So Hungry!

Today is the first day since I started this blog that I just want to eat everything, all day! I feel so hungry (or maybe not: perhaps it's stress making me want to fill my face with food). I had a serious protein craving about 2pm and ate some shrimp thinking that would satisfy me. I waited 2 hours and needed something else so I ate brown rice with soy sauce. Only two hours until dinner!!

Wednesday Weigh-In

Well I haven't lost any weight since 2 weeks ago, but I didn't gain any either. Considering we were on vacation, I'm not going to beat myself up.

What's the consensus: Am I still eating too much? Not exercising enough? Help!!

Misbehavin'

Well I didn't do as good as I could have while on vacation, but I didn't do as bad as I could have either. I ate Special K for breakfast every day and had salads instead of other choices some of the time and turned down the ice cream, etc. I walked one morning in very hilly terrain, hiked to a waterfall another day, did crunches in the pool, and did a lot of walking everyday, so hopefully that was enough to stop weight gain during the week. Also did a lot of sweating due to very high humidity.

And on a good note, I think my stomach is getting smaller (not the rolls but the organ) as I seem to feel full much easier. This is a very good thing!

It has taken us a couple of days to recover from the trip, but tomorrow I'll get back to counting calories, journaling my food, and doing some true exercise.

Vacation Jitters

I'm nervous about being able to maintain my new healthier diet while away from home for a week. We will be in a house with a kitchen and I can go to the grocery store and buy my food staples once we arrive but we'll be there with lots of other family members, each taking a turn cooking the evening meal and with lots of food in the house. I'm afraid it will seem rude not to eat what has been prepared, but I'm hoping everyone will understand. We'll also be out and about so I need to be sure to get some healthy on-the-go snacks so I'm not tempted by concession, etc. type food. I won't get to go to the gym either, but there is a pool and I can always go for a walk. Wish me luck!

1 Meesly Pound!

That's all, just 1 pound lost over the past 2 weeks. I have worked so hard and am trying not to be discouraged.

He Likes It!

I always used to use Fletcher as an excuse not to go the gym because I did not feel comfortable leaving him in the childwatch. But now that he's four and has gone to preschool for 2 years, that excuse doesn't really hold water. The teachers are well educated and experienced and seem very kind. Fletcher has gone 3 times now and one morning had the option to stay home with Daddy or go to the gym and play with the other kids and he chose to go with me! So I think he likes it, it's another social situation for him to experience, and it lets me spend time on myself (almost) guilt-free.

Fast Food?

I made my first attempt at eating out (other than the take-out Japanese over the weekend) today when I took the boys to Chick-Fil-A. I didn't have time to check to see if their menu was online before we headed out the door this morning and was trying to order while keeping two anxious boys in tow, but I still think I managed to make a pretty good choice: charbroiled chicken sandwich with a side salad and water. I split the little packet of Honey BBQ sauce between my sandwich and salad and added the sunflower kernels to the salad. I don't even like chicken (and therefore used to eat just waffle fries and yummy Polynesian sauce when I took Fletcher, very nutritious, not) but the sandwich with lettuce and tomato was not bad and better for me than fried nuggets and fries would have been. I did check out the website for Chick-Fil-A when I got home and used the nutritional information located there to add up my calories for the meal: 450 (not bad).

Great tip: more and more restaurants are putting their menus online, some with nutritional info, too, and if you know your going to be put in a situation to eat away from home, use these sites to help you plan your strategy and make a smart choice.

For the Record

For the record Coke Zero does not taste just like regular Coke.

July 14

I continue to do well, I think. We went to a birthday party on Saturday. There was pizza ("No, thank you."), cake ("No, thank you."), soft drinks ("No, thank you.") but I managed to only drink water. I gave into a weakness last night, however, and had take-out Japanese and a real Coke, but I'm telling myself that still wasn't too bad. There was protein (shrimp and steak), carbs (rice), broccoli, and I used only half the shrimp sauce I used to. It could have been worse: we could have ordered a big ole greasy pizza! I am still drinking lots of water and the Coke last night was the first non-water I've had since last Monday morning.

I have been exercising about every third day and that is going fine. I think I need the motivation of a class to keep me moving, though. Today I tried a water aerobics class and enjoyed it. I was the youngest person in the class (by at least 20 years) and the instructor was giving alternative moves if "you've had a hip replacement" but it is still a great work out. I used to take a similar class when I was exercising pre-pregnancy and remember that the resistance of the water is great for creating a wonderfully toned look.

Day 6

Today went well. I am maintaining my willpower and continue to feel satisfied. I went to a stamping event this morning where the host had Coke, sausage balls, pound cake, etc. (you get the idea) but I ignored it all and drank water. Yeah, me!

This counting calories thing is not easy. I thought I was way behind and did not have enough calories by lunch (only about 750 by then) since I had no morning snack so I added a bowl of cereal to my lunch. But then at dinner when I added up the fajitas (before eating and with a lot of help from the internet to get calories amounts) I realized that I had more calories than I really wanted for the day. Did you know that flour tortillas have 210 calories each?! Ed and I decided that next time we will look for a lighter version of tortillas, either corn or wheat.

We went to BJ's today and compared meal bars and realized the Special K ones I've been eating are not the best choice. South Beach Diet bars have a lot more fiber and protein with fewer calories and less sugar. So...I'll eat the bars I have left and then switch to South Beach bars plus some fruit for snacks.

Day 5: Calories

Today I challenged my math skills and counted my calories:
Breakfast 310
Snack 180
Lunch 345
Snack 140
Dinner 671
Total 1506 for the day

Dawn was right, I probably was not allowing myself enough daily calories. I hadn't planned on eating a p.m. snack but realized after lunch that I had eaten only 835 of my alloted 1472 (bottom end of my range). So I ate that snack and an extra spoonful of rice and broccoli with dinner. And I was very satisfied and did not feel hungry today. I feel like I'm eating a lot (just much healthier) and am anxious to weigh in again.

Some things are hard to calculate, like broccoli, which I had to look up online to try determine what constitutes a serving and how many calories per serving. Other items I'm eating more or less of the recommended serving so I had to break out the calculator to determine how many calories I'm getting.

I feel like I am balancing my food choice with enough protein, carbs, veggies, but could use more fiber and fruit.

Day 4: Weight

Well, I weighed last night at the gym and I was shocked. I didn't know how bad it was! I will not divulge it here. That will be my big secret. My plan will be to weigh on Wednesday nights when I go to the gym. I think that's a good day since it's not right after the weekend.

According to charts that I have looked at before, I should weigh around 130 lbs. but I know that that is not a healthy, maintainable weight for me. I don't want to be skinny. I want to be healthy and maintain my "womanly" figure. :)

My friend Dawn recommended that I count how many calories I'm eating each day now and calculate how many calories I need. I found some calorie calculators online that give you your suggested daily calories based on age, height, current weight, and activity level. Right now I should be eating anywhere between 1472 and 1750. Pretty big range. Dawn says you can eat on the upper end of the range on the days you exercise and on the lower end when you don't.

I am going to set a goal weight for myself (again, my secret), but am setting smaller goals along the way of 5 lbs. at a time and I'll post when I hit each mini-mark. I plan to re-access along the way to see how I'm feeling and looking and whether I need to loose more or just maintain.

Day 3: Exercise

Okay, so today went ok, but I was hungrier than yesterday and ate more. I'm afraid that I'm still eating too much in order to loose weight. Drank lots of water again today, though.

Anyway, I Zumba'd tonight and enjoyed it more than Monday. Different instructor, much hipper and fun, but less complicated, but still a good workout.

I think I'm going to Zumba on Monday mornings or nights, Wednesday nights, and Saturday mornings and then try to add some other days and exercise as time permits. Ed's schedule is crazy but I'll try not to let that keep me from going to the gym because they do have childcare so I don't have to rely on Ed being home for Fletcher.

Day 2: All About the H2O

Today went well and am feeling positive. I am trying to increase my water consumption and have drank over 5 one pint (16 oz.) bottles today. This will probably be one of my weaknesses in this process. I love sweet tea and do not buy sodas from the grocery store so we don't have them at home, but I always get a Coke or Cheerwine when out and about. I don't drink coffee but usually need my sweet tea in the morning to get me going. I skipped it today and didn't have any major side effects: my head didn't spin around or anything.

Day 1

I was motivated to exercise a few weeks back and Ed went and signed us both up at the fitness center, then I lost my motivation and had not set my foot in the door, until today. I went to a Zumba class and was the largest person in the class and the only one who had to sit out a song because I thought I might puke. But I did go, and I did try my darnedest, and that's what matters! Ed asked if it was fun. Fun is not the word I would use for today's exercise experience, however, I do think I will Zumba again. I also plan to do some water aerobics.

Currently my attitude is good, but don't ask me about how things are going for a while because (admittedly) I have a chip on my shoulder about my weight and know I am fat and that I need to exercise and eat better, but don't want anyone else to suggest the same.

Honesty during this process is probably a key, so I'm being honest with you, and myself.

I went to the grocery store today because I needed to and made some healthier choices than normal (fish instead of beef, brown rice instead of white, etc.).

I also looked at some of the weight loss items at Target today but that all just sound to iffy, so I'll skip that for now.

Jumping In!

Well, I've gotten to that point: I'm sick of myself and what I have let my body become. So, starting today, I am eating healthier and exercising. My goal is to exercise at least 3 times a week. In order to jump-start things and get me eating right, I'm going to be eating a lot of the same things for a while (boring, but I need some guidelines for myself at this point).

The purpose of this blog is to keep me accountable to myself (not that you all need to keep me accountable :) ). You will get info in the posts about how it's going, my current attitude, and progress. To the right you will see a running Exercise Log and a Food Log (with most recent entry on top). Wish me luck!