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Friday, December 18, 2009

wow was I lost


OK I wasn't really lost but I haven't blogged in FOREVER. I didn't have any readers so didn't feel it a priority.
I slip so much on this unprocessed diet. It's such a challenge. So what am I doing about it?????
I'm going MORE STRICT!!!
I'm now in the process of researching raw diet and incorporating many of the philosophies into my own life.

I have finally learned to look at my own body as a sacred temple. Sure I've heard that from many sources before but it's FINALLY starting to hit home. I really don't want to fill this body with toxic junk anymore!!! I've been able to turn away from the processed stuff in the house all week. I did slip up though and had Chinese on Tuesday I believe it was. We went to see Santa for Logan and Nickolas then I took them to get a plate and I felt it was better than fast food. But as I was eating it it tasted soooo sweet, candy sweet. I wondered about my choice being better than fast food. Wouldn't a grilled chicken breast on a wheat bun be more nutritious than deep fried breaded chicken covered with a sweet sauce?? Ah well it's done and hopefully digested and gone now. Yesterday I took the boys to McDonalds and I got a Caesar salad with no meat, a fruit and walnut salad, and a fruit and yogurt parfait then bottled water to drink. A lot of processed yogurt there but that's ok. I'm still working on this eating thing and refuse to beat myself up over it too much.

My fitness is going along well. I haven't slipped on that much. Last week I took 3 days off though!! Not all in a row but still. This week I've been going strong. I did hurt myself doing some lifting two days ago though. I strained my upper back and now am afraid to do my strength training today. I think I'm going to find some lower body strength only and do some stationary bike.

Winding down this first year of what I'll call success as I work on my goals for next.
My resolutions are already in place and I'm already working on them. So silly to wait until Jan 1st to resolve to make good habits!!

1) Track my runs on beewellmiles.com and sparkpeople.com. Why two sites? I don't know. I like how beewellmiles donates to breast cancer for running during part of the year. I like sparkpeoples tracking system and I can track ALL my cardio there. I haven't picked which site I like better yet so I'm using both. If one were to fall to the side it would be sparkpeople.com though because I really want to donate to breast cancer research :) it's a great cause.

2) Continue getting my sleep and water consumption.

3) Eat more raw!! Learn about sprouting, seeds, and nuts. Get to know others who are at least partly raw.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Been Quite Some Time

Time for me to try to catch up a bit.
I went on vacation for 4 days over to Deidre's and missed my 10K race. I didn't mind missing the race as I did run a 10K independently a week before so I knew I could do one. The week after my little vacation Dave went to Florida on his vacation. Between the two vacations I wasn't able to run for 2 weeks. This week was my first week of running for quite a while. I did a 4 mile run, then a 4.5 miler, then a 5.25 miler all barefoot.
I stepped on a little stone again today and now have another bruise on the bottom of my right foot. These bruises are annoying to say the least. I stepped on a very wet clump of clay and was afraid it was goose poop but was relieved to look at my foot and see the innocent clay. I have my first official 5K Nov 14th, the free to breathe run. I'm running it in honor of my mom and not sure if it will be barefoot or not.
Dave's looking for a good treadmill for us. He won't settle for anything mediocre so I'm a bit excited to have that piece of equipment for bad weather days.
I think my speed is pretty evened out at about 10 minute miles. I'm not trying to increase my speed but rather my distance. I have my base runs up to 4 miles now. Next week planning on running two 4.5 milers and a 6 miler. I'm not sure if I'll wear shoes for any of it or not. I noticed that when I run on the wet roads my skin sorta peels off the bottom of my feet. It's probably a form error and that bugs me. I'm going to read up on Pose and Chi running and experiment some with those and see what best suits me. Such a learning experience running is turning out to be. I still enjoy it though and that is what is most important.
Today it felt good to go to mcdonalds and know that my run burned more calories than my lunch was. Yay for getting fit.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Almost October

Well it's time for me to come up with a strict plan for myself.
I weighed in at 116 today after coming home from a 4 day stay at my daughters. 4 days of no formal exercise and not watching diet.
I'm back to watching my diet. Going back to my unprocessed eating plan. I really need to make that my lifestyle. It's so difficult as I really still hate to cook.

Even my running has suffered the past few weeks but I am not distressed. Tomorrow starts a new day for me. I will be trying out a new routine this week.
I'm going to attempt to run every day but only 1.5 miles on the week days and then a long run on sat or sun. not sure if i'll be able to handle it, my body may not be ready for that but i'm going to try and see how it goes.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Sept is here

Already.
I notice the Cindy from New York emerging as I think "cooler weather"
I've been thinking up ways to insulate some of these windows and not feel the cabin fever this year. BUT then I remember I'm in NC and the weather here isn't like in NY lol. Sure we have cold days and maybe even cold weeks, but we DON'T have cold MONTHS.
So I'm trying to get out of the hibernation mode that seems to be signaled by the beginning of Sept.

The weather is perfect for running. I wake up with a chill and the sun isn't up yet which kinda bothers me. I like it being light out at 6am. I woke up to stars in the sky this morning!!!

My run was 3.5 miles. I've upped my base runs during the week this week and I am feeling it. My legs ache for a few hours after my run and today my feet are a little tender. I want to join a local running group but don't want to drive to it. I think I've discussed this before so nothing has changed there.

I plan on manning an aid station on Oct. 3 for an ultra run at Bur Mil. I'm planning on requesting an aid station for the 40 mile runners though maybe the last aid station towards the end of the marathon would be interesting also.

I'm going to miss my 10K I've been training for but that's OK. I'm going to visit Deidre instead which is much more important than a lousy 10K race. I considered entering an 8K in VA Beach that same weekend but that intimidates me. I think it will be super crowded and I'm just not ready to deal with that yet, especially in a town I'm unfamiliar with. I will be running but just not racing.

My goal for this month:
wk 1: 3.5/3.5/5
wk 2: 3.5/3.5/5.5
wk 3: 4/4/6
wk 4: 4/4/6.5

I'm hoping to be able to increase by a whole mile come October rather than in half mile increments. I have my eye on a half marathon on Dec 13th.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Still going strong

Now I'm half way into week #2 of barefoot running. I did 3.5 miles today. I absolutely couldn't make myself put those shoes on my feet after already running for a bit so I didn't. I decided I'm going to stop carrying the darn things and just stick close to home for the next couple of weeks. I worked out a nice figure 8 route that ends with 3.5 miles. A perfect distance for my weekday runs at this time. I'm still going to wear my shoes for my long runs. Last weekend I started barefoot then put my shoes on after 1.5 miles but this just isn't a good strategy for me. I only ran another 1.5 miles before quitting because I just was not enjoying the running with the shoes....soooo I did not get my long run in this past week. I'm back to running every other day rather than just Tues, Thurs, Sat. I just can't stand not running though I know my muscles can't handle every single day at least yet. I'm not a complete idiot, maybe a bit insane but they are completely different poles.

By the end of todays run I was wiping the sweat off my face with my shoes. I found that quite comical, Yep I bring my shoes as sweat rags, they are good for that task. I just might need to make myself some crochet cotton wristlets to be able to wipe the sweat off with.

I came back home and realized the front door was open. That puzzled me because I remember distinctly closing it carefully as to step out quietly and not wake up my son who seems to be so zoned into my doings that he would have surely heard me. I get my drink of water and move the mouse on my pc to map my run and....I hear noggin!!
What on earth!!! Noggin, already??? Go in the living room and sure enough. The little guy is up. He tells me he missed me and gives me a hug so I sit with him for a while and wait for his dad to emerge from upstairs. Apparently he woke up at 6:30ish and was frantically looking around the house for me. Screaming and crying because mommy wasn't here..though he did know daddy was here because we sleep in the same room as him so he did not think he was alone. It makes me feel so loved but OMG this child needs to give me a lil space.

I have a new product I love for my feet. I've had it for at least a year, probably two. I won a free for shipping lottery for some knitters moisturizing balm for my hands. I never used it because I didn't like it for my hands, I felt it was too greasy. It's beeswax based and wonderful on my feet!!! Clearhills Honey I recommend it to anyone needing something to moisturize your running feet, it's great for my heals especially!! so Carmela, If you see this please don't think this is a gross misuse of your product. I love it and thank you for it and am so glad I saved it instead of passing it on to one of my knitting friends.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

2nd Barefoot Run

Well today was a new day that's for sure. It's super foggy out and my calves were still tight from Tuesdays run. I tried to massage them and work out the tightness all day yesterday but by evening they were feeling unbelievably tight and I contemplated not running today-- contemplated.
I set my alarm for 5:50 so I could be out the door by 6am today. Look out the window and can't see beyond my front yard...it's very foggy. Didn't get out the door until 6:10 which makes me feel pushed because I have to be back by 7am for Nickolas to get here, today's an early day for him. I am carrying my shoes just as I had on Tuesday for my warm up walk. The concrete of my driveway feels great, the asphalt feels like crap. I decide that I'm going to stay on the concrete as much as possible this run. I'm off and trotting. I feel my calves loosen up relatively quickly and that really excites me, it's going to be a great run!!!! About half a mile into my run mother nature is cruel and my body is wanting to goooooo. OOOh I hate when that happens while running. I turn around and head back home. So I got my barefoot mile in but after .5 miles I was concentrating more on not soiling myself than form. I was uncomfortable. Right at the end of running I stepped wrong on my big toe. I didn't scrape it but think I hit a stone and it shot pain right up my leg. I'm walking now and will check it out while sitting on the toilet.

Heading back out the door with shoes on this time and I complete another 1.5 miles. I'm dripping wet by the time I get home. I think the moisture from the air was mixing with my sweat and I was soaked not only by sweat but by dew. My hair actually had droplets of water on top of my head when I came inside. I'm disappointed that I didn't get my whole 3 miles in again yet today. This is definitely proving to be a slow week for me. Lets see what Saturday brings.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Day 1 Barefoot

Today was my first time going out the door, ready to run, carrying my shoes in hand. I went for my normal warm up walk barefoot. Immediately noticed the texture of the asphalt under my feet. Felt every little stone so moved more into the line of where cars drive. So glad it was EARLY morning and no traffic plus I was in the neighborhood so there's not a lot of traffic anyways. I experimented with lifting my feet, knees, where and how I put down my foot. It was a real eye opener. Finally reached the street corner where I always start my running and pumped up the tempo. Now I'm running, on pavement, in bare feet. Who would have known!!!! My shoes still in hand as I know I can't complete my whole run in bare feet. I have no idea how much of it I can or should do. Barefoot Rick told me to do my first mile barefoot then evaluate. So here I go!!!

The bumpiness of the asphalt is bugging me. I can feel where each stone pops up above the actual asphalt. Then the road changes, it's now the darker, smoother, I'll say higher quality road. It feels so smooth and wonderful on my feet. But that doesn't last very long, back to the bumpy stuff soon after. I had been avoiding the concrete along the side of the street because I was always told that asphalt is easier to run on, but the lure of the smoothness draws me in. I'm in love with my run once again. AHHH so smooth and easy now.
Mile 1 down and I look at my shoes, I'm hot, my feet are always hot when I wear shoes, I don't want to put them on so I continue.

My total barefoot experience was 1.7 miles. I did put on my shoes when I noticed several cars parked on the side of the road making my concrete path undoable and I would have to divert back to the bumpy pavement.

My learning experience didn't end there. Once I put on my shoes of course I immediately felt the heat trapped against my feet. I make a not so happy face but continue trodding along. I pay attention to my footfalls. I really HAVE to heal strike. I never noticed it before but all I've read about shoes making you strike with your heal first was right. I try to land properly and it's like running on tippy toes. I continue to 2.5 miles then just take off my shoes again and cool down walk. I didn't run my entire 3 miles today but I really enjoyed my bare feet.

I now know I need to toughen up the skin on my feet. My next barefoot run will not be any longer, it may be a little shorter. We'll see on Thursday :) I do need to get my 3 miles in on Thursday though as my training for 10K continues as I prepare my feet to be able to handle the surfaces.
I did learn that a bumpy surface is more difficult than a hard smooth surface. So glad I didn't attempt the grass, though the grass is wonderful for my cool down walks :)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Todays Run

Well I'm moving my blog away from weight control towards my running, which anyone who knows me knows it's my latest passion. I'm actually researching on becoming a barefoot runner. I want to get some Vibram Five Finger shoes, they are like gloves for your feet with a protective sole but not restricting. I can't wait to try them out. The only thing that makes me nervous about them is that the toes are separate. Though I think this is good for your foots form and being able to climb and such, I'm just afraid it will feel so foreign for my toes to have that bit of fabric between them. I think I'll be able to get used to them and run in them though.

On to todays run. I went 5.63 miles!!! I set my timer for 1 hour on my phone and just took off running. I was planning on doing my regular route pretty much backwards starting with my mile #3 and then moving beyond after I completed my normal mile #1.
That didn't happen. I started my #3 mile and there was a road which I thought was a cul-de-sac that I always skipped so I went down it. It was an actual road so I turned at the corner and it went out to another fairly unfamiliar road to me. I knew where it was and have walked it before with my little one but I hadn't incorporated it in my runs as of yet. So I ran the streets and loops until I got back into my neighborhood then proceeded to do my normal #1 mile. When I got down to my turn around point I decided to just turn down the street instead. There is an up hill right after my turn around point and I was avoiding it, my motives were completely selfish not really adventure or motivation lol. I went across the highway then turned around and started heading homewards. I knew I had been out for a while and I didn't want to get further from home. I started running up a street parallel to the one I normally run. I usually avoid it because it's a busier street without any side shoulders to run on. But today was my long run and I wanted new scenery.
Finally I saw my street corner ahead....and my 1 hour beeper goes off. I try to continue running but it's like everything shut down once I realized that I had been running for an entire hour. I was afraid to continue because "injury" is always in the back of my mind and I want to avoid it as much as possible. How does one go beyond the fear of injury and really test their ability?? I'm just a beginner and don't want to push too far but I do want to see what I'm made of. Well I got 5.63 miles in 1 hour which turns out to be a pace of 10:50 minute miles...wooo I broke below 11 minutes for my first long run. Those hills that I normally do on mile #2 really do slow me down A LOT.
I took off my shoes for my cool down walk. Now heavenly is being able to walk barefoot in dew covered grass after a long hot run!!!

Friday, August 7, 2009

MyLot

myLot User Profile

If you're interested in earning some pennies for chatter feel free to join me:
www.myLot.com?ref=syndibee
No pressure to anyone though. I have been a member forever, actually forgot about it but went back today due to a google search I did and I wanted to chat so the pennies will come, if I keep chatting.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Naughtiness

I have not been watching my diet. I have not been consistent with any exercise but running. I've gained back 4 lbs. Time for me to get serious again. I had my ubber healthy salad for dinner with my home grown tomato, green pepper, and cuke added.

Todays run sucked so going to run again tomorrow though not for more than 3.25 miles. I'm just gonna hold off until Friday for my long run again. Hoping to get 4.5 miles in then, I already have it mapped out.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

update

I'm continuing my running but not following C25K anymore. It was just moving too slow for my comfort.
I'm now running 35 minutes at a time every other day. I signed up for a 10K in Sept so am working on getting myself up to 6+ miles. My current plan is to do the 35 min's every other day then my weekend run start upping 1/2 to 1 mile each week depending on how well I feel. This way I don't have to worry about getting back in time for Nickolas to come over.
I need to re-incorporate strength training into my routine. I'm hoping that I have a ChaLEAN buddy soon. Until then I think I'm going to continue using shred as I'm still struggling on level 1 again. Funny how you lose touch with a program so quickly. Just a couple of short months ago shred didn't feel at all challenging, now i have a hard time with the first level.

diet, yea that......
it'll be my challenge until the day i die lol.

I've gained back 3 of my lost pounds, but I'm confident they aren't here to stay. I just have to discipline myself to make them go away again. My scale was playing games with me the other day and measured me at 90 lbs. I went from the high end of normal weight to definitely underweight overnight hehe. Good to know that the scale isn't my god and gets no worship points for trying to be my friend.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Running

OK I'm officially running now in my own eyes. Anything under 20 minutes isn't running, it's a sprint. I did wk 5 day 3 of C25K today which was a 20 minute run. I wasn't ready to stop in 20 minutes lol. I ended up running 21 minutes 41 seconds. I had to reach a street corner so I could go back to beewellmiles.com and plug in my distance. I ran 1.88 miles in 21:41 min. That equates to between 11-12 minute miles. I'm pleased. I can't wait to get down to 10 minute miles but that was great for timing my run. I wish I knew how long it took me to finish that 2 mile freedom run now lol. ah well, too late now. Next week C25K has me running 2 interval runs then a 25 minute one...after that it's all over 25 minutes!!! YAYNESS!!!
I wonder about my running goals. I've voiced some concerns on another support board I go to where I asked how do you know when enough is enough? I'm an extremist and I tend to go all out, I just can't help myself. I've never aspired to be a marathon runner but I do know my personality.
I would like to be happy with 3 runs a week... 2 between 5-10K (3-6miles) and one long one heading towards 1/2 marathon length (13 miles). I do want to be happy with that but am afraid once I reach that goal I'll have to keep moving forward. There are marathons then 40 mile runs that are organized. Could I keep the itch to do more down in myself? I honestly don't want to spend my saturdays running all day (that's my designated long day).
Already on the days between runs I don't want to do other exercise, I just want to run. I imagine that will stop soon but I feel like I'm trying to reign myself in and it's so strange....

now go back to my very first blog post here..... I HATED EXERCISE...
hehe I love myself, this is my true resolution coming to light this year :)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

still living

I haven't been very dedicated to my healthier lifestyle lately. I'm working on getting back on track-- AGAIN.
That's the great thing about lifestyle changes. You have to hop back on track over and over again because you realize you've been just messing up way too much.

The 4th of July was great. We had a family reunion and a lot of food. BUT (be warned, here's my excuse) Logan wouldn't let me eat as soon as we got there, which we were very late. By the time I was able to eat all the meat was gone....I couldn't believe it, just GONE. I did have some good salads and there was mac&cheese but not really anything great on the health food front. The desserts were TO DIE FOR!!! This family really loves to bake!!!! Yep I had my share, for about a month all in one day. I did drink water though lol.

I didn't get my camping or my hiking done over the weekend. I sat on my butt in a car for a good portion of it. I actually got a pinched nerve in my hip which shot pain down to my ankle from sitting wrong in the car. I was a real whiney baby!!!

Today I did C25K week 5 day 1 pushing a stroller. I took the little one I watch and we went running while my own little one slept and Dave was still home to watch him. It felt good to get out. I got my new MP3 player yesterday and just had to use it. I love the C25K podcast!!!! I've got all of them on there though might remove weeks 1-4 as I know I won't need them and if I do need them in the future I can just download them again. I'll be getting my new running shoes any day now!!! I really need them tomorrow so I can run with them on thursday. Saturday will be a 20 minute run and I want to have another short run with the new shoes before then. I just may do my 20 min's in my current shoes though my right foot was hurting today because I know my shoes are just worn right out. My other shoes are newer but they hurt my feet just to walk in them so I can't use them for running at all.

I did chalean extreme last night. I haven't done it in quite a while and I really need to keep myself doing it. I do like the program but I've been just slipping a lot over the past month or so with my exercise. Yes I still do a lot more than I did before I started this lifestyle but not doing as much as I feel I should. I don't think at least 30 minutes a day 6 days a week is too much for me. I should be able to commit to at least that.

I am getting better at making healthy choices with food. I still love my sugar but I know how to say no to it now without going through severe withdrawal. As long as I keep myself pumped up on fruits and veggies my sugar cravings are ok.

My weight went back up to 112 but I refuse to move my tracker back in that direction. I will lose that 2 pounds again this week!!! Gotta love the fresh veggies coming out of gardens now. I have tons of cukes that need eating, I have to peel them because the peels are BITTER. I usually like to keep the peel on because my mom always taught me that the peel was the healthiest part of a fruit or veggie....wonder how true that is???? any input???

My step kids are all moved to Atlanta. That was a stressful move for everyone. I'm glad their mom isn't so close anymore but I will certainly miss the kids. We have to figure out our visitation and all that fun stuff as time goes on. I know she wants their dad out of their lives but that just isn't gonna happen. She wants his money but not his presence...I feel she should be grateful that he loves his kids and wants to be an integral part of their lives. He doesn't complain about giving her money, and gives her extra each month (which I disagree with). I feel he gets taken advantage of all in the name of guilt for not being there for his youngsters. I really am torn being the step-mom. I try to let them raise their kids their way and I try to support him through all his "helping" her out but I don't like letting him get walked all over too. Whenever I say something he takes it as me not wanting him to support his kids. Which I DO want him to support his kids, I DON'T want him to support his x-wife. There is a difference!!! and that's why there is child support. He pays generously so why does he have to fix her car, or provide ALL their transportation, or fix her furnace etc..... ok I'm done on that note for now. Just had to write it down and get some of it out.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

My First Race



I feel rather silly calling it a race, I guess it's a run, because time was of no value for me on it. I didn't even look at the counter when I came in. I actually didn't even think of it until quite a while afterwards when I was walking around and I saw it then I thought "Oh I wonder how long it took me".

The Freedom Run: 2 miles, not even a 5K yet. I did have to walk some but I ran most of it. I walked for maybe 4 minutes. My legs were aching and the sun got super hot towards the end of the run. It started at 8:05am for us 2 mile runners and I wished it started earlier, just to beat the heat. We reached a turn around point and I got elated thinking "Ah yes!!! half way!!!" Just the thought of being half way done energized me. Then they turned us down a side street a little ways down and there was the water station. OOOO the fun of trying to grab a little plastic cup of water while jogging. I do want to thank everyone who has ever worked a race event..You are true godsends!! Anyways, I took my cup of water and tried to take a sip, yep....drinking it wasn't happening. I poured it over my head and wet my hair down and cooled off. The water felt wonderful as I lifted my hair and rubbed it on my neck. And the run itself got cooler as the water started to dry on my skin. Keep running...ooh there's a corner, AND A HILL, all at the same time, ugh that was tough but I kept up the run and slowed the pace (I was going walking speed). I didn't want to stop running for anything though. Made it over the hill which was quite small and there was shade. Then suddenly the trees stopped and it was all sun. The sun about killed me. There was no more shade until the end and I just couldn't keep up the run, I had to walk. I didn't time myself but I'm sure it wasn't more than 1-2 minutes then I started running again. That burst spent, I had to walk again, this time was a shorter walk as I was able to catch my breath quicker and I heard someone tell her son how close we were to the finish line. I started to jog again and sure enough, turn the last bend and ooooh the beauty of the finish line!!! And the people, I can already hear them clapping and cheering. That really did give a burst of energy which I was hoping for. I was able to run the rest of the way.

I got my water and started my walking cool down as looking around. Chandra whom I just met at this event and ran most of the way with just crossed the finish line herself and I went over and gave her a congratulatory hug. We got our pictures taken and she had to go home and I grabbed a banana while waiting for my other sparkbuddies to cross the finish line.
There was one sparkbuddy that I missed but I'm sure she was there. She was the only one I knew of who was participating in the 10K, the rest of us did the 2 mile run.

As I was leaving they started the tots-run. NOW THAT WAS JUST TOO CUTE!!!
One daddy was holding his little boys hand while another 10K friend or relative was running beside him. The poor little boy was crying, the run was so tough... I clapped and cheered him on, he made it and it was so fun to see the youngest participants cross the finish. They ranged from 2 yrs up to maybe 5, they were all so little.

And yes I did lose my car, took me forever to find where I had parked and get myself home to report to all my online friends.

Friday, June 19, 2009

walking

well I burnt out pretty bad about 2 weeks ago.
I didn't exercise at all for about 3-4 days and when I did pick it back up I didn't do shred and chalean like I was doing prior.

I started "Walk away the pounds"
I actually find this rather fun, maybe it's because I'm old lol.
I love the simplicity and it makes me sweat.
Though I've learned that you can sweat doing anything aerobic as long as you really work yourself. Those people that say they don't like a video because "it didn't work me hard enough" or "it was just too easy" aren't pushing themselves. It's not the videos fault that they were slacking.

My diet....LOL
there are some things in this world that we are meant to work long and hard on!!!
For me it's staying away from processed foods and sweets. I don't do so well at it, it's a conscious effort all the time, but hey....I do pretty good....considering.
I made a cake and ate only 2 pieces...a piece a day for the two days it was here lol.
We have blueberry newtons on the table and I haven't touched any today. It's calling my name but I keep reaching for my water instead.

I did drink at least 10 glasses of water today. 8 glasses a day isn't even an issue anymore!! I love my water.

Today I decided not to do my videos at all though. I did 15 minutes on the stationary bike and I mowed half of my lawn. I probably should have completed it but a room mate came out and offered to finish it for me and I handed it on over to 'im. BUT.... I haven't mowed in the past 5 years at least so that was something hehe.

Friday, June 12, 2009

One month Ago:
Weight: 113
Waist: 30
hips: 35
chest: 36
thigh: 18
upper arm: 11

Today:
Weight: 110
Waist: 30.5
Hips: 34.5
Chest: 35
Thigh: 18
Upper Arm: 10.5

OK some changes
I hate recording a larger waist....What the crap is up with that. My body hates me.
I don't need scrawny arms.
great on the 3 lbs but it appears I lost it on the boobs and a tiny bit of my hips.
I definitely don't have a curvy body anyways, and the smaller hips makes me more board like without the smaller waist to go with them.....grrrr....
I lost a total of 1.5 inches since starting Chalene.
It looks good when I say it that way though when oooooh when will my belly flab start to move???!!!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

nothing new

I haven't been blogging lately because I have nothing to report.
Measurements remain the same, weight remains the same.
I keep exercising. I'm doing ChaLEAN Extreme and Shred now.
I'm eating fairly good.
Keeping up all these good habits I began and am so frustrated that my body isn't shaping up like it should be.
I feel stronger, I can feel more muscle definition, I know there are changes going on but c'mon can't a girl get a little gratification from her hard work???

Monday, May 18, 2009

Chalean

I had to re-start my ChaLEAN EXTREME program because of traveling then getting sick. I'm glad I didn't try to work through the sickness because this work out is KICK ASS.
I'm sweating so bad after day #2.
I'm still doing my bootcamp so don't have any real rest days. I'm trying real hard to work the two programs together and not really over work myself.

I'm a bit frustrated though because I have stopped losing inches in my waist. The last inch I lost was in my hips about 6 weeks ago. I've been working so hard on this exercise hoping it would make my measurements change. I read so many posts of people being frustrated with the scale but getting results with the tape measure. I'm the opposite and I so want the tape measure results!!!
I don't care if I don't lose another pound if I can lose 4 more inches in my waist bringing me down to 26.

I do feel better now than I have in a long LONG time and I do credit this to my exercising. I think I truly do feel younger!!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

personal plan continued


Today I'm addressing food.
What exactly do I eat to lose weight?
First some background:

I started with Atkins about 10 years ago. I did the induction diet which only allowed about 20 carbohydrates a day to put you in ketosis for 2 weeks, then you gradually increase your carbs. I went hard core and would make sure I got LESS than the 20 carbs every day. I didn't eat many vegetables and got this basically through eating only meat, cheese, and eggs. I got bored with the diet and went off it but didn't change my personal eating habits. Whenever I started gaining too much weight I would go low carb again for a few days. I have since learned that was a real dumb way to try to lose weight.

Fast forward about 7 years:
I'm unexpectedly pregnant at 39. Now I'm eating for 2 again and actually enjoy not having to worry about my weight gain. Get to my third trimester and they have this awful test for gestational diabetes...you have to drink this sickly they say it's sweet but it just gags me orange drink. The nurse is actually concerned that I will puke as I attempt to swallow this stuff. I don't get sick and I sit around and wait for them to draw the blood....I failed the test but just barely....I have to go back and do it AGAIN for a 3 hour test.
OMG the horror. I went back, drank the stuff and failed again. I have gestational diabetes and they set me up to go to a nutrition class. At the time I was heart broken and felt like I was failing this little life within me. My poor husband didn't understand what the big deal was but all I could do was cry, I was crushed.
The nutritionist told us to eat "carb smart" we were to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks every day. The 3 meals were to have 30 carbs each and the snacks were to have 15 carbs each. I was so glad for my atkins background where I had a good idea of what foods had what carbs in them (except for veggies and fruits, I had ignored them before). I was working about 60 hrs a week at cook out as a manager. HOW does one eat healthy at Cook-out????? I didn't but I tried. They ended up putting me on insulin for the end of my pregnancy and I was going to the dr twice a week, once for a stress type test where they hooked me up to monitors and once for my regular appointment.

Now to today: My husband kept trying to gently tell me "honey you are getting fat"
OK he may not have chose those terms...I did.
He did say I needed to get into shape. He was trying to get me to exercise because I avoided it like the plague.
The day after christmas is the day I began this blog so won't go big on that, You can easily just read my first post and follow from there.

Between having used Atkins in the past and the nutritionists recommendations during pregnancy I gained the tools I needed for todays diet. I bought "The Insulin Resistance Diet Plan" book and started reading and taking notes in my head. I started researching online and then it really clicked. I NEED VEGGIES.
I started eating fresh or frozen veggies and unprocessed meats.
I started eating oatmeal for breakfast.
I started eating a salad with hard boiled egg and tuna on it several times a week.
Now that is the core of my "Diet"
Oatmeal for breakfast with maybe an apple or banana if I'm still hungry.
A salad with light italian dressing and plenty of protein for lunch or dinner.
A huge bowl of veggies (favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, or a mix) with diced chicken on top and smothered with melted sharp cheese.

I hate to cook so I don't eat a huge variety. For those of you who love to cook. Just shop around the edges of the grocery store (this is where all the unprocessed foods are), and go to town. No limits on fruits and veggies. Only lean beef, though personally I don't care much for beef, chicken breast, fish (canned tuna is good), and dairy. With dairy I like to go with skim milk but I don't go low fat on anything else. I just prefer whole flavor better.
And of course watch snacking. I love sugary snacks. Many people love the salty snacks. Just cut these down until you are eating them in "moderation". The key is not to deprive yourself but to teach yourself what moderation really is. I try to now eat only 3 sweets a week, rather than 3 a day like in the past.

I forgot to address potatos, corn, and peas: These I do not consider veggies but rather starches. They also need to be eaten in moderation. I don't eat much potato any more. The others I put in my soups but don't eat them regularly either. I say treat these ones exactly like you do snacks. Only eat them maybe 3 times a week rather than every day, and make them small portions, not a main part of your meals. This may be hard to do for the "meat and potatoes" type people.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

overview of my personal weight loss plan

Change your mindset....you aren't on a DIET. "Diet" is a nasty four letter word that should leave your vocabulary. You want to change your lifestyle....why?????
Because your current lifestyle is the reason you put on the weight to begin with and you really don't want to enter a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Your body really hates that and is worth better.

First you need to make small changes for yourself.
1) Drink 64 oz of water every single day (many have to work up to this but it's easy once you start)

2) Get 8 hrs sleep every night. Yes this one is very hard for busy people but really work on accomplishing this. Your body metabolizes differently at night and that's when the most weight loss happens...have you ever noticed that you are lighter first thing in the morning than later in the day? Go to bed early if you have to. I go to bed with my son every night to assure myself 8 hours.

3) cut out soft drinks...if you drink regular go to diet then even cut that out. Diet drinks can cause cravings that are real hard to ignore.

4) Don't cut out snacks right away.....Reduce them instead. Take a look at your current habits. How much sweet do you really eat? How much salt do you really eat? cut these in half for 1 week....then cut them in half again the next week until you are happy with where you stand with your snacks.

5) make a plan!!! What will you do when you feel that you "blew it", "fell off the wagon", or otherwise go off your new lifestyle. Be guaranteed......it will happen. Be sure you don't allow yourself to go on an all out binge! Enjoy what it is that took you off your plan then tell yourself that ok, now you're back at it. NO WASTING AN ENTIRE DAY!!

6) Don't neglect physical activity. Yep EXERCISE!!! That used to be a nasty word to me also but I have grown to truly love exercise (If you don't believe me read my first blog here, I try to portray my loathing of exercise). I started with 20 minutes a day every single day. I didn't want to take a day off because I knew it would be harder for me to do it the following day. I started with Richard Simmons Sweatin To The Oldies DVD's. I love the first one best!!! I have since moved up to 30 minutes of cardio every day and I'm working on my strength training plan. I will soon be restarting the ChaLEAN program which has strength training 3 days and 1 endurance day along with cardio, core, and flexibility training.

Start small but not too small. Be sure that your activity does raise your heartrate, make yourself pant some. I love DVD's, some people love the gym...others love outdoor activities, Find something YOU love.

lastly, don't be afraid to look for support.
diaperswappers and sparkpeople are my best support systems. when I get bored and want to binge i read blogs on sparkpeople or diaperswappers weight loss message boards to post and read.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Burn 2

Well I felt much better about using the resistance bands today. I did each exercise using the tutorial DVD first. I made it through Burn 2 today and boy can I feel my muscles. I'm using the lightest resistance band for all the exercises as I get used to the program and as I get used to using bands. I know I will only improve from here. I don't think I'll get the full benefits of the work-out this first time around but that's ok. I'll just have to go a second round to improve even more. This is a lifetime change so I don't have to worry about getting everything perfect right from the start, though that goes against my personality lol.

I started the sparkpeople sweatsuit to swimsuit bootcamp challenge yesterday as well. It is also using the resistance bands so that's giving me even more practice with the bands. Today's work-out was to work the lower body and to do 30 minutes of cardio. I broke up this work-out throughout the early part of the day. I did the cardio in 10 minute intervals and the lower body work out was only 8 minutes.

Tomorrow is going to be upper body with the ss bootcamp challenge and a cardio with the CLX program. I'll be able to use the CLX cardio to count for the cardio on the bootcamp as well. I hope my upper body isn't too worn out and it doesn't hurt me doing that right after Burn 2, but I really want to keep up with both programs. I think I'm going to watch the video for the bootcamp now. Maybe I can do that early and just concentrate on cardio tomorrow.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

CLX day 1

Well I did my first day of CLX (Chalean extreme) and felt completely inadequate. Not because the weight was too heavy or anything but because I'm very unfamiliar with using bands. I love working with my free weights and tried to save some money by getting bands instead. I really need to do the DVD with the bands again. I was hoping that following the one woman with the bands would be enough for me but they just don't put the camera on her enough for me to actually follow her. I sure hope this learning curve doesn't take too long because I feel that it is detracting from my actual work out.

I did take before pictures. I did not torture myself through all 10 that they advise. 3 was enough for me. I just imagine that I already lost 5 inches in my waist and still my belly looks sooooo hmmmm, not where I want it to be. I'm trying to be nice to myself here. I took the pictures in my swim suit and those things just don't hide any flaws. I hope I'll be able to share the before pictures when I'm completed with the program and my after pictures show a fabulous finish.

I'm spending a portion of today trying to learn how to use the bands. I think I'm going to do shred level 1 using the bands. Mostly because A) I need some cardio and B) I am very familiar with the shred program.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

yesterdays exercise

I've been slacking big time with the exercising. I just haven't had a vision in sight until I decided to actually start ChaLEAN Extreme. But I can't start that until saturday so I'm now feeling myself in a limbo. I had a hard time deciding what to do yesterday. I ended up doing Shred level 1. You know my muscles were SORE!!! I can't believe how quickly you lose the stamina for exercises when you stop them. I've been concentrating more on hiking and gardening and now that I'm moving different muscles again they are aching. Not a bad ache as I know they are getting whipped into shape, it just reminds me that I can't neglect any of them. Today I'll be doing Chalean extreme again. I'm just going to do week one twice. I'm taking friday and sunday off this week as those will be driving days for me, at least 5 hrs each day.
Well worth the drive time to see my daughter and son-in-law....and my grand daughter who will be a year on may 15th AND she just started walking. I'm so excited to see them all, Logan is also beside himself with excitement. He's been carrying around a wooden block for several days now reminding me that we want to give it to Evelyn. We gave her all his wooden blocks and he found a stray.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

CLE (ChaLEAN EXTREME)

I'm going to start ChaLEAN EXTREME.
I'm not sure exactly how I'll organize this week but my official start will be Saturday May 2, 2009.

My body fat measured at 30% yesterday and I'll be taking my before pictures later. My dear husband will be able to play photographer. I will be putting on my swimsuit which I haven't worn in 4 or 5 years. I hope it still has some elasticity so it stays on!!

My start measurements:
Weight: 113
Waist: 30
hips: 35
chest: 36
thigh: 18
upper arm: 11

I'm looking to lose hopefully 8 lbs and some inches. I'd love to lose about 3 inches in the waist, some in the chest and define the rest of my body.

I did burn circuit 1 last night and loved it. I will definitely need to buy some weights as my range seems to be in all the ones I don't yet have. 8,10, and 12lbs. I think I'll buy the 10's first as I'm starting at Deidre's house officially and don't want to carry around tons of weights. I'll bring the 10's and write notes accordingly for my day 2 plan.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Weight Loss pictures



This post is to just put all my pictures in a row for you all to see my visual progress.
My last picture is to the right under my first picture.
The two middle pictures were taken the beginning then the end of Feb.

antsy

OK I'm now ready to get this moving again!!!
Today I'm at 114lbs
By the way, when I post my current weight I post my high end. I will step on a scale several times a day and it fluctuates up to 5lbs every day. 114 is now my high weight.
I'm very happy....I've officially lost 20 lbs since the day after christmas. I did expect to get here sooner but I'm happy I'm here now.
Now I'm ready for that bathing suit body!!!!!

I'm exercising daily and loving it. It's unbelievable that I'm saying that. Look back to my first blog here and I try to portray my loathing of exercise. Now I can't live without it. True I probably don't push myself hard enough even now but I do sweat!!!
I usually don't even take one day off a week. Right now I'm still doing Jillian Michaels and Biggest Loser DVD's. I love shred and power sculpt. I like cardio max but not level 1, I hate all those lunges, but I still do them at least once a week. I'm getting chaLEAN soon, I'm so excited.

Eating is my problem. I love all those processed foods loaded with carbs and not protein. Why on earth are those foods so low in nutritional value?????
Yes I love chicken and tuna and veggies and fruit but I LOVE pizza, hot pockets, spaghetti, lasagne and such (all premade of course).

I probably should start trying some recipes and try to turn my loathing of cooking into a love like I did with my exercise. The problem with cooking is getting all the ingredients together. I HATE when recipes call for 10-15 items and I don't have 3/4 of them in the house and I don't regularly use 3/4 of them which is why they aren't in the house. I can't afford to buy $25 worth of spices and such to try for one recipe which I "might" like. Then they sit around because I don't have a bunch of recipes that use the same ingredients. Another problem with cooking is I get easily distracted...VERY EASILY DISTRACTED. I can't even concentrate to make a grilled cheese sandwich without burning it. OK I'm whining now....sorry.

I've lost 4 lbs sofar for April. I hadn't kept track of pounds per month until now. I joined a challenge to lose 10 lbs in April. I don't think I'll hit it but I'm still getting as close as I can. Then I'll enter a challenge for losing 10 lbs in May. My goal is to get to 104 by the end of May and then measure out my body and see if I still need to lose any, I hope not lol. It all depends on the body fat measurements that I plug into the calculators on this site:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

still going strong

I know I haven't been keeping this blog up to date. I'm just horrible with keeping up everywhere. I have been more active in keeping my blog on sparkpeople.com updated.
New measurements:
weight: 115
waist: 30
hips: 36.5
chest: 36.5
arm: 11
thigh: 18.5

I'm pretty happy where I'm at but still trying to lose 10 more pounds to get more into the ideal weight range. I'm now in the healthy range on BMI calculators but still have too high of a fat percentage at 34% body fat. I want to get my body fat down to 28% at the highest. I'm working on doing so with exercise. I'm still trying to eat healthy but not trying to "diet"
As I've said before....this is a lifestyle change, I will not be returning to my unhealthy life I had before.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Life

Yep it doesn't stop happening just because one decides to live a healthier lifestyle.
We are still surrounded by all the same unhealthy temptations as before so we have to learn how to co-exist with them.

My daughter visited 2 weeks ago. It was a wonderful visit with her and my grand daughter.
First temptation I gave in to: Going out to eat at Steak-N-Shake and ordering chicken strips and frenchfries drowned in cheese sauce.
second temptation I gave in to: Not doing my video on her second day here.
third temptation I gave in to: Staying up entirely too late and not getting enough sleep.

This past weekend was my preschoolers 3rd birthday.
First temptation: Birthday cake, ice cream and snacks
Second temptation: No exercise video Saturday.

Between my daughters visit and my sons birthday I was not eating real well. My weight went back up to 119. I refused to see 120 again and did well there.

Yesterday I got back on track. I ate fantastic. Only took in 1100 calories or so.
I did 32 minutes of circuit training exercises and felt fantastic. I went to bed at 7:30 and got 11 hours of sleep.
The first half of the night my muscles burned and I was so surprised because I only did level one of shred. I had been up to level 3 before my slack time and I didn't take all that much time off from exercising, just from shred.
I was able to complete shred with my 3 lb. weights and did the butterfly raises with my 5 lb weights. I'm so proud of this accomplishment. No more 1.5lb weights on level one for me.
I'm going to get chaLEAN and would love any input anyone has on this.
I restarted my shred challenge 30 days non-stop starting with level 1. I don't think I'll be on level 1 very long as I recently did complete that. Level 2 I do expect to be on for probably 6-8 days before starting level 3 then I'll do level 3 every other day alternating levels 1 and 2 in between. In addition I will be starting the power sculpt/ cardio max plan level 2...which is to do each of those videos on alternating days. I will take 2 days off per week from these two videos but will continue with the shred every day. I will not take 2 days off in a row though. I'm thinking sundays and wed or thursdays.
Sundays I go to the gym with a friend and like to use that as my "easy day"

eating: I just plan on staying within 1200-1500 calories per day concentrating on keeping my protein at close to half my carbs. I want low carbs but not very low. I do real well on a low carb diet but I'm wanting to stick to calories now.
I've been tracking my calcium intake and need to buy some supplements. I am sorely deficient there.

Monday, March 9, 2009

weekend

It really got me this time around. Add Daylight Savings Time on top of it and I'm exhausted. The time change always messes with me. Why don't we keep it a half hour behind what it is and call it even!!!! Mini Vent over.

My eating and exercise was atrocious this past weekend, and I'm having a hard time getting back into it......

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

March Workout Plan

1: Shred level 2
2: Cardio Max
3: Shred Level 3 and Power Sculpt
4: Cardio Max and kick (15 minutes)
5: shred level 3 and power sculpt
6: Cardio Max and Billy Blanks Bootcamp

I will be going through days 3-6 throughout the month switching the shred levels after the 11th.
My goal is to do at least 30 minutes each and every day. I don't plan on any days off and have quit doing the shred every day as it's just as much strength as it is cardio. My strength training is now concentrated on every other day.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

continued

I completely forgot what direction I was going when I was trying to post the other night.
I know I mentioned my weight loss has slowed to a crawl.
COMPLETELY MY OWN FAULT.
First I took two days off from exercising in a row. Complete Mistake!!!!!!!!!
My butt muscles are so sore today after trying to get back into it.
Next.....I made peanut butter fudge last night, need I say more???

Even with all that I'm still not doing too terribly bad.
I am making many more healthier choices now than I ever have in the past.
I had pizza and jazzed up salad the other night where in the past I would have gone for only lots of pizza.
I ate oatmeal with apple chunks in it for breakfast this morning rather than filling up on that peanut butter fudge. Yes I did have some of that fudge too but I would have finished it off if I hadn't eaten the oatmeal.

Though I'm not losing right now I'm maintaining. I do need to stay careful to not let that weight start creeping back on. I will not weigh over 120 ever again!!! It's a vow I make to myself.
I'm at 118 now and look forward to the day I go below 113. Why 113???? That's where I quit last time I went on a low carb diet. I'm no longer following a low carb diet but I am planning on going below that 113 where I stopped before. Before I foolishly thought that if I just dropped the weight that I would be able to go back to old habits and not gain it back. Why on earth did I think that????? I gained it to begin with so should have known that there were changes within myself from my younger years. Yes when I was a teen I could eat all the junk in the world and not gain an ounce. Those days are past, and I now realize that though I didn't gain weight my choices then were definately not healthy and they set me up for this struggle I'm on today.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

so close yet......

so far away.
I'm close to my goal weight. I still have 14 lbs to go until I hit my lower goal. I still have 8 lbs to go for the month of March. It's a lot and I'm not sure if I'm going to hit the mark but I'm keeping the goal and not giving up on it until I have to.
It is possible to lose 8 lbs in a month.
My weight loss has slowed to a crawl. But I'm not discouraged by this fact because my eating habits have been less than stellar.
I'm still happy with the changes I've already made.
to be continued.....it's bedtime here.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Videos

Well I'm really enjoying my videos.
I have a few here that I know I'll never use but I have my old faithful favorites.
I believe that anything Jillian Michaels or Billy Blanks I can enjoy.
I don't like my Karen Voight video, It annoys me. I've been hoping to find someone who would trade videos locally but I just don't connect with any other video exercisers yet.
I am lucky I haven't had to pay full price for all my videos. I was able to get ahold of the billy blanks bootcamps for next to nothing and OOH WOW THEY ARE TOUGH.

I'm going to borrow a heart rate monitor from a friend and see if I really want one. It's one of those nice things to have but really aren't necessary. Of course most accessories aren't necessary. I don't "need" my weights. For videos I can turn to youtube and not have to pay anything but my internet connection which is paid anyways.

Though I love my vid's, I love my weights, I want resistance bands eventually. I'm over feeling like I want a gym membership. I love going to the gym on sundays but it's not necessary for my motivation. The cost of gas and memberships isn't justifiable.
I'm ready for my summer toned body now though. It's taking a long time. Longer of course because I'm not staying on my healthy eating plan as I should. I've been eating sweets the last couple of days. It's time for me to get back on board if I want to lose my 8 pounds necessary by April 1st.
I'm not giving up on that goal yet.
Once I hit 110 then I'll set another goal for 104. I haven't decided on a date for that one. I'm thinking maybe by August 1st. I would love to be at 104 by my birthday :)
I don't plan on going any lower than that though I know I can healthily go down into the 90's.

Measurements:
waist= 31.5
hips= 36
chest= 38
arm= 11.5
thigh= 19.5
weight= 118

Monday, February 16, 2009

Negative Calorie Foods

I found 2 articles talking about negative calorie foods.
One was on sparkpeople.com and another was in someones weight watchers blog, sorry I didn't bookmark it. So at the risk of plagerizing here they are, these are copy and pasted directly from their sources and as soon as I find them again I will give them credit for their words of wisdom:

"Negative Calorie Foods: 15 Foods That Actually Burn More Calories Than They Contain
Friday, December 7, 2007 at 1:36am by admin

By Laura Milligan

No, we’re not advocating the battle to see how few calories you can consume each day or promoting crash diets in any form or function; however, if you’re a snack-o-holic who can’t stop munching and crunching in between meals, try snacking on one of these negative calorie foods instead of gobbling down a cupcake or big bag of chips. Your body can burn more calories just by chewing and processing the snack than the food contains already. In other words, you’ll be able to keep eating throughout the day without packing on extra pounds.

*Celery: A staple on most party veggie trays, celery (without the ranch dressing) is a crispy snack that you can enjoy without worrying about taking in any calories. It is high in sugar and sodium, but still much healthier than pigging out on brownies or salty peanuts.

*Oranges: Before you leave for work in the morning, toss an orange into your bag for a mid-morning or late afternoon snack. An orange typically contains only 45 calories, so feel free to eat the whole thing!

*Strawberries: Strawberries are a popular negative calorie food because of their natural sweetness and juiciness. Sprinkle a few on your breakfast cereal to give your metabolism an extra jumpstart early in the day.

*Tangerines: A smaller, more tart version of the orange, tangerines are another negative calorie food that’s both tasty and portable. Enjoy one or two for a snack throughout the day to stimulate your taste buds without having to dig through the candy drawer.

*Grapefruit: As big as it is, grapefruit –without the extra sugar on top– is a surprisingly negative calorie food. One-half of a grapefruit only contains 36 calories but a whopping 78% of your daily value of potassium.

*Carrots: Carrots don’t just make your eyes sparkle; they also let you snack guilt-free. Snack on baby carrots instead of chips and salsa while you make dinner, or keep a bag in your office refrigerator when you feel the need to eat due to stress.

*Apricots: Indulge in nutrient-rich apricots for a sweet snack with negative calories. Your higher metabolism and thinning waistline will thank you.

*Lettuce: There’s a dirty little rumor in the magazine industry that the girls at Vogue keep lettuce in their desks to snack on when the hunger pains strike, but they can’t afford to compromise their stick thin figures. We’re guessing you’re not about to go through the day dizzy with starvation, but you can make yourself a hearty salad with lots of lettuce (and other negative calorie veggies!) once you get home. Don’t forget to take it easy on the dressing.

*Tomatoes: Chop up a tomato to give your sandwich, salad or egg whites omelet extra flavor without adding any calories.

*Cucumbers: Your salad can’t survive on lettuce alone. Cucumbers are another negative calorie food that are great for crunching on when your mouth is getting bored. Check here for tips on growing your own cucumbers.

*Watermelon: A traditional summertime treat, enjoying a watermelon is almost fun and delicious as eating candy because of its super sweet, super juicy nature. Plus, you’ll burn off all the calories crunching, digesting, and of course, spitting out the seeds.

*Cauliflower: Another party platter vegetable, raw cauliflower is naturally low in fat and of course, calories, so don’t be shy about piling up your cocktail napkin.

*Apples: An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but when eaten as a snack instead of candy bars or chips, apples will also keep the calories at bay. With only 81 calories per apple, your body also works a lot harder and longer to digest the fruit many other snack options.

*Hot Chili Peppers: Excess seasonings and dressings pile on lots of fat and calories to otherwise healthy meals. To avoid gaining weight simply because you’re a condiments junkie, experiment with more natural seasonings like hot chili peppers, which is a negative calorie food.

*Zucchini: Zucchini is a versatile, negative calorie food that can be baked, steamed, fried (not recommended), or prepared in many other ways. With just 15 calories per 100g, make zucchini your new diet staple.

Implementing negative calorie foods into your daily diet doesn’t just help you lose weight by cutting calories; it also speeds up your metabolism and introduces healthier items like fruits and vegetables into your regular food choices and favorite recipes. So no matter how you look at it, you’ll come out ahead."


"Certain vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, celery, watercress, alfalfa sprouts, beet greens, cabbage, chives, endive, lettuce, radishes, garlic, mushrooms, seaweeds, turnip greens, and water chestnuts all burn more calories digesting them than they contain. So, in theory, just eating a cucumber makes you lose weight. In reality, that isn't quite true, but these are all definitely veggies you want to eat a lot of. You can also include broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, peppers, and tomato, but those veggies are borderline. So, if you're going to have a snack, why not cut up a cucumber and pour some vinegar over it? Zero points, and you may actually burn more than you ate. Pretty good, huh? Unfortunately you can't be sneaky and count these veggies as negative points, but that's alright."

small education

What I learned today.
The less you weigh, the more exercise required to burn the same number of calories. I guess that's why weight loss slows down as you approach your ideal weight.
My plan: Up my exercise. I'm going to up my exercise from 20 minutes to 30 every day. So after I do my 20 minute shred videos I'm going to do 10 minutes on the exercise bike, or on the stability ball, or put in another DVD to do 10 minutes of.

Friday, February 13, 2009



OK I decided to take some during pictures. I've decided that the pictures really suck but ah well, there they are.
This is me at 120lbs. It's pictures like these that make me really hate my body as it is. I know I shouldn't feel that way but I do. My boobs are too saggy, my pooch is too prominent and my hips/butt aren't proportionate, In my oppinion of course.
Anyways this is just about my half way point to 104 which is the BMI of 21 I'm eventually looking for.
A friend is going to send me some WW materials and I think I'll read through that and maybe change my plan up. My mother-in-law is using weight watchers and she looked real drawn out last time I saw her. Of course I don't know if it was diet related or other life stresses. I'm hoping it's other life stresses but I think you can even not eat properly on WW. You have to watch where your "points" are coming from. ...at least that's how I believe it works, I don't know.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Healthier Me

I really have to concentrate on why I started this journey. I want to be healthier. I really believe I must be accomplishing this fact as my food choices are sooo much better than they had been in the past. I'm not eating nearly as much processed products. I hope to keep this up forever. Yes I slip-up......a lot. But I get right back up again and continue as planned.
I'm exercising daily, have been doing so for almost 2 months now. I took 3 days off when I was sick.
I'm not seeing the positive bodily changes that I've hoped for and that's a little discouraging. BUT I do KNOW I'm on the right track. My weight is sticking to right around 120lbs. According to BMI calculators online I'm at 24.2. That's the very high end of healthy YAY. When I started this I was at 27.1, in the overweight range. I'm wanting to get down to between 20 and 22, so I'll set the goal at 21 :) That would put my weight at 104, that's 6 lbs lighter than my original goal, of course I'm keeping my original goal in sight for April 1st as planned.
It's very slow going. I'm not losing pounds and I'm not losing inches. I'm getting more agressive with my carbohydrate consumption for now to get things moving along again. I really want to get to where I can eat 1500 calories a day and have my grains also. One day I will get there.

I've been doing the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. It's hard. I've done 8 days now and not feeling the great results, maybe my hopes were just too high and unrealistic. I read message boards where people are losing pounds and inches. I'm not. I still really struggle through the first "circuit" though the second and third are both much easier for me. I can't even do my 3 lb weights through all the strength, I have to drop down to 1.5 lb weights for some of them. I'm supposed to move on to level 2 in 2 days and I just don't feel ready for it. I don't know if I should try to push forward with it or stay at level 1 until I have a firmer grasp of it. I have 3 days to decide, 2 more days of level 1 then a day of rest....then......??????

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Feb. 3

I'm feeling the winter blahs. I'm so ready for spring.
I weighed in at 119 this morning. I had to step on the scale again this afternoon and it was at 121. I'm so excited. My fluctuation is actually finally going under 120!!! I know as long as I stick to plan I'll be under 120 all the time in 3 days. I love having a predictable plan. I can lose 3-4lbs a week if i stick to plan and keep exercising. I've been losing 2 though because I slip up on my plan...though I don't take time off from exercising. It's very important to me to build my muscle and tone up. I want that sexy body by April first and I will get there as long as I keep my goals in sight.
My waist is finally starting to go under 33 inches...FINALLY. I believe it's the exercise that is helping me along here. It's so hard because when I was at this weight before my waist was smaller. I'm hoping to break below 30 inches at 110 lbs.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Half way

Today I hit 122lbs!!!!!!!
I'm half way there weight wise. I now need to re-focus on my exercise. I've been sick this week and using that as an excuse to not exercise. I start back again today with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.
Here's my start measurements for that:
weight: 122
waist: 33
hips: 38
chest: 38
thigh: 18
arm: 12.5

My waist measurement MUST CHANGE!!!!
I'm sick of being in the 30's lol....I want a 29 inch waist again, I had that at 115 lbs before so feel that my waist is definately too large now. Though I should take into consideration body changes as you age, it's hard to imagine my waist will be so much larger at the same weight as before.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

you tube workouts

this first is a link to all the sparkpeople free videos.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos.asp
stability ball workout:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1176

New You Bootcamp:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1251
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1252
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1253
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1254
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1255
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1256
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1257

these are all videos I use in my workouts. some days I don't do any of them and I use other videos, other days I'll use 2 or 3 of them.
the first one really gets my butt muscles!!!!
These are all by coach nicole from sparkpeople.com and fantastic exercises :)
wanted to post them all in one spot to make it easy for me to find them. I usually leave a few open on my pc desktop at all times.
I learned today that I actually do get fitTV. I'm so happy :) I love a couple of their workout programs but haven't paid much attention to when they come on because I figured I couldn't follow regularly. Now I'm going to hunt up a good evening program I hope.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

1/20 weigh in

Today I weighed in at 125
waist: 33"
Arms: 12"
Hips: 38"
chest: 39"
thigh: 19"

I'VE LOST EVERYWHERE!!!
I'm so happy.
in the past week I've lost 4.75 inches (adding all the losses together)
yay for a smaller me!!!!

If you read this blog you better comment and celebrate with me lol.

I'm doing 17 minutes a day (that's how long it takes to register 100 calories) on my exercise bike
I'm also sporadically doing aerobic and body strengthening videos. My intensity on the bike has gone up as well as my durability during aerobic exercise. I love exercising as my toddler does also. Though I'm finding that most of his daily issues have to happen while I'm exercising. He does his best to stop me and it really stinks when he actually succeeds in making me stop mid video. I love when he's joining in because I know those times he's going to most likely let me complete it. But if he quits after only 5 minutes then I have to watch out.

I'm completely HATING my babysitting job. She now wants me to work some 16.5 hr days which I find unacceptable. She just sprung this on me this week so I came home and instantly started looking for another position. I applied for a crochet pattern editor job. That would be very rewarding. I really don't want an out of home job but this one just seems right up my alley and I couldn't pass it up without trying for it.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

lazy weekend

well I've had the worst weekend for laziness. I'm cooking my dinner now. I so want to make it a reward meal like the CAD (Carbohydrate Addicts Diet) suggests but I sort of blew one of my craving reducing meals. So I'm just making it yummy and low carb.
I'm having seasoned chicken, broccoli, and deviled eggs. YUM and so high in protein. oOOO I also want another drink of milk. I'll see about starting CAD tomorrow. Though I'm liking the IRD (Insulin Resistance Diet). I'm trying to decide if it's best to spread the carbs out throughout the day like on IRD or take them all at once like on CAD. I'll still do more research and see what I find.

I only rode the bike for 10 minutes yesterday. HAVE to ride it 20 today to feel good about myself. The weight is starting to melt right off now that I'm low carb. That makes me feel good and I know I can maintain my weight as long as I keep myself carb smart which I will definately do because I am liking not having these cravings for sweets, or chips, or other junk. The true challenge is going to be when I'm ready to add pasta, rice or potato....that might be when I go CAD.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

update 1/17

OK I know I haven't been posting here and it's time for me to update. I've been posting on sparkpeople.com instead.
My weightloss.....just isn't happening according to the scale where I nanny.
According to my home scale I've lost 5 lbs. I have no idea which scale is messed up. they both measure my son exactly the same.
My measurements yesterday were:
waist: 34
arm: 12
thigh: 19
hips: skipped because I only had my 36 inch tape measure with me.

I've just starting to eat low carb balanced meals. I just can't get this stubborn weight to come off so I truly believe carbs are my issue. I don't think I can eat the 160ish carbs a day that my sparkpeople diet was allowing me. I've gone down to less than 30 per day for a few days anyways then I'll gradually increase. Learning what foods I can and can not eat. I have a feeling it will take me the entire year to learn how to eat best for me lol.

Exercise is going great. I've also changed this plan up a bit as well. I ordered some circuit training DVD's. For those who don't know what circuit training it, it's weights and aerobic exercise mixed together to give you your cardio and strength training at the same time. I love my Richard Simmons DVD's and plan on continuing to use them too. I've decided that I'm not going to go over 25 minutes at a time in cardio at least for now. I'm going to work on building up my intensity of my workouts. On the exercise bike I started at 15 minutes at an intensity of 1.2 (yea I really don't understand this either but I'm using the bikes numbers). Now I generally do 16 minutes at an intensity of 1.5. I do 16 minutes because that's when the dial registers 100 calories :)

Logan is really on board with this exercise thing. He likes to make up exercises then he poses and tells me to "look at this exercise mommy". It's absolutely adorable. He was even singing "Big girls don't cry" all day yesterday, from one of my Richard Simmons DVD's lol. I ordered him a kids tae bo kick boxing DVD which should be here on Monday. I hope he likes it and we can work out with that together.

My husband is very supportive yet still doubtful that I will lose my stomach fat. Not because he doesn't believe in me but because HE'S been fighting the bulge also. One way we differ is I've always fought it with diet in the past.....and he's still fighting it with exercise. I'm finally combining diet and exercise, he's still not willing to change his diet but that may come as he sees me tone down :) He's been great with buying me fresh fruits and veggies and he's finally quit buying sodas for me. He actually picked out ones he thought I wouldn't like the other day so I wouldn't be tempted by them. So cute, but soda just isn't tempting me anymore.

slip-ups: Yep they are happening. Big time this past week. I made an oreo no bake dessert with Logan and I LOVE THAT STUFF!!!!!!!!! I tried to be good and planned on only having one serving, as one serving is acceptable; we all need reward foods on occasion. Well nobody was eating the stuff and it was just sitting there. What a shame!!!! I of course ate almost the WHOLE DANG THING. Yep my carb monster came out and took over. Which I'm now fine and under control, and learned I'll NEVER MAKE THAT DESSERT AGAIN.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

update

I've been blogging on sparkpeople.com and haven't been keeping up here.

I went off my eating plan today and it really surprised me. I went to McDonalds with my son and got myself a grilled chicken sandwich, a fruit and yogurt parfait, and a small diet coke. My eating plan wouldn't have allowed as much mayo or bread or any diet coke. I also ate a bite of chocolate chip cookie. I thought the chocolate chip cookie tasted grossly sweet. I couldn't stand it. The diet coke also tasted icky, so I think my taste buds really are changing for the better here I did notice that I wasn't wanting to "cheat" much the past week.

I stepped on the scale today and it's finally starting to fluctuate. I'm not recording a weight yet until it stays steadily lower than my last weight.
My arms and legs are starting to tone down. Waist and chest measurements are remaining the same.
I was able to complete a whole 30 minute video yesterday. I ended up having to march out 1 song of it but was able to get back into it once my heart rate got back under control again.
Goal this week: be able to consistently do the 30 minute video every day. Do my strength training all 3 days. ride the exercise bike an additional 15 minutes after the video for 3 days.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

http://www.sparkpeople.com/landing_free_plus22.asp?gclid=CJnnwamY9ZcCFRqgnAodrlMACA

ok I'm joining a new support forum.
it's free :) and hopefully more helpful than what i've been using sofar.

I'm feeling bummed today that I still haven't seen any weight loss WAH!!!!!

I keep telling myself I'm not in a hurry...but u know what...... I really am.
I want a slimmer, more fit me NOW.
ok my whine for now is over, now time to draw up my plan for today. I got on the exercise bike for 5 minutes this morning before breakfast, ate my oatmeal with brown sugar and skim milk and drank my first glass of water for the day....so foodwise i'm doing ok sofar. exercisewise i'm also on track, I will be doing more bike riding later and think I'll get some help from hubby on his weight set. I talked to him about it some yesterday but he completely talked over my head.

Copied from my Diaperswappers thread:
"A recap of my own accountability.
I started at 130 on Dec 26th with a waist measurement of 35 inches
I didn't lose any weight but my waist measurement went down to 34 inches.
I so wish I measured my chest, arms, hips, and thighs so I could track how lean my exercise is getting me. I'll do that now:

Chest: 39.5 inches
arms: 12.5 inches
hips: 41 inches
thighs: 21 inches

I joined sparkpeople.com and absolutely fell in love with it. I'll be doing most of my tracking there. I joined a contest which is a 10 minute cardio work out every day for the month of jan. Not sure what my goals with this work out are yet. I'm hoping my weight loss will be reflected by joining in on this.
I tried to do crunches the correct way today. OMG that's HARD. I only got 6 in so I really know where I need to work on my strength lol. My abs have suffered greatly over the years."

Saturday, January 3, 2009

food diary

todays intake:
made 64+ oz of water ...YAY
1 serving oatmeal with brown sugar and skim milk for breakfast.
1 serving oatmeal with brown sugar and skim milk with a brownie for lunch (still unable to give up those snacks completely but at least not snacking on them between meals)
2 servings homemade chicken vegetable soup with beans added, 1 serving oyster crackers, 1 oatmeal cookie, 1 serving (maybe a lil less) corn tortilla chips.
All I drank was water today and Dave even bought me a soda which I turned down.

I rode the exercise bike for 23 minutes today. still no videos in todays mail :( i sure hope they come monday as i'm working tues-thurs next week and want to keep up my exercising without getting too creative lol.

It's now 7:50pm and I'm done eating for tonight. I haven't been snacking at all after 8pm recently, usually go to bed pretty early though last night Logan and I were up til about 11 maybe 11:30. I'm still feeling thirsty and will drink more water. Still peeing ALL THE TIME which is super annoying. I've lost some of my energy that I boasted a few days back and my muscles are starting to ache some but I will not let that stop me!!!!!!!!!!

weigh in

I'm doing my weigh in's on Fridays.
Yesterday I weighed the same but lost an inch in the waist. I wish I measured my chest as well because I feel that I've lost some there also.
I'm exercising which is very new to me and I know muscle weighs more than fat. I'm thinking I didn't lose weight because I'm bulking up muscle at the same time which is TOTALLY fine with me. I'm very pleased!!!!!!!!
I'm not looking for quick weight loss but it certainly would be a bonus lol.
I've been very tempted to go back on a low carb diet but keep resisting. I'm trying REAL HARD to change my lifestyle to a healthier eating and exercise regime.
My videos still haven't come...dang the slow holiday mail!!!!!!!! ah well.
I was locked out of the exercise room where I nanny so I really can't wait until those videos come so I can bring my portable DVD player and play them there while with the kids, I know they will enjoy doing them with me.

This week is not about restrictions at all. I'm going to continue with the no soda, increased water, no candy routine...which I plan to do forever now. OK I will have a piece of candy in the future but it won't be a weekly occurence lol.

This week I'm going to attempt to up my fresh fruits and vegetables consumption, AND I'm going to add a bean recipe to my dinners. I'm using dried beans for two reasons. First the health benefits of dried over canned, second.....cost. It's all about being frugal and healthy right now :)
I want to lower my husbands high cholesterol and I really feel we can do that with diet if we can add more home cooked meals and less prepared sandwiches to our diet.