, right?
Well, I better get moving, cleaning burns calories!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Motivation
I need motivation...
I was in such a good rhythm before going to Washington, and now, I just can't find it again.
What motivates you?
I was in such a good rhythm before going to Washington, and now, I just can't find it again.
What motivates you?
Friday, August 13, 2010
Withdrawal Headaches
It's been a while since I've written anything for my journal and I'll tell you why. I've been a little depressed, well rather, disappointed. It shouldn't surprise me, and I'm really okay with it, but I'm not looking forward to the future - which is the total wrong way to look at it.
Most of my frustration comes from not being able to get back into my groove from the vacation. I came home with about 6 pounds of "extra luggage" that I'm not finding the motivation or time to work off. It doesn't help that because of the hubby's work schedule it's not really possible for me to go running when he gets home. I've started walking most mornings. It's not much but it's better than nothing. And even though I came home with 6 extra pounds I've managed to get off 2 of it since then, so that a positive thing. It's truly one of the most frustrating things to have to "re-lose" weight that you already worked hard to get off.
I also need to really buckle down on my eating again. I allowed myself to splurge during the vacation and have soda, but when I allow myself that I usually fall off the wagon completely. And it's okay, but once I got home and made myself stop, I went through major withdrawals for a couple days. Once through that, I still crave it a bit, but don't want the headaches that come with it. That's made it easier to avoid. I've also been hitting the sugar hard since then and I need to really focus on being more strict with it. I won't deprive myself, just live with moderation.
And on top of all of this, I tried jogging the other day and while I was up to 17 minutes before vacation I was almost dying at 5 now, so I'm a little frustrated to have to go back on the program. I have to really focus on finding time to run and not pull away from family life. I can balance this.
But that's life I guess. The only thing to do it work hard today because I can't change yesterday and I can only have hope for tomorrow.
Most of my frustration comes from not being able to get back into my groove from the vacation. I came home with about 6 pounds of "extra luggage" that I'm not finding the motivation or time to work off. It doesn't help that because of the hubby's work schedule it's not really possible for me to go running when he gets home. I've started walking most mornings. It's not much but it's better than nothing. And even though I came home with 6 extra pounds I've managed to get off 2 of it since then, so that a positive thing. It's truly one of the most frustrating things to have to "re-lose" weight that you already worked hard to get off.
I also need to really buckle down on my eating again. I allowed myself to splurge during the vacation and have soda, but when I allow myself that I usually fall off the wagon completely. And it's okay, but once I got home and made myself stop, I went through major withdrawals for a couple days. Once through that, I still crave it a bit, but don't want the headaches that come with it. That's made it easier to avoid. I've also been hitting the sugar hard since then and I need to really focus on being more strict with it. I won't deprive myself, just live with moderation.
And on top of all of this, I tried jogging the other day and while I was up to 17 minutes before vacation I was almost dying at 5 now, so I'm a little frustrated to have to go back on the program. I have to really focus on finding time to run and not pull away from family life. I can balance this.
But that's life I guess. The only thing to do it work hard today because I can't change yesterday and I can only have hope for tomorrow.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Little Green Monster
I've met a goal. And it feels good. It was two weeks later than I'd hoped, but still, I met it. I am officially in the 170's, and thinking on a bit this morning, I know I've mention that I hadn't been 185 since before I had my first child almost 5 years ago, but I don't think I've seen the 170's since the first year I got married. And we're going on 7 1/2 years. If my memory serves me correct I weighed about 160 when I got married, but settling into wedded bliss had me gaining those wonderful pounds pretty quickly. I know it's not a huge accomplishment, but since January I've lost almost 20 pounds and that sounds pretty impressive to me.
In thinking about weight loss the last couple days I had a thought. My thought was the statement people say often after they lose a lot of weight: "I can't believe I weight X amount of pounds for so long". And the truth is, I can believe it. And I'll tell you why. I was content to be that. And I knew how much hard work it would take to lose it and I wasn't really ready to take on that challenge. I can believe I stayed in the 190's for so long after having 2 children because I had an excuse "I've had 2 children, of course I have extra weight on me". But the real truth is, is I knew how much hard work it would take to get it off and wasn't willing to give up my cake and sweets and soda and junk food because food makes me happy. Which led me to have to change my perspective on food. I wrote about that previously about not starving myself and eating less, which, I guess, has worked. But I'll tell you, the exercise is the hardest part.
I've told my husband quite a few times in this journey that I dread going jogging, but, that I feel great after I go. So, why do I have to force myself to go? I shouldn't have to, if I end up feeling so good in the end. But I think my body knows the hard work it's going to have to put out to get that weight off, and although it feels better in the end, it's still hard work. I'm about 6 weeks into the couch to 5k program, I'm up to jogging 17 minutes, and that's quite an accomplishment for me. I'm proud to say that I can jog over a mile and a half. It's been hard work. I'm still wondering how on earth I'm going to be able to jog 30 minutes in the end, but each day prepares me for that.
But even while jogging I deal with self-doubt and giving up. I call him "the little green monster", he's my name for any self doubt I've ever had, whether it's in exercise or just in believing in myself to get through life and the hard times. I find that he surfaces while running and tells me things like "you've jogged far enough, 5 minutes is a great time" or "you're tired, just take a break and walk" when it's not my time to walk yet. He's not always negative, in fact he frequently praises me in all the wrong places to get me to do less work than I want to. I'm working to get past his constant pestering to do less than the goals I set for myself. I know I can. But he's pretty persuasive.
It's hard, but I know I can do it.
In thinking about weight loss the last couple days I had a thought. My thought was the statement people say often after they lose a lot of weight: "I can't believe I weight X amount of pounds for so long". And the truth is, I can believe it. And I'll tell you why. I was content to be that. And I knew how much hard work it would take to lose it and I wasn't really ready to take on that challenge. I can believe I stayed in the 190's for so long after having 2 children because I had an excuse "I've had 2 children, of course I have extra weight on me". But the real truth is, is I knew how much hard work it would take to get it off and wasn't willing to give up my cake and sweets and soda and junk food because food makes me happy. Which led me to have to change my perspective on food. I wrote about that previously about not starving myself and eating less, which, I guess, has worked. But I'll tell you, the exercise is the hardest part.
I've told my husband quite a few times in this journey that I dread going jogging, but, that I feel great after I go. So, why do I have to force myself to go? I shouldn't have to, if I end up feeling so good in the end. But I think my body knows the hard work it's going to have to put out to get that weight off, and although it feels better in the end, it's still hard work. I'm about 6 weeks into the couch to 5k program, I'm up to jogging 17 minutes, and that's quite an accomplishment for me. I'm proud to say that I can jog over a mile and a half. It's been hard work. I'm still wondering how on earth I'm going to be able to jog 30 minutes in the end, but each day prepares me for that.
But even while jogging I deal with self-doubt and giving up. I call him "the little green monster", he's my name for any self doubt I've ever had, whether it's in exercise or just in believing in myself to get through life and the hard times. I find that he surfaces while running and tells me things like "you've jogged far enough, 5 minutes is a great time" or "you're tired, just take a break and walk" when it's not my time to walk yet. He's not always negative, in fact he frequently praises me in all the wrong places to get me to do less work than I want to. I'm working to get past his constant pestering to do less than the goals I set for myself. I know I can. But he's pretty persuasive.
It's hard, but I know I can do it.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Parenting Forum
I'm stepping away from the weight loss and exercise for a moment to ask some parental questions, and I hope all 2 of my readers give their best answers!
1. As a parent, what's your form of punishment? Does it fit the crime, or is it straight across the board the same each time?
1.5. If you are a "fit the crime" parent, how do you punish lying? How do you punish being disobedient?
2. Are your children allowed snacks? If so, do they or are they required to eat their dinner?
3. What are your guidelines on dinner? Do you make your children finish what's on their plate, or let them live by "when they are full"? Is it right to make your children over-eat to prove a point?
4. How much friend time do you allow your children? (Obviously this doesn't include siblings)
5. When your kids are at home(and not at meal time or family time), do you provide entertainment for them, or are they required to entertain themselves?
I'm doing a reevaluation of my/our parenting, and wondering what other parents do. If only I could be a fly on the wall in your home for a day...
1. As a parent, what's your form of punishment? Does it fit the crime, or is it straight across the board the same each time?
1.5. If you are a "fit the crime" parent, how do you punish lying? How do you punish being disobedient?
2. Are your children allowed snacks? If so, do they or are they required to eat their dinner?
3. What are your guidelines on dinner? Do you make your children finish what's on their plate, or let them live by "when they are full"? Is it right to make your children over-eat to prove a point?
4. How much friend time do you allow your children? (Obviously this doesn't include siblings)
5. When your kids are at home(and not at meal time or family time), do you provide entertainment for them, or are they required to entertain themselves?
I'm doing a reevaluation of my/our parenting, and wondering what other parents do. If only I could be a fly on the wall in your home for a day...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Getting back on the bandwagon
It's about time to update, you all (all 2 of you who read this...) probably think that my kids are still sick and I'm still suffering. But luckily they aren't sick, but my 1 year old is now walking which keeps my on my toes.
The big news: I can now run a mile! Which doesn't seem that big, but for me, and how out of shape I was, it is. And not that it's fast or anything, but at least I can jog the whole thing.
I've also been impressed with myself in that I've stuck with my couch to 5k program. I've actually gone a little above and beyond, and I try to run everyday instead of 3-4 times a week. I'm feeling really good. My issue is that I'm not finding it "easy" to go, I mean, I "want" to be in-shape, but I sorta dread going. I have to tell myself, "you'll feel great afterwards", but I still drag my feet.
I've come to a stop in losing weight, which is okay, numbers don't matter but I have a goal which is slow coming. I'm trying not to get discouraged.
What I'm really struggling with is food. I just really like food. I'm doing okay, but I seem to give into myself a lot. I was trying to stay with eating half portions, but I'm not great at doing that all the time. I guess it's time to get back on the bandwagon...
The big news: I can now run a mile! Which doesn't seem that big, but for me, and how out of shape I was, it is. And not that it's fast or anything, but at least I can jog the whole thing.
I've also been impressed with myself in that I've stuck with my couch to 5k program. I've actually gone a little above and beyond, and I try to run everyday instead of 3-4 times a week. I'm feeling really good. My issue is that I'm not finding it "easy" to go, I mean, I "want" to be in-shape, but I sorta dread going. I have to tell myself, "you'll feel great afterwards", but I still drag my feet.
I've come to a stop in losing weight, which is okay, numbers don't matter but I have a goal which is slow coming. I'm trying not to get discouraged.
What I'm really struggling with is food. I just really like food. I'm doing okay, but I seem to give into myself a lot. I was trying to stay with eating half portions, but I'm not great at doing that all the time. I guess it's time to get back on the bandwagon...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bo and I liked this quote from Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser:
"Instead of eating the same thing day in and day out, try this: eat strictly 2 days a week, moderately 3 days a week and then give yourself a little slack on the weekends. The opportunity to splurge a bit makes it easier for you to stay on a low calorie intake for longer periods of time. It also sends your body mixed signals never giving it the chance to kick in it's primitive survival mechanism that stores fat when calories are cut back."
"Instead of eating the same thing day in and day out, try this: eat strictly 2 days a week, moderately 3 days a week and then give yourself a little slack on the weekends. The opportunity to splurge a bit makes it easier for you to stay on a low calorie intake for longer periods of time. It also sends your body mixed signals never giving it the chance to kick in it's primitive survival mechanism that stores fat when calories are cut back."
Friday, June 4, 2010
I've been consumed.
I have two, count them, two, sick kids.
I am so tired. Tired from no sleep. And tired of cleaning up every "fluid" that has escaped the bodies of those two sick kiddos.
My house is a wreck. I hate that.
I'm about to be eaten alive by dirty laundry, and puked on sheets. And I won't even mention the dishes in the sink.
And I don't want to be eating healthy anymore. At least that's what the last 3 days of dealing with the sick has made me feel like.
So do I give in to being eaten by the dirty clothes and nurse my wounds and exhaustion by eating? Or do I stay on track and just deal....
It's truly a close call.
I have two, count them, two, sick kids.
I am so tired. Tired from no sleep. And tired of cleaning up every "fluid" that has escaped the bodies of those two sick kiddos.
My house is a wreck. I hate that.
I'm about to be eaten alive by dirty laundry, and puked on sheets. And I won't even mention the dishes in the sink.
And I don't want to be eating healthy anymore. At least that's what the last 3 days of dealing with the sick has made me feel like.
So do I give in to being eaten by the dirty clothes and nurse my wounds and exhaustion by eating? Or do I stay on track and just deal....
It's truly a close call.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Stretch it Like Elasti-Girl
I didn't really like P.E. growing up. I mean, it's great to get excersize and all, but I only took what they required of me and no more. Looking back, I probably should've made time for it, and I really do wish I would've taken Weights at some time - I think I would've enjoyed it and who doesn't want to get all buff 'n stuff. But back to P.E., the valuable lesson of stretching was long lost from my days of P.E. I'm now trying to remind myself...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Glory Days
With my weight loss at 185, I realized today, that I haven't weighed this much since before I was pregnant with my almost 5-year old. Sad. That's a long time to be heavy. No, not "heavy", just not where I want to be. And definitely not in all of my high school glory...
But who is ever really back to their glory time after having kids? *sigh*
Couch to 5K
I know a 5K isn't that much, but this is more about just getting into better shape. A better me. I found a couple different "plans" on the internet for couch to 5k, so I just made my own. It's a 10 week program for me to be able to jog 30 minutes. Score.
I put the pink x's on there for the days I've done...I know, I'm so far along. ☺ I had to change the other plans because they started on Sunday, and of course I don't run on Sunday, so if you follow this, it's starts on Sunday, my true relaxation day. Come along and do a 5K with me!
Monday, May 31, 2010
I Just Won't Starve Myself
I've had some insight the last few weeks. Personal insight really, because I don't want to get preachy and don't care if other people listen or even care. So beware of a selfish post that could quite possibly be offensive...
I'm on my last leg of nursing. Really, I could/should be done, but he likes is so much I've just not cut it out completely yet. It's only one nursing in the morning and one at night. But since reaching his first birthday, I've made an attempt at weight loss which I figured would put a gradual end on nursing anyway. I say attempt because I'm not really exercising, or at least haven't been in the last two weeks since he turned one. I've only altered what I eat. That's it. Two weeks ago, I weighed 194 and this last Saturday I weighed in at 185. That's almost 10 pounds. I was shocked myself. So you ask, what did I alter? Here is goes:
*No sugar... at least limited, I did have cake for the boy's birthdays.
*No soda, and I've been strict with this one
*More water, or at least reaching my goal of a gallon a day
*Less food, I'll get back to this one
*No chocolate, still. Almost 9 months with out it!
*Be sure to take a multi vitamin
*Wear tennis shoes everyday so that I'm more apt to walk around
*I am also starting a couch to 5k program, not because I want to actually run a 5k but because it will get me in better shape.
That's it. And 10 pounds later I am amazed at myself.
Okay, back to the whole eating less thing. I thought to myself one night after reading my sister's blog on weight loss/healthy stuff, "do I really know when I'm full?" It's a valid question. I fully admit that I'm a "foodie", I LOVE food. And I eat to make me happy, well rather, I eat because it tastes good, which makes me happy. But I don't just eat anything, it really has to taste good. So my problem with dieting is that I don't want to eat tofu and soy beans to lose weight, I like the food I currently eat. My initial thought was that when I set the table at night, I'd set myself 2 plates. I'd load up my plate with dinner, what I'd usually eat, and then half it and just eat the one plate of half the food. I'm a visual learner... Sounds reasonable, right? Well aside from the extra dishes and wasted food. The first night I attempted this I instead, just envisioned what I normally took first, and then just took half of that. After eating my self-allotted portion, I was still hungry but told myself to give it some time and let it settle. That's really my problem, is that I just eat until I feel full which is always too much because I never give the food time to get to my stomach before it can tell me to stop eating. So low and behold, after about 5 or 10 minutes I felt full. Which was another subject in itself since I spent that 10 minutes talking to my 4 year old and husband having enjoyable family time. So I stood up from the table, put my plate in the sink and proceeded to put food away. That simple, right? I still fight the urge at every meal to just eat until it feels good. But I've learned new portion sizes, and have adjusted to taking just that much. Seconds aren't out of the question, but I need to listen to my body before taking them.
I hate dieting. And I won't do it. It's dumb. And let me tell you why. It's great and all, to lose the weight from a diet, no matter how radical, but if you're not learning to change your lifestyle, you'll gain it all back when the diet is over. So why not just learn to live better, and while that is a slow transition, the weight will eventually come off. I liked the saying that Koli from the Biggest Loser said this last season "Celebrate the little victories". Celebrate the half an ounce you lost, because it's a half ounce in the right direction. And if you are teaching your body to be healthy, then that half ounce will stay off of your body.
I've had to think lately a little about calorie counting. First, let me tell you that I'm NOT a calorie counter. I know a girl who can tell you the exact calories in EVERYTHING and knows exactly how many she eats a day. No thank you. I'd rather just put better things in my body with out worry, than to count everything. With that said, I've been more aware of what calories are in some of the things I eat and factor in what that does to your body. Plan and simple, if you eat things with good and possibly low calories, you don't have to starve yourself. Because I WON'T starve. I like food way too much.
And what message is that sending to our children. Starving yourself. This generation of morbidly obese children, that in order to be beautiful we need to starve ourselves? I don't think so. Just teach them to eat better, and to be aware of having a healthy body. A healthy body doesn't mean that you are a size 2 and weight a buck-15, because how many people are really that person? It's unrealistic, untrue and only results in eating disorders
Celebrate the body that God gave you, and treat it right by eating things that make it happy. Allow yourself times to splurge and you're body will stay happier for longer. Plain and Simple.
I'm on my last leg of nursing. Really, I could/should be done, but he likes is so much I've just not cut it out completely yet. It's only one nursing in the morning and one at night. But since reaching his first birthday, I've made an attempt at weight loss which I figured would put a gradual end on nursing anyway. I say attempt because I'm not really exercising, or at least haven't been in the last two weeks since he turned one. I've only altered what I eat. That's it. Two weeks ago, I weighed 194 and this last Saturday I weighed in at 185. That's almost 10 pounds. I was shocked myself. So you ask, what did I alter? Here is goes:
*No sugar... at least limited, I did have cake for the boy's birthdays.
*No soda, and I've been strict with this one
*More water, or at least reaching my goal of a gallon a day
*Less food, I'll get back to this one
*No chocolate, still. Almost 9 months with out it!
*Be sure to take a multi vitamin
*Wear tennis shoes everyday so that I'm more apt to walk around
*I am also starting a couch to 5k program, not because I want to actually run a 5k but because it will get me in better shape.
That's it. And 10 pounds later I am amazed at myself.
Okay, back to the whole eating less thing. I thought to myself one night after reading my sister's blog on weight loss/healthy stuff, "do I really know when I'm full?" It's a valid question. I fully admit that I'm a "foodie", I LOVE food. And I eat to make me happy, well rather, I eat because it tastes good, which makes me happy. But I don't just eat anything, it really has to taste good. So my problem with dieting is that I don't want to eat tofu and soy beans to lose weight, I like the food I currently eat. My initial thought was that when I set the table at night, I'd set myself 2 plates. I'd load up my plate with dinner, what I'd usually eat, and then half it and just eat the one plate of half the food. I'm a visual learner... Sounds reasonable, right? Well aside from the extra dishes and wasted food. The first night I attempted this I instead, just envisioned what I normally took first, and then just took half of that. After eating my self-allotted portion, I was still hungry but told myself to give it some time and let it settle. That's really my problem, is that I just eat until I feel full which is always too much because I never give the food time to get to my stomach before it can tell me to stop eating. So low and behold, after about 5 or 10 minutes I felt full. Which was another subject in itself since I spent that 10 minutes talking to my 4 year old and husband having enjoyable family time. So I stood up from the table, put my plate in the sink and proceeded to put food away. That simple, right? I still fight the urge at every meal to just eat until it feels good. But I've learned new portion sizes, and have adjusted to taking just that much. Seconds aren't out of the question, but I need to listen to my body before taking them.
I hate dieting. And I won't do it. It's dumb. And let me tell you why. It's great and all, to lose the weight from a diet, no matter how radical, but if you're not learning to change your lifestyle, you'll gain it all back when the diet is over. So why not just learn to live better, and while that is a slow transition, the weight will eventually come off. I liked the saying that Koli from the Biggest Loser said this last season "Celebrate the little victories". Celebrate the half an ounce you lost, because it's a half ounce in the right direction. And if you are teaching your body to be healthy, then that half ounce will stay off of your body.
I've had to think lately a little about calorie counting. First, let me tell you that I'm NOT a calorie counter. I know a girl who can tell you the exact calories in EVERYTHING and knows exactly how many she eats a day. No thank you. I'd rather just put better things in my body with out worry, than to count everything. With that said, I've been more aware of what calories are in some of the things I eat and factor in what that does to your body. Plan and simple, if you eat things with good and possibly low calories, you don't have to starve yourself. Because I WON'T starve. I like food way too much.
And what message is that sending to our children. Starving yourself. This generation of morbidly obese children, that in order to be beautiful we need to starve ourselves? I don't think so. Just teach them to eat better, and to be aware of having a healthy body. A healthy body doesn't mean that you are a size 2 and weight a buck-15, because how many people are really that person? It's unrealistic, untrue and only results in eating disorders
Celebrate the body that God gave you, and treat it right by eating things that make it happy. Allow yourself times to splurge and you're body will stay happier for longer. Plain and Simple.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Pondering
Tonight I sit here contemplating the many vast conundrums of parenthood and this key point/question plagues me: "Do I force my child to eat her dinner?" And this could be because I just made a wonderful dinner that my 4 year old won't eat, and by "won't eat" I mean, it's on her plate only because she has the promise of a brownie if that dinner is finished. I'm trying to learn for myself about over-eating and when I should stop, or just not take seconds; it's a process. So I'm trying to teach my 4 year old the same principle, but when dessert is on the menu, which it rarely is, what is enough dinner? Enough to deserve that coveted brownie? And how do I manage her when her brother, who is not even 1 and I'm already struggling to feed him, gets to eat something different?... And so I sit, and ponder while I listen to the complaints of a stubborn 4 year old and the babblings of a baby who is clearly done with his dinner seeing how most of it is now on my floor...
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