Still here

I am still here and doing great! This past week I went to the gym 5 days in a row! I am definitely feeling it and it feels great.....well not really.....(my legs are killing me from lunges and squats)but you know what I mean. :) I am feeling toned and have more self confidence. I have a lot of weight to lose and I am just taking it one day at a time.

I am following the meals plans from the BIGGEST LOSER CLUB website. I signed up for that and have been loving it. It really helps to keep me aware of what I am eating. It keeps track of my calories, protein, fat, fiber,and carb intake. And I don't feel deprived AT ALL! YAH!

This cheese lovers favorite breakfast ~

2 oz cheddar cheese, 1 whole wheat English muffin, 1 Cup of strawberries (half slices)

Another favorite breakfast of mine is (2) 2/3 C of multi grain cheerios, 1 C skim milk, 1 C strawberries.

Lunch idea ~

10 raw baby carrots, 2 C romaine lettuce mixed with spinach leaves, salmon burger grilled and cut up, 1/4 avocado, 2 TBSP of ranch dressing(suggested KRAFT light but I only had regular), and 2 C smart pop popcorn.

I am giving myself 1 cheat day a week. I am giving myself 1 rest day a week from the gym.

Mon, Wed, and Fri are my intense cardio days.

Tues, Thurs, and Sat are my Strength Training days. On strength training days I will do a 10 minute cardio warm up first.

I am also stretching before and or after every work out to help with my flexibility.

I drink at least 64 oz of water a day and on most days more than that. I am one thirsty momma! This is the bottle that helps me stick to drinking lots of H2O!

NOT just another manic Monday........

I followed my food plan, stayed within my calories, and ate healthy today. I just got back from the gym. 10 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the eliptical. I wish it could have been longer. But I went late tonight and I had to get home to get Ben to bed. But at least I went!!!!! I won't feel as guilty now when I eat out tomorrow at Cafe Rio! Happy Birthday to me! Only 1 year away from 30. My goal - I am saying it now and putting it out into internet world......my goal is to be in top shape and marathon ready by the time I turn 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 down, 84 to go

I weighed myself yesterday and and I have lost 5 pounds. I was really proud of myself. I have a lot of weight to lose to be at a healthy BMI. But, I know I can do it! And, I am doing it the healthy way. So in the end it will stay off! It might take longer to come off than a low carb diet or a no sugar diet. But, I am not depriving myself. And most importantly....................................
I am not on a diet, I am changing my life. (This quote came from a man who was on the Oprah show.) When I heard him say it. I thought, that is my new mantra!

Proud moments this past week:
*Losing 5 pounds
*I was invited by a spouse in my husbands unit to eat dinner at the Village Inn. I had never been there before. And this would be my first sit down restaurant since starting my healthy lifestyle change. I looked online the day before and researched the healthiest option on the menu. I got a grilled chicken salad. And then Ben and I took a piece of pie home and split it. I was proud of myself for ordering the salad.
* Went to the gym 4 times this week and improved my calories burned each time.
* Today at a church function that had food, I ate a big salad, half a baked potato, chili, and half a slice of pie. I threw the roll, rest of the potato, and rest of the pie away. I did not finish eating them because I was full.

Ways to improve next week:
*Get better at sticking to meal plan for the day.
*Get better at recording food I eat, so I know how many calories I am eating vs burning.
*Prepare food ahead of time so I am not too busy to eat. This leads to starving and eating too much at next meal.
* Remember the great advice that a delicious meal is just a few hours away. I don't have to stuff myself at one meal. Stop eating when full.

Weighing in

I am feeling good. Even though it was blizzarding and 7:00pm at night......last night I packed up the boys and made it to the gym!!! I had a moment on the treadmill where I made it past the pain, shortness of breathe, and burning of the lungs and it felt good to be running. I burned 301 calories in 30 minutes. So I was pretty excited that my calories burned are going up! :)

I am measuring and weighing the food that goes into my body. I am eating fruits, veggies, protein, and fiber rich foods. I am getting in at least 64 oz of water a day. It has only been 1 week today and I feel so much better already. I am still pretty exhausted. But I am currently taking care of the house, newborn, and toddler on my own right now. So I think exhaustion is to be expected. And the exhaustion usually doesn't hit me until about 10 at night. So yah for healthy eating! My healthy dinner last night was a bean burrito on a multi grain tortilla with 1 oz of cheddar cheese and a little cholula hot sauce. It was nice to be full after 1 bean burrito. And I listened to my body and stopped eating.

Today is weigh in day. I am nervous. I don't want to see the same number as one week ago and get frustrated. I will try to remember a few things:
1. I made a conscious effort to slowly get back into the swing. Nothing is instant. Be patient.
2.. Only 2 days ago did I get strict on the measuring of food.
3. This past week I made it to the gym 3 times. So be proud of that and don't give up!
4. My clothes are fitting looser and are more comfortable.
5. The most important - no matter what the scale says, I am feeling better physically and mentally. I told my friend the other day that I feel like the old Leah again.

Made it to the gym!!!

I did 20 minutes on the bike and 18 minutes on the treadmill. Last time at the gym I ran for a straight 2 minutes. Today I bumped that up by 30 seconds and ran for 2 1/2 straight minutes. I am raising it by 30 seconds each time. Does anyone have any suggestions or feed back about this?

My shins are killing me. I need to go buy those Christmas present running shoes!!!

So that is a total this week of 3 days at the gym! Not bad for a nice slow start while getting back into the swing of things! Way to start off the New Year!!!

What are your most recent accomplishments towards health?

Honesty

So I have two voices in my head.

First one - don't beat yourself up Leah! So what if you went over your calorie intake today. Tomorrow is a new day. Start fresh!

Second voice - Just go shove as much dove chocolate minis in your mouth that you can and you will feel all better........

Seriously though.....I am totally beating myself up right now. I just added up my food from the the day that I ate. I totally went over my recommended calorie intake. By a lot....as in my calorie intake should be 1800 calories a day. I had 2800 calories total today!!! And I didn't make it to the gym. :(

Good news - I didn't touch the chocolate. Instead, I did 1 minute of vigorous jumping jacks. 1 set of 20 crunches, 1 set of 15 modified push ups, 1 set of 20 squats, and 1 set of 15 prone cobra on the floor....in addition to a really good stretch of the arms, neck, and legs.

I did make every effort to make it to the gym. I got dressed in my workout clothes, loaded up the boys, decided to run a quick errand first to Target on the way. I walked out of Target to a full on blizzard. The roads got bad really fast. I decided to head home and on the way grab a healthy dinner. I ended up getting a small honey bourbon chicken on whole wheat bread from Quizno's. (Suggested from my EAT THIS, NOT THAT book)

Trying to be positive and not beat myself up over the food log today. But man is it hard when I see the long list of poor food choices I ate. I work best when following a meal plan and sticking to it. Oh yah and skipping the snack in between meals messed me also. I work best with 3 meals a day and 3 snacks. I just need to make the time and prepare my food ahead of time.

Hey at least I got my 64 oz of water in today and a salad!!!

Improving on calories burned

I made it to the gym on the 31st. I walked/jogged on the treadmill. I burned a total of 254 calories. An improvement to the 80 that I burned the first day back to the gym!

Side Note - First day at the gym I was on the elliptical for most of the work out. I have been calculating calories burned with my NIKE + insert in my shoe. I think it might only track walking and jogging? Because I am pretty sure I burned more than 80 that first day back to the gym. I'll have to check that out......