Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Weighing in

Today's weigh in was slightly disappointing. I weighed in at losing .6 pounds. I was really going for a 1-pound loss, but alas, I didn't quite make it. But a loss is a loss!

Still, that makes my total weight lost at 40.6 pounds, and that's nothing to scoff about.

I bought new clothes this weekend. Just a pair of capris, a pair of workout pants, and a few shirts. All of my old clothes were getting noticeably big. The shirts fell off of my shoulders, and the pants were so baggy that they were literally falling off of me. I was really reluctant to buy anything though. I'm not sure why, as they weren't frivolous purchases, but I was. Still, it was nice that I went down two sizes in shirts and three sizes in pants. :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Weighing in

Well, this week was really, really rough. I've had three major hurdles in the past 6 days. Today, finally, I feel as if I'm back together. I hope it stays.

So when I got on the scale, I was really just hoping for any loss. Anything at all.

I lost .2 lbs! Even though that is absolutely the SMALLEST amount I could have lost, I am pleased that I lost anything at all. And that puts me at exactly 40 pounds lost. FORTY POUNDS. Wow. That's like losing a preschooler. That itself is motivating to me. It's just astonishing, actually, because I never thought I could do it.

And really, the secret is just watch what you eat and get exercise. It's so simple, but it took me forever to get to that point. It isn't quick and easy. It's emotionally challenging, hot, sweaty, and occasionally really difficult. But it's worth it.

Monday, June 20, 2011

12-Week Sprint: Week 4

This week was crap. There you have it! It started off well enough, then took a huge turn south on Thursday when I had to tell my son that a friend of his had died. In addition, I have been sick since Friday. On Saturday and Sunday especially, I felt just horrible. I ended up taking a 3.5 hour nap on Saturday, and that is just unheard-of for me.

Fitness:  I've only walked about 17 miles in the past 7 days. That's at least 10 miles under what I normally have done. I tried to walk yesterday, but after just one mile I started feeling bad and decided to wait another day.

Nutrition:  This part wasn't bad, as I was under my calorie goals every day except Saturday.

Motivation:  Again, Thursday was a turning point, as I needed to focus on my son. I finished reading Mindless Eating, and I haven't started another book yet.

This week is about regrouping. I do still have a particularly stressful day coming up tomorrow, but I'll just have to work past it. I'm going to move myself back into walking, and possibly doing some of my fitness DVDs. I like them, but I hate to do too much too soon. I'll be starting another book as well, but I need to go to the library and find one!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Quirks

We all have them. I probably have a lion's share. But a few of them are really working for me in my journey to a healthier life.

I don't like to touch my food.

There. I said it. I can't stand touching my food when I'm eating, even things like pizza or burgers or fries. How does this help? Since I'm using a knife and fork any old way, I take the top bun off of any sandwich. I've done this before but never consistently. Those top-bun calories aren't much, but I don't miss them. Right now it's all about changing my habits to a comfortable, livable, healthy level, and if I don't miss that small bit, it's not likely to come back.

I don't like salad dressings.

Again, I've never liked them. As a result, I didn't eat salads very often. Now I use about a tablespoon of olive salad or tabbouleh for the dressing. Not a typical salad dressing, but it has great flavor, doesn't weigh the salad down, and it makes me much more likely to make the salads.

I don't make many fried foods.

I do make heavy foods. Or I did. But my many years working at a comedy club has mostly cured me of fried foods. Oh, I've definitely made unhealthy choices, but that isn't a regular one.

I do like to cook.

I like to experiment in the kitchen ~ much to my family's dismay at times ~ but I'm a creative cook. I'm not afraid of trying different things, and I am not intimidated by new foods.

I do like a combination of flavors.

I've been using that to my advantage, particularly in making my salads. I like a little unexpected flavor, like blueberries or pineapple or even chopped prunes in an otherwise savory salad. It allows me to add all sorts of vitamin-rich foods into one meal. Plus, it's just plain fun. I spend a good 30 minutes making my lunch most days, just looking through, seeing what I can find. I love it.

Changes are only going to stick if I can make them my strengths.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Daily diary, June 16

Breakfast:

Fiber One Oat & Peanut Butter bar
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Apple
Baby carrots
Pretzels
Cheese cubes

Dinner:

Black Pepper Chicken
Mixed Veg

Snack:

Popcorn
Peanut Butter M&Ms

**Well, today was wretched. Emotionally. But I did come in under my calorie goals, even with the M&Ms. Tomorrow will be better.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Daily diary, June 15

Breakfast:

Toast with butter
Quaker squares with almond milk
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Salad
Garlic "breadsticks"

Dinner:

Burrito
Taco

Snack:

Healthy Choice fudge bar

**BAH. Dinner was a wretched choice. I've no excuse for it. The lunch was fantastic though. I made my own version of garlic "breadsticks" or "croutons" from a Flat Out 100-calorie wrap with a spritz of olive oil, some garlic and Italian herbs. Baked on 375 degrees for about 7 minutes. They were tasty, tasty. So tasty that my children came through and ate about half of them before I shoo'd them out of the kitchen. But I've apparently found a nice not-horrible-for-them snack!

Weighing in

Wahooooooo!!

I lost 3 pounds this week! That makes my total lost 39.8. This week I wasn't confident. My exercise had been the same (mostly), but I just wasn't sure how things would end up, especially after the two fast-food sandwiches and the specialty shop ice cream. If there is anything that this new mindfulness has taught me, it's that ice cream really is my weakness. 

Eating out was pretty normal, except for the Chick-fil-a visit. We aren't near that area much, so if we are, I like to stop in. They're building one near us (YAY!!), so I won't have that just-because urge to stop after that. I hope. Chick-fil-a is pretty darn good.

I splurged this week on a haircut. My hair was below my shoulders, right at the middle of my shoulder blades. It's now to my ears, and I love it.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Daily diary, June 14

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Honey Sunshine cereal with almond milk

Lunch:

Arby's Jr Roast Beef sandwich
Loaded potato bites

Dinner:

Protein Plus smoothie + flax

Snack:

Hershey's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream

**It was an odd day. The morning was as usual, then around lunchtime my to-do list exploded, so we spent the entire afternoon (until 6 pm!) on the run. As far as fast food goes, the Arby's Jr Roast Beef isn't bad. Only 210 calories for the whole sandwich. We won't discuss the loaded potato bites. LOL! I wasn't all that hungry at dinner, so I just had the smoothie and was satisfied with it.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Daily diary, June 13

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Protein Plus strawberry smoothie + flax

Lunch:

Salad

Dinner:

Chick-fil-a sandwich
Fruit cup

Snack:

Pretzels
Watermelon

**No, the Chick-fil-a sandwich wasn't the best choice, but I don't regret it. :)

12-Week Sprint: Week 3

Technically the title is "12-Week Sprint to the Finish" but I'm nowhere near my finish, so I'm just dropping the "finish" part.

Fitness: I am probably most proud of this one. My main form of exercise is walking. I walk about 30 miles a week. I like it, and it's easy enough that I do it often. (This is key for me.) But this week I challenged myself and put in a Tae Bo DVD I had found at the thrift shop. I've had it for a while, probably 9 months or so, and I had never tried it because I was scared. I mean, real workout people do those workouts. I'm an overweight goob who has never exercised in her life. Here's the thing: I ROCKED IT. I am so proud!!! Was I perfect? No. I didn't expect to be, but I stepped out and challenged myself, and that is what pleases me most.

Nutrition: Slow and steady wins the race here. I'm still figuring out what is worth the calorie expense and what is not, but I am consistently under my calorie goals.

Motivation: Reading. Reading, reading, reading. I've been collecting quotes and reading a few blog posts. Also, my current book:



GOOD STUFF, my people. GOOD STUFF. Lots of statistical information -- I'm kind of a nerd and I like that -- but not so much that it should put non-nerdy people off. It is just a fascinating look at how we eat and how everything from marketing to packaging to our companions affect our behaviors. I'm about 2/3 through it, and so far I would highly recommend it.

So that sums up my week. I don't seem to have a problem with the nutrition or the motivation part, so this week I'm going to focus on continuing with my walking and add in a few more of those challenging workouts.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Daily diary, June 12

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
South Beach Peanut Butter bar

Lunch:

Wendy's chili
Vanilla Frosty

Dinner:

Manwich
Quinoa/flax cakes
Guacamole

Snack:

Watermelon
Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps
Almond milk

**MAN, I was snacky in the evening! And I tried everything I could to curb it, but finally I broke down and had the cookies and milk. I didn't want to (and couldn't!) go wild because I didn't exercise at all today. Something needs to change about my weekend exercise. Specifically, I need to make time for it!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Daily diary, June 11

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios with almond milk
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Turkey dog
Pretzels
Steamed broccoli
Watermelon

Dinner:

Sirloin steak
Steamed vegetables (Normandy blend)

Snack:

Funnel cake (3 bites)

**Eating was decent, but the only workout I did was dancing with my daughter, then walking around a carnival. Of course, I did have some serious dance moves going on, so I probably did have a calorie burn for that, but it wasn't a "real" workout. Weekends don't have a real schedule, so I end up trying to fit it in. It doesn't always happen, and I need to be far more consistent about that.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Daily diary, June 10

Breakfast:

Quaker squares cereal with almond milk
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Turkey dog
Quinoa/flax cakes
Guacamole
Cantaloupe

Dinner:

Salmon burger
Quinoa/flax cakes
Artichoke garlic salsa
Steamed broccoli

Snack:

Reese's Peanut Butter ice cream

**The salmon burger was a new item, and it was delicious! My day didn't go as planned at all. A major storm rolled in early, so I was up at 4:45 am comforting the dogs, then I was on the phone almost all morning due to one thing or another. Because of all that, I didn't get in the really good workout I wanted -- boo! -- so I'm feeling kind of blah about the day overall although I came in under my calorie goal.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Daily diary, June 9

Breakfast:

Quaker squares cereal with almond milk
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Quinoa with sweet potatoes and zucchini
Cucumbers
Caprese salad

Dinner:

Chili
Salad

Snack:

Trader Joe's Trek Mix granola bar
Healthy Choice fudge bar

**I did a different workout today, and I was STARVING afterward. I probably should have added a protein to the lunch (after workout), but I didn't even think about it at the time.

Motivational Quote

"If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done."

A quick Google search attributes it to Drina Reed, although I read it without an attribution several weeks ago and have been thinking about it since.

Those are true words! Only once before in my life have I lost weight. Why? Because I went to college, absolutely hated the food, and survived on the salad bar and cereal. Most people gain weight their freshman year. I lost 30 pounds.

That year was the only time I've ever really changed my eating habits. The rest of the time, I ate typical Southern food. Fried, buttered, and lots of it. And in addition, I didn't get out and DO much.

I don't like sports.
I don't take the heat well.
I have a tendency to laziness, although I like to think of it as inertia (a body at rest tends to stay at rest ...) because it sounds better.

Those are all facts, so obviously something had to change. I had to get over the "but I LIKE fried foods!" and the "but I HATE exercise!" There's no way around it.

Do something you NEED to do to make the changes you WANT. It's as simple as that.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Daily diary, June 8

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios with almond milk
Cantaloupe

Lunch:

Italian beef
Quinoa/flax cakes
Guacamole

Dinner:

Caprese salad
Panetini
Cucumbers
Proscuitto

Snack:

Healthy Choice fudge bar

**I think Caprese salad is probably my favorite summer recipe. It's in the top 5, at the very least. Feeling very good about the day, especially since the weigh in was great! The Italian beef was the half-sandwich I had left from last night. It was quick, and it went surprisingly well with the guacamole and quinoa/flax cake side.

Weighing in

I wasn't sure what to expect this morning since I did eat such a heavy meal last night. I'm thrilled to report that I lost 3.4 pounds! GO ME! That makes my total lost 36.8 pounds! ::happy dance::

Overall I'm fairly pleased with my food choices, even considering the meals out. We ate out far more than usual this week due to one thing or another. I like to cook, so I'm hoping to get back into the kitchen this week. I rearranged the pantry yesterday, so I brought a few things to the front that had gotten pushed back and forgotten.

This weekend (on the mall trip with my daughter) I bought a new pair of capris. This is news. I'm not a "clothes" person, but it seems that shopping is inevitable because nothing fits any more. I'm constantly having to pull up my pants, and my shirts are just loose and frumpy. Yet I'm reluctant to buy clothes because I'm not done! So I'll make do with my loose clothes for now, plus those new capris. It's summer, so frumpy is a little more socially acceptable. Once the summer sales hit, I might be down another 10 pounds or so and feel a little better about splurging on a few new things.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Daily diary, June 7

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Pineapple coconut yogurt
Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin bread

Lunch:

Progresso Three-Bean Chili

Dinner:

Italian beef
Cheese fries

Snack:

Pretzels

**All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I ate light for lunch. Unintentionally, really. I was busy and didn't do more than eat a bowl of the chili. My daughter had her first art class this evening, and we decided to stop in at a local place. I only ate about half of the sandwich and half of the fries before I started getting full. And when I got to that point, I just stopped. YAY ME. Heavier than I would have normally eaten, but I'm pleased that I regulated myself.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Daily diary, June 6

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Cinnamon Burst Cheerios with almond milk

Lunch: 

Cheese pizza
Steamed broccoli
Cantaloupe
Strawberries

Dinner:

Boca burger
Sugar snap peas
Cheese cubes

Snacks:

Panera Bread pastry
Healthy Choice fudge bar

**Today was Chuck E Cheese because I promised my daughter. Not even good pizza. I had a super small slice and filled up on fruit. I'm probably a little addicted to those Healthy Choice fudge bars. I love them.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Daily diary, June 5

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Cinnamon Burst Cheerios with almond milk

Lunch:

Salad with chicken

Dinner:

Supreme pizza
Quinoa with sweet potatoes and zucchini
Steamed broccoli
Almond milk

Snack:

Homemade chocolate chip cookies

**I knew I shouldn't have baked those cookies. But MY WORD they were good. I promptly took the rest to a neighborhood pool party. :-D

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Daily diary, June 4

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Quaker Squares cereal with milk

Lunch:

(Panda Express)
Black Pepper Chicken
Steamed veggies

Dinner:

Supreme pizza
Breadstick

Snack:

Whonu chocolate cookies
Healthy Choice fudge bar

**I feel like a SCHMUCK for eating out twice in one day. Seriously. I don't like that. My daughter and I had a day out, and she asked for Panda Express. My husband brought dinner home from our favorite pizza joint because he was in Chicago anyway. TASTY.

**Additional note: Those Whonu cookies are EXCELLENT. They taste exactly like Oreos. I was looking for a good alternative to the usual junk food. We have a snack allotment, and the children love those cookies. The Whonu cookies taste exactly the same, and they at least have some nutritional value. WIN! I am a convert.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Daily diary, June 3

Breakfast:

Coffee with stevia and creamer
Quaker Squares cereal with milk

Lunch:

Turkey sandwich with spinach and muffalata olive salad
Blueberries

Dinner:

Baked fish
Rice pilaf
Roasted asparagus
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Snack:

Orchard Pear yogurt
Healthy Choice fudge bar

**Feeling good. My daughter shocked me by eating half of the asparagus. The last time I made it, she declared that it was AWFUL. This time she loved it.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Daily diary, June 2

Breakfast:

Orchard Pear yogurt
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Turkey sandwich with spinach and muffalata olive salad
Blueberries

Dinner:

Eggs
Hash browns
French toast
Pecan pie (two bites ~ I swear!)

Snacks:

Reese's Peanut Butter ice cream

**BIG SIGH. We had an unplanned dinner out (Baker's Square), which has pretty much NO healthy option except soup. I just wasn't feeling the soup. So I went for the full-on meal, although I only ate about half. I really should have skipped my evening snack because of that, but obviously I didn't.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Daily diary, June 1

Breakfast:

Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter bar
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Lunch:

Chicken stir fry with whole wheat lo mein
Blueberries

Dinner:

Salad with baked chicken
Coffee with stevia and creamer

Snacks:

Trader Joe's pita puffs
Healthy Choice fudge bar

**Feeling pretty good about the day! Snacking is a weakness, but I kept it in check pretty well. Those pita puffs help because a serving is 30 puffs. They satisfy the crunchy/salty craving without being horrible for me.

Small back story

January 2010: We got home from my daughter's birthday party, and I felt miserable. Right then, I decided that I had to make some changes. Of course, I was in the middle of moving at the time. Things DID change, but not as fast as I wanted. My husband had already "moved" and was living in a hotel in our new area. We still had to choose a house, and we had to sell our old one. It was chaotic.

Even with all of that, I lost about 10 pounds, and I felt better. Not great, but better.

March 2010: We closed on our new house (YAY!) and moved in at the end of March. It was so nice to be living with my husband again! We had been apart for about 7 months by then.

April 2010: Various commitments kept us traveling almost the whole month, so I didn't actively do anything, but I didn't gain anything back either.

Summer 2010: Aaaaaah! Summer! I started to get a bit more serious about the losing weight thing, and I ended up losing another 7 pounds or so.

Fall 2010: Oh dear. I stalled. Badly. Again, I didn't GAIN anything, but I sure didn't lose anything either.

Winter 2010-2011: My groove was back. I started counting calories and exercising daily. What a HUGE difference!! I felt motivated and better than ever!

Spring 2011: Hmmm. Spent almost all of March traveling, and I hit a slump. I've been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds since the beginning of April. That will stop!

So here it is ~ June 1. I'm currently down about 35 pounds, rebooting and going strong! Planning to be 20 pounds down by mid-August. Here we go!