Struggling

Lately I've been struggling trying to find some type of balance in my life. I haven't been to the gym in a couple weeks. Sigh. I've had so much school work to focus on. Staying up late finishing papers and studying for exams makes for long days. There's been a couple nights where I was up till 4:30a.m. and had to be up by 7a.m. to get the kids ready for school. Last night, everyone was in bed by 8:15 and I'm sure I was out by 8:30.

This week, I am not even going to attempt to make it to the gym. Yes, I know, that sounds just awful, but I have an exam tomorrow and a final on Saturday. Not to mention all the lab work to finish for my Saturday class. Next week, I will go. My goal is to start on Sunday.

One thing I am very proud of is I have been soda-free for 42 days! Coffee, well, not so much. Though, I haven't had near the amount I was consuming a couple months ago, so I feel a bit better about that.

I've skipped ( not on purpose) some weigh ins. Today, I weighed in at 188.2. Not to shabby since I've been under tons of stress lately. I'm hoping to really stick to a certain amount of calories a day and get some exercise back in my weeks.

Over the last weekend, my sister's mom visited us for a couple days. We went to The Spice Merchant and between the two of us, we both an insane amount of tea. We split most of the tea that was bought, so everyday I've been trying some new tea flavors and I really like most of them. I've come across two that I don't really care for and will send those to my sister's mom.

The end of November marks the end of my 20 week challenge. I'm hoping to drop at least 1-2 more pounds by then because if I do, that will be a total of 15lbs lost over 20 weeks. I'm thinking of starting another challenge for myself. Maybe I'll call it The Get Ready for Spring Challenge. :D Maybe go from Dec. 1st to March 23rd (Yes, I know spring starts on the 21st or so, but I'm going to the next Wednesday.). That's a total of 16 weeks, and I think I'll change my weigh in day to Wednesday for that. Is there anyone out there that wants to join me?

Crazy Week

It's been so crazy since the last post-- school work, my daughter's sports ending (volleyball and soccer), gearing up for my daughter's basketball season to start this week, and some work for me. Oh, did I forget to mention all the household cleaning and what not I do? No? Well, add that into my already crazy week. Blah! I'm so ready for this semester to be over. Not like next semester will be less hectic. Sigh.

With that being said, I  haven't hit the gym since sometime last week and I forgot to weigh in on Sunday. D'oh! I did weigh myself this morning and I am still holding at 189.6. My eating really hasn't been too bad, but I know it could be better. I've already set my alarm to go off tomorrow morning at 4:30am so I can make it to the gym by 5. The whole staying up late to study/do research papers/and other misc homework is totally killing me in the mornings. Next week I have plans to attend the Cardio Craze class on Monday, Zumba on Wednesday, and possibly Turbo Kick on Friday (all at the Y), in addition to my morning workouts.

How's your week going?

Happy hump day, everyone!

Manic Monday

"Six o'clock already

I was just in the middle of a dream

I was kissin' Valentino

By a crystal blue Italian stream

But I can't be late

'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid

These are the days

When you wish your bed was already made

It's just another manic Monday

I wish it were Sunday

'Cause that's my fun day

My I don't have to run day

It's just another manic Monday"

Today was a good AND busy day. Gah! I am glad it's almost over. Though, I must go work on a bit of homework that's due tomorrow. Ick! I had my measurements taken today and I am down! Well, I'm not entirely sure about all my spots, but I just had my waist and hips taken rather quickly today. I am down close to 1.5" on both my waist and hips. Whoohoo! I'm going to have my measurements (all of them) taken when I reach 170. :)

 

Sunday Weigh in

Quick post tonight. I'm tired and it's getting late.

My weigh in today is 189, which means I'm down .6 from last week. I'm not down as much as I had hoped to be, but my monthly visitor is here so to be down anything is awesome! It sort of makes me wonder what my next weigh in will show. For all the ladies out there, you all know what I mean!


Tomorrow starts another busy week for me. I have all of my classes this week. Blah!

Is December here yet? I'm ready to take my finals and be done with this semester.

Crazy Saturday

My daughter had 4 games today (3 soccer and 1 volleyball). Man, am I tired! We've been going since 7a.m. I think I'm ready for bed.

Today, since we had so many games back-to-back, I didn't really plan my eating like I should have. Shame on me! I really do know better. I didn't eat a thing until 3p.m. (We ate at Braum's.) Dinner tonight will be a grilled chicken breast w/ salad.

Last night I found a couple classes at the Y that I would like to attend, but it's just getting up the nerve to actually follow through with it. One class is called Cardio C.R.A.Z.E and the other is Zumba.

I want to start them this next week...

Well...yawn...I think it's time to tackle some laundry.

I'll be back tomorrow for the weekly official weigh in.

Working toward 15 gone

As of last official weigh-in, I am down 11.4lbs. Whoohoo! :) I am slowly working toward getting 15 gone.

A couple days ago I was feeling a bit down and wanted to snack on something, anything. I wasn't hungry, just had one of those days. I didn't have time to snack and had to run out to go pick up my daughter from school. When we arrived home, she handed me all her papers. One paper was a letter informing the students and parents that the school nurse had passed away. She had lost her battle with cancer. She was a young mother and left behind a young daughter. My heart breaks for her family. :( After reading the letter, I didn't even want a snack; I wasn't even hungry, just bored, I guess. I can't control certain illnesses and diseases, but I can control my weight and weight related diseases. I can control what I put in my mouth, I just need to work on my willpower. I can control when and how much I exercise, and I will.

Yesterday, a friend of mine announced that she most likely has MS. I know she's devastated and I also know that there are treatments available now to help control the symptoms and what not. Still, it's not something anyone wants to deal with. She has 2 young boys the same age as my son. (He's 4.) I can't even imagine what she's going through mentally. My heart goes out to her and her family.

Though, upon hearing this news, it's motivated me even more to keep on my weight loss and exercise path, to not give up, and to put all my all into this. Again, I can control what I decide to eat and the exercises I do. Right now, I feel as if my life is passing me by because I feel so uncomfortable to do things being at the current weight I am, and that is sad. I let myself get here and I will get myself out of this rut.

That being said, I did notice a shirt that I wore yesterday wasn't as tight around my midsection as it once had been. That's a good sign, yes? Yes! If I remember correctly, my doctor had once said my highest weight recorded in their papers was 208 (according to my scale my highest was 201). As of my last official weigh in, I'm down to 189.6. Not that I want to catch a cold or end up with a sinus infection that requires me to see my Dr, but I'm sort of curious as to what the Dr's scale will show next time (hopefully not for a couple more months! lol).

I have been doing great journaling all my food intake and exercise on The Daily Plate as well as in my Diet Minder. I'm getting into the habit of jornaling my food as I'm eating so I don't forget. I am on day 9 of no soda or coffee. I'm not really craving either one, but sometimes the thought of having a quick pick-me-up does cross my mind. I took this morning off from going to the gym, my legs felt stiff when I woke up this morning. Though, I am planning on taking the kids for a walk later. I think if I had to rate my efforts for my food choices and sticking as close to my daily calorie goal, I would rate it an 8 out of 10, and my exercise rating would be 9 out of 10 so far.

I'm looking forward to November 10th as my "monthly" check in to see, exactly, how I'm doing. If I don't get a chance to check in before Sunday, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Monday Check In

I'm tired, and that's to be expected since I did manage to pull myself out of bed and get to the gym by 5a.m. *yawn* So, I'm going to make a very quick list of what I accomplished today, sound good? OK.

Today's accomplishments: 

• 5a.m. work out-- did about 3 miles of walking on the track as well as 2.34 miles (35 minutes) on the EPX (think elliptical)
• Tracked all my food intake in my Diet Minder journal as well as online at The Daily Plate even though I went over by about 100 calories
• Drank more than 64oz of water--Whoohooo
• Haven't had any soda or coffee for almost 6 days now
• Have taken all my vitamins, every single day for the past 6 days now

What I will work on this week:

• Will aim for more servings of fresh fruit and veggies each day
• Will attempt not to go over my calorie goals
• Will continue taking all vitamins
• Will continue drinking plenty of water and no soda or coffee
• Will continue my daily exercise (Though, I will more than likely take Sunday off)
• Need to work on stretching before AND after exercising (I'm horrible at not stretching enough)

Well, it sounds as if laundry is finally finished, which means it's time for bed! (After I fold and put it up, of course. Blah!)

Morning weigh-in : 190

Sunday Weigh In

Today is going to be a busy day--loads of laundry to finish, soccer practice for the girl, I'm taking a football team's pics later today, and I have homework to finish.

My Sunday weigh is *drum roll, please* 189.6 YAY I'm finally into the 180s. I can't wait for next Sunday so I can definitely be in the 180s and not just barely into it.

The past couple of evenings, the kids and I have been walking around our neighborhood. The kids love riding their bikes while I walk. It's great for them and for me.

We're planning on a walk after dinner tonight, which my youngest is excited about. (He's 4 and loves riding his big boy bike!)

Tomorrow, my plan is to be at the Y by 5a.m. and be home by 7a.m. I'm the type of person that as long as I can get my exercising finished as earlier in the day as possible, I'm guaranteed to squeeze it in, but if I try to wait till later in the day, forget about it. I'm starting back with C25K.

OK, I'm off to record my breakfast over at The Daily Plate.

Game Plan

Tonight, I made a game plan for the rest of this month. What, exactly, is my plan? Well, I plan to hit the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to do my weekly C25K program. If I feel up to it, I want to also hit the EPX for a min. of 30 minutes on those days. If I feel up to it, I will try to go on Tuesdays and Thursdays to do between 30-60minutes on the EPX.  I might also do some weights on those 2 days, but it will just depend on how I'm feeling. As I accomplish each goal for each day, I will mark the day off my calender. I'm hoping to lose about 20lbs by the end of December.

Well, it's late here and I've had a long day. Goodnight all!

Gettin' Back To It

I'm trying my hardest to get back into the eating-right-and-exercising-groove that I was in a couple months ago. Gah! Why on Earth is it so flipping hard? I WILL get back into my groove, and I WILL lose the weight I want. I WILL.


I'm proud of myself for tracking every single thing I ate today, even the not-so-good items. Hey, at least I tracked them and they're accounted for, right?


One thing I noticed this evening that I really need to work on is my water intake. I think I only took in around 7 glasses or so. Tomorrow I will attempt to get in around 10 glasses or so. It shouldn't be too hard to achieve because I'll be outside in the fall (90 degree here, though. WTH?) weather, watching my daughter kick behind in her soccer games. :D


I have a workout goal to hit the gym bright and early at 6:30a.m. tomorrow. I think I can do that. I hope, anyways. It would be a great start.



Goodnight, all!

Friday's Workout

So, this morning, after dropping the kids off at school, I managed to hit the gym. I did 2,539 steps around the track. I'm not sure, exactly, how many miles that equates to, but, oh well, I was MOVING! A couple weeks ago, I bought the Nike+Sport kit for my Ipod and plan on using it next week. I think it's going to be pretty neat to use and will help keep me motivated with my endeavor back into the C25K. I'll explain in my next post what the Nike+Sport kit is and what it does for those that don't know. I also did the the gym's EFX machine. I selected the weight loss program on the EFX and did 30 minutes (and 2.33 miles) alternating between an easy resistance and a bit more difficult Resistance. It was actually nice and I felt great afterwards. I really like that work out sweat. :) I have also tracked my food intake so far for today.

Well, it's time for me to go pick the boy up from Pre-K.

Daily weigh-in: 195.8

Reporting In

Well, I really haven't weighed in since sometime in August. Yes, I know, shame on me. I did, however, weigh in today (actually, just a split second ago, but what's the difference?).

 

 

Weigh-in: 192.6

 

 

This is even wearing clothes, which I normally weigh in without anything on. So, considering I'm not really exercising (unless I count walking across campus from class-to-class exercise), but I am trying to keep in mind what and how much I am eating. This week, my goal is to slowly get myself back on the exercising and eating right wagon. The past couple of weeks, I've felt so overwhelmed with school, my kids' activities, laundry, cleaning and everything else, that I just sort of put myself on the back burner. I shouldn't do that, and I know this. I need to take care of myself; I need to put myself first. I did try my best to wake up early this morning to hit up the gym, but that sort of didn't happen. I'm trying to get to bed at somewhat of a decent hour. Normally, I stay up late working on school work and finishing up anything else that needs to be done.

 

The whole no-caffeine thing sort of stopped at the end of last month. I need to cut it out. I can tell it makes me feel yucky and I hate it. Sigh.

 

My goals for this week:

• No soda or coffee
• Stretch, even if it's just for 5 minutes
• Aim for going to the gym twice this week
• Restart tracking my food intake
• Take my vitamins every single day

My goals for next week:

• Continue the no soda or coffee
• Continue stretching
• Aim for 4 days of going to the gym
• Start C25K (again)
• Keep tracking my food intake every single day
• Keep taking my vitamins every single day

I'm going report back here in a couple days and give a quick update as to how I'm doing.

Going Down Bit By Bit

The kids and I slept in till almost 10a.m. Feels great to get some much needed sleep. I need to get about 20 billion things done today, so I'll just make this a short post and add in my daily weight.

Daily weigh-in: 193.2

I doubt I'll be able to get to 190 this Sunday, but I'm hoping to be there by the 22 of August. :)

A Case of the Yucks

So, I thought I was doing better by Sunday night and figured Monday would be an even better day for me. Boy, was I wrong! I felt awful yesterday. I had a slight fever (99.5) and my nasty cough was making a point in coming back. Blah! Today I feel somewhat better, but I'm still feeling really drained. I still have a couple doses left of my super strong antibiotic. My cough isn't as bad as it was yesterday (I couldn't stop coughing last night!). I'm getting antsy with the whole not-exercising-for-almost-two-weeks-now thing. My goal is to make it there sometime this week, I hope.

Today's weigh-in: 194.4
Monday's weigh-in: 194.6


The only thing I can say is that even though I haven't exercised in almost, what, 2 weeks now, my weight is still holding at 194.5-ish, which, for me, is amazing! I have made a huge effort to maintain some type of healthy eating during this time. The times I'm not eating completely healthy, I make sure to eat slowly and listen to my body tell me when it's full. No over-eating here! Today, I am going to make up a menu for the next couple weeks, which will include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack or two. I do better if I have a written plan to follow. Me, I could eat the same thing every single day for a couple weeks before I get sick of it. I am a bit miffed at myself for having soda and coffee. :( Sigh. I'm starting over TODAY with the whole NO CAFFEINE thing. Since I started re-drinking it, I've noticed headaches and my left eye twitching. So, time to cut out the soda and coffee again. As soon as I can get myself back to the gym, I'm going to focus on cardio for a couple weeks. I want to shed some fat before I focus on strength training. Not only will I make my menu plan for the next couple weeks once I log off, I will also rewrite my exercise plan for the next couple weeks. School starts next week, which means I will be able to not only hit the gym early in the morning, but I will be able to go back once I do the school drop-off shuffle. (Next week my daughter starts 3rd on Monday, my son starts Pre-K on Wednesday, and I start my classes again on Thursday—should be an interesting and scary semester.)

I do have an account with Live Strong (The Daily Plate), but also just signed up with Sparks People. Though, I’m not sure how I like Sparks People just yet. It seems like there’s too much info/text/colorful images going on each page that it sort of overloads my brain. Could be the fact that I’m still very new to the site and I just need to get used to it. LOL Now, with Live Strong, I’m used to the site and like how it gives me the info what exercise I’ve done. If I remember, I'll have my hubby take my measurements again on Sunday. I doubt the numbers have moved much, but it's good to get in the habit of recording the numbers again, right?


So, to recap my To-Do list for today:

• Plan menu for next 2 weeks
• Re-plan exercise for at least the next 2 weeks and see what results I achieve
• Stay away from soda and coffee
• Start recording my food intake and exercise again

Sunday Weigh-In

I'm not sure exactly what week I'm on for my 20 Week Challenge, but I did do my daily weigh-in for today. I haven't been to the gym in almost 2 weeks. Blah! I ended up with a horrible, no good head cold that turned into a nasty sinus infection and a painful ear infection. Then, after starting antibiotics for that, my cold settled in my chest and left me with the case of coughs that wouldn't stop. I'm finally feeling better and will attempt to make it to the gym tomorrow morning at 5a.m.

Weigh-In: 195.8

Oh, my aching head

The boy is grumpy. I am crabby. I have a horrible headache. Blah!

I did make it to the gym this morning. I walked for about a mile on the track, did 2.5 miles on the elliptical, and did close to 1.5 miles on the bike.

Daily Weigh-In: 195.6

Horrible, no good week

Well, that's what it feels like anyway. I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately. I'm sure I have another sinus infection and possibly an ear infection. Blah! My daughter has her well-child check up tomorrow, so I think I'll ask the Dr to give my sinuses and ears a quick check. I haven't made it to the gym since Friday. Eek! Combine not feeling well with staying up way too late last night and it just makes for an awful day today. My goal is to finish up this day with a great healthy dinner and attempt a good night's sleep with hopes of waking at 4:30a.m. tomorrow and getting my body to the gym by 5a.m.

The past couple (maybe 3) days I'm sure I've eaten some not-so-healthy food. Now, I haven't eaten my weight in these unhealthy foods by any means, but I can just tell my body isn't liking the food choices. It's a good sign that I can recognize that, right? I'm assuming that's a YES.

Daily Weigh-In: 196 (I think that's what the scale said. I wasn't seeing too clearly this morning. 4 hrs of sleep surely doesn't cut it.)

I can't help but think I'm going to have a horrible weigh-in this Sunday. I know I should focus on that, that I shouldn't think negative thoughts. I mean, my week isn't over and even if I don't lose a couple pounds, I can learn from my mistakes and move forward with a different approach for the following week. I know that I let a couple people foil my food and exercise plans this past weekend and I will do my best to keep that from happening again. I know I am the one in control. I control what passes my lips and what doesn't, but it sure doesn't help when someone around me isn't being very thoughtful of what I'm trying to achieve--makes me want to thump 'em on their forehead.  

I think I'm going to go drink a cup of decaf tea before I have to pick the boy up from daycare. Never mind the fact that I really, really, really would like a cup of coffee with a couple teaspoons of sugar. Caffeine +sugar would = a lot less tired me. Though, I don't want to restart my count on the whole no caffeine thing since I'm 17 days into it right now. Yeah, I'm just a touch too lazy to restart. ;)

27 Now

27 years ago today, I was born. Yikes! The years seem to be flying by now. Soon, before I know it, my daughter will be 27. Sigh.

Moving on.

Last night, when I went to bed, I felt a bit sick to my stomach. I figured I would feel better once morning came. My alarm went off around 4:30 today and I still wasn't feeling better. After putting my contacts in and my workout clothes on, I decided I probably shouldn't go to the gym feeling the way I did. I'm sure I would have puked. So, instead of going, I crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. I do feel tons better. Tomorrow I will be hitting the gym and getting back on track. For dinner, we went out to Carlos O'Kelley's. Talk about YUM!

Due to me not feeling well this morning, weighing in sort of slipped my mind. I will tomorrow and I will also be hitting the gym.

Sunday Weigh-In--End of Week 2

Before I post my official Sunday weigh-in today, I will make up for not posting since Wednesday.

Thursday, July 22: I had a really great day overall. My daily calorie intake was awesome, I stayed well within my range. I even did a bit more cardio exercises at the gym than what I have been doing, and I loved it!
Daily Weigh-in: 194.0
Exercise: Walked 1 mile on track, strength trained lower body, EFX (think of an elliptical) 1.31 miles, and the bike 3.0 miles.

Friday, July 23: The day was very similar to Thursday's. In fact, it might have been even better. I had plans to go out with the hubby for dinner and a movie (my bday is on Monday, so we were going to have a little one-on-one time), so I wanted to make sure that I did some awesome exercises at the gym and ate really healthy, low calorie foods all day to make up for what I was planning to get for dinner. Now, keep in mind, I wasn't planning to go all-crazy, overboard with the calories. I just wanted to sort of counter what I was possibly going to eat. Didn't really matter anyway. We--hubby and I-- got into an argument and didn't go out (That's another story.). Oh, well. I ended up grilling more boneless, skinless chicken breast and had a healthy dinner at home.
Daily Weigh-In: 193.0
Exercise: EFX 2 miles, AMT 1 mile, bike 3 miles, and walked the track for a .5 mile.

Saturday, July 24: Earlier in the week, I had decided that I would try to go to the gym Monday through Saturday and take Sundays off. Well, that sort of didn't happen. I was way too tired to pull myself out of bed Saturday morning at 6a.m., and I decided to take that day off. I figure, I'll try to have 6 days at the gym next week. I'm pretty sure the reason I am feeling so tired is due to the monthly visitor. Yeah, can't wait for that visitor to leave. Sure makes managing cravings difficult.
Daily Weigh-In: 192.6 (Whoa! Even with the monthly visitor!)

Today, Sunday, July 25: So, did you manage to stay with me? :) Today, I slept in again. I figure I might as well rest up if I'm planning on exercising Monday through Saturday next week. I still feel blah, but I guess that's to be expected. So, let's move on to the official Sunday weigh-in, shall we?

Official Sunday Weigh-in: 193.2

Well, I do have to admit that I am a bit bummed by only being down 1.2lbs, but I have to remind myself that it is that time of the month, so maybe next week will reflect a lower result. I'm sure it will. The good thing is, I haven't felt bloated like I normally would have. I feel fine. In fact, my jeans are still feeling loose! Yay! Also, I pulled out all the jeans that I own. Some sort of fit me, some not so much. I pulled a jean out of each size (14, 12, and 10) and have set them on my night stand. I currently wear a size 16 (most of my 16s fit, though a couple are a bit too tight...hmm...), so I am anxiously waiting to be able to pull on a 14 and be able to button them. Also, I found some shirts of mine that I had out-grown, in the pile of jeans they went. My goal is to be able to wear at least one of the shirts by December. On a positive note, I feel as if my face looks less puffy. Less puffy is always a good thing. Ok, so, I need to update my weigh-in page and sweatin' page as well. Off I go.

Day 11

Even though I felt like staying in my bed this morning when my alarm beeped at me, I still pulled myself out of my warm bed and got ready to head to the gym. Once I was there, I felt energetic and awake. No, I didn't even have any caffeine. :)

Exercise:

Track- Walked 1 mile around track
Eliptical- 1 mile; 15 minutes
Bike Seat- 3.41 miles; 20 minutes
Weights: Upper body includes: Row 60lbs, Chest Press 25lbs, Back Extension 87lbs, Overhead Press 17lbs, Lat Pulldown 37.5, Arm Curl 25lbs, and Arm Extension 25lbs. All upper body exerices were completed in 3 sets with 15 reps for each set.

Daily Weigh-In: 193.2

I've been alternating days with upper body and lower body in regards to weight training. Tomorrow, once I have completed my lower body, I will post what exercises I did and what weight I did.

10 Days Into The 20 Week Challenge

And I'm doing great! I haven't had coffee or a soda since the 10th of July. I haven't even craved any of it over the past couple of days. It sure is getting easier and easier just reaching for water or decaf, sugar-free tea. I have exercised 6 days out of 10 days and it's also getting easier dragging myself out of bed in the wee morning hours to get to the gym. It's odd, but I've noticed that my capris feel loose around my waist, hips, and thighs. I wasn't expecting to notice something like this that quickly, but I'm not complaining. :)

Today, my daughter went with me to the Y. In the end, we ran 1 mile and walked 1 mile (We alternated every lap with walking and jogging.).  Before we left, I let her use the kids' weight machines, and she totally loved it! She asked if we could go back on Thursday. How awesome is that?


Daily Weigh-In: 193.8--> Whoo-hoo! :)
Exercise: 2-miles (1 mile ran, 1 mile walked) at the Y

1st Appointment with Personal Trainer

My first appointment with a personal trainer took place very early this morning. Now, I should say that this appointment was absolutely free since we're considered new members at the Y- a nice perk, if you ask me! I have 3 remaining free appointments to use whenever I see fit. My next second appointment is schedule for 2 weeks from now (The 2nd of August, I believe.). It was incredibly nice to be able to ask a couple of questions and to receive some help in making sure I am setting the workout machines at the correct numbers for me to use.

I'm considering paying for time (it would only be 1hr a month) with a personal trainer through the months of October to January. Why? I'm hoping that in doing so I will stay focused and motivated throughout the holiday months. Though, I'll rethink that decision when October is a bit closer.

Due to my rush in getting out the door and getting to the Y at 5a.m., I forgot to do my daily weigh-in. Oops! Tomorrow I will try to remember.

Official Sunday Weigh-In

My first week has come to an end, and I'm excited to move on to Week 2.

To recap this past week:

• I made it to the gym 4 times (M, W, F, and Sa)
• I haven't had any caffeine (coffee and/or soda) since the 10th of July
• Out of 7 days, 1 day my calorie intake went over 1,900 (2000, but I felt like I was starving!)
• The other 6 days I had managed to keep my daily calorie intake between 1,500 to 1,800

My official Sunday weigh-in: 194.4 :)

I think I'm going to try to start the C25K program this week, again. I'm anxious to see how I'm going to do with it.

6:30a.m. Saturday Workout

Yes, you read that right. I was up and at the gym by 6:30a.m.

I've been home for almost an hour now, and I am considering taking a nap since everyone else is still asleep.

Exercise: I walked for about 1.5 miles on the track (35 mins.) and did an upper body workout.

Daily Weigh-in: 196.2

Caffeine-Free For 6 Days

Tomorrow marks 1 week that I've been caffeine-free. No soda. No coffee (I love me some Dunkin' Donuts coffee!). Nothing except 64-72oz of water, decaf tea, and Crystal Light drink mixes each day. Today, I really, and I mean really, want some Diet Dr. Pepper. Even a huge cup 'ol coffee would be lovely right about now. Something!

I just need to get through this craving and I know I will be all right. I know it will pass, right? 

Almost a Week!

Even though it was tough to pull myself out of bed this morning (remember, I get up around 4:30), I did make it to the gym. Whoo-hoo. I'm itching to start training for the C25K again, but have been having a couple issues with my left foot. The issues aren't hindering my ability to speed-walk, but do hinder my jogging ability. I'm sure, after a bit of time, the soreness will go away. After speed-walking, I focused on lower body strength training. I find it odd, that after only fully committing myself to exercise this week, I am noticing it easier to get through the first 2 sets of my 15 reps. The last set generally takes a bit more, but I am noticing a difference all ready! I can't wait for a couple weeks to pass and see where I'm at then.

I've all ready had breakfast. I've been making oatmeal for myself lately, which I have been including a serving of fresh fruit in the mix. My favorite is 3/4 c. of fresh blueberries added in with 1/2 c. of oats and 1 c. of water while it cooks in the microwave for about 5 minutes. After it's cooked, I add in a bit of sugar and 1/2 c. of skim milk. I also eat 1-2 hard-boiled eggs along with my oatmeal. Today, my total calorie intake for breakfast was 432. I've also taken my vitamins (multi-vitamin, B-12, and vitamin C) for the day.

Exercise

Speed-walked 2.75 miles around the Y's track in 42 minutes
Lower body strength training for about 30 minutes

Daily Weigh-in: 194.0

Week 1 Day 5

Five days into my 20 Week Challenge and I'm doing pretty great. I haven't had any soda or coffee since  Saturday. Wow! I'm a bit amazed at that one. :) I'll be even more amazed if when I make it 30 days. I've also managed to make it to the Y on Monday and Wednesday, which is wonderful because I've pulled myself out of bed at the lovely time of 4:25a.m. in order to make it there right at 5a.m.

Has anyone out there heard of Fat 2 Fit Radio? I've recently downloaded a couple of their podcast and am thoroughly enjoying them. In the afternoon, while the kids are banished to their rooms for quiet time, I tend to listen to a podcast of Fat 2 Fit Radio. I have found them very informative. Since listening to episode #83- Eat More, Weigh Less, I have changed my daily calorie intake goal. Originally I had set mine to 1,500, but have  bumped it up to a min. of 1,700 and a max. of 1,900. Why? Because right now my goal weight is 140, and if I weighed 140, my daily calorie intake to maintain that weight would be roughly 1730 (or some where close to this). Why in the world would I set my daily calories intake below that? I've done it before (had it at 1,500) and I don't last too long. I tend to get headaches and feel famished by the end of the day. Yes, I know I want to lose weight, but I am not going to starve myself to do it. What would that teach me? My kids? It's not healthy, nor is it something that I want to do. I want to instill healthier eating habits in myself as well as my children, not starving techniques.

Yesterday was my first full day of having a higher calorie intake day, and I felt great by bedtime. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't craving anything. I felt great!

Not only have I been tracking what I eat, when I eat it, and the calories are in each food, I've also been tracking how much protein I have been getting. One suggestion that keeps popping up repeatedly in tons of articles I have read, is to make sure to include a protein along with whatever other snack one will eat. I have made a huge effort this entire week to do just that, and I do believe it's helping!

Now, one thing I do—and I know MOST articles say not to—is weigh myself every single morning. I feel as if doing this will help keep me more accountable and more motivated over the course of my weight-loss journey. Yes, I always keep in mind that body weight will fluctuate daily, but if I see a "1lb" weight gain, I'm more likely to be 100% committed that day and not stray, not to say I'll stray if the scale shows somewhat of a weigh loss on any given day, but I want to know if I need to give any extra on any particular day.

With the above being said, I do think I will attempt to blog daily and will try to include my daily weight. Why? I don't know. Maybe for something to do? :)

Daily Weigh-in: 195.2

Ready! Set! GO!

I had decided before we left for our vacation to NC that once we returned, I would challenge myself to lose as much weight as I could in 20 weeks. No, I'm not going to do anything unhealthy! I set my start date to be 07/11 and my ending date is 11/28. I will weigh in every Sunday and will have my hubby take my measurements. I did have him take them (my measurements) yesterday and I am debating whether to post those. Hmm... Maybe in a couple weeks, but just not yet. I don't think I'm too comfortable posting that much info.

I did make an oath to myself and even went so far as to type it up and print it off. Yep, it's currently chilling in my exercise 3-ring binder that contains my food journal and my exercise chart. I think, that in a week or so, I might post that as well. I'm feeling a bit too lazy and tired to go find it on my computer and do the whole copy & paste thing right now.

Why am I feeling so tired? Well, I managed to pull myself out of my bed around 4:25a.m. and was at the YMCA a couple minutes before they opened. *Gasp* Yes, I really was! :) I think I even surprised myself with that one. Anyway, I did 3 miles on the track (about 8-9 laps were spent running while the remaining were speed-walking.) Did you know that it takes 12 laps around the track to equal a mile? I did 36 laps! I also did some strength training. I mainly focused on my lower body today; tomorrow I will focus on my upper body.

I also decided to cut out all caffeine for-- do I dare say-- the next 20 weeks? Gah! Give up my dark, bubbly beverage for that long? My hot, oh-so-yummy Dunkin' Donuts coffee? Sigh. I didn't need them anyway. *pouts* So far, today is Day 2 without either one! Whoa! lol Yeah, I know, 2 whole days isn't very long, but I'm trying here, just give me some time.

Starting Weight (Sunday 7/11): 201.0

Feel the burn!

The girlie and I made it to the Y and did 1.5 miles worth of running/walking. Not only am I pooped, but she is, too. That sort of made me giggle. ;)  Any who, did you know the YMCA has kid-size weight machines? Yep, they sure do. So, I made her an appointment for Tuesday (next week) at 8:30a.m. for one of the trainers to show her how to properly use the machines. I could have just shown her myself, but I want her to hear it from someone else, someone else who works at the Y. I think it'll definitely make more of an impact then with me showing her. She's uber excited! We'll see how long that excitement lasts.


Lunch has been eaten. For me, grilled b/s chicken breast in a salad with spinach, half of a small avocado, a very small amount of shredded cheese (think a tbsp worth), and some Kraft Light Three Cheese Salad Dressing (only 50 calories, I think, for 2 tbsp.), plus a serving of low-fat cottage cheese, which is only 1/2 of a cup, and lemon water. The girlie had a grilled b/s chicken breast wrapped in a tortilla w/ hummus spread inside (spinach and artichoke kind) and a small side of lettuce. She totally loves the chicken/hummus wrap.


I'm going to attempt Day 1 of the Shred, but, first, we need to get to the store so I can pick up my antibiotics. I'm still not fully over my illness. Though, I'm slowly getting there.

Another day, another dollar

So, tomorrow I have plans to hit the Y's track. My girlie is going with me, so it should be interesting. Also, I have plans to start the 30 Day Shred again. I think I've managed to get to day 15 once before. Any who, tomorrow is a new day, right? Right!


I have a game plan, I think. Once my husband returns home from his work-trip, which won't be until this Friday, I will try to hit the Y every morning until our trip to NC. After we get back from NC, I will continue my early morning workouts at the Y until I start my fall classes, which start the week of August 20th. Then, I'll see if I can still manage to maintain my every-day, early morning workouts at the Y. I think it would help me tremendously to not only lose weight and get myself back into shape, but to have an outlet for stress. Something I can do for me and by myself. Though, it definitely would be helpful if I had a workout buddy. Alas, I don't. Oh, well. I must push forward myself.