I promise I haven't fallen off track! I've missed two weeks of blogs, though for fairly valid reasons. Week #1 I got sick...like sinus AND Ear Infection sick. I spent most of that week eating soup and drinking mass amounts of orange juice. I did weigh myself on that Monday and had gained about half a pound, which was okay by me given that I did not do well with my eating that week. The leading up to being sick meant being very tired, and very tired of eating chicken, and I made a number of not great food choices because I didn't have the energy to cook. While sick, I didn't have the energy to cook, but I also didn't really have the desire to eat...so they balanced each other out.
Last week I was at home for Thanksgiving vacation and I could have blogged, but I didn't weigh myself because I didn't know how accurate moms scale would be compared to my own. I didn't want the numbers to be off and then have an unrealistic idea of how my week went. So, I figured that since I didn't have a weight update and I'd eaten soup pretty much all week, I didn't really need to write the blog.
In any case, last week I officially started round 2 of the 21 day fix. You may think I'm crazy for doing it over Thanksgiving, but it wasn't so bad - although I really should have been better about actually tracking. I forgot my workout DVD back at my place, but my sister gave me one heck of a workout instead. She recently became a personal trainer for the Y as well as their Zumba instructor, so I went there on Monday for her expertise and she surely gave me a workout! She was by no means a drill instructor - she just told me what to do and I did it, but I was definitely feeling it afterwards. Tuesday I went to her Zumba class and it was so nice to see everyone again, but was a bit more challenging since I was still really sore from the workout the day before. I did the best that I could and then continued to be unimaginably sore for the next few days. Wednesday I spent pretty much the whole day on my feet helping Mom bake pies, so while I didn't do an actual workout, I rarely stopped moving.
My food for most of the week was good, but not great. I didn't really eat things I shouldn't, but I didn't necessarily keep track of what I was eating nor did I eat very much at all. I suppose it's better to not eat as much as you should than to eat more than you should, but it's definitely not a good habit. Thursday was the real test, though. Thankfully (see what I did there...), our Thanksgiving dinner isn't super unhealthy anyway. Turkey is a great protein, the mashed potatoes are homemade, there's no marshmallows on our sweet potatoes, and no extra stuff in the vegetables. So, being good was mostly just a matter of watching my portion sizes. I got a good bowl of salad and ate it first, then I had some turkey, a small amount of mashed potatoes, one slice of sweet potato, a very small serving of stuffing, and some corn. And, our "mindless snacking" while we play games has always been a veggie tray. The desserts are what normally get me in trouble, but this year I allowed myself a small sliver of pumpkin and a small sliver of cherry. Enough to get a taste and enjoy it, but not enough to be detrimental to my weight loss.
We have Thanksgiving at my uncle's house, so we normally do a much smaller version at our house on Friday. This year, I went to help the same uncle with his horse and carriages at a nearby light-up night event so I missed the second dinner. I did eat the leftovers for dinner, but it was late and without being at the table I didn't feel any kind of pressure to eat everything. I just grabbed a little bit of the things I wanted and called it a night.
Saturday was a little tougher because we went wedding dress shopping with my future sister-in-law out of town, which meant eating out. I certainly didn't make the best choices I could have, but I also didn't make terribly bad choices.
In the end, I had a pretty successful week and am looking forward to getting back to business this week. I've already pre-made my breakfasts for the week and stocked up on plenty of healthy foods. My schedule should be pretty easy this week so nothing major to throw me off track (fingers crossed).
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 5: +0.4
Week 6: no weigh-in
Week 7: -1.4
Total weight loss: -7.2
Current weight: 247.2
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Take it easy....
I mentioned last week that this week I would be watching what I ate, but taking it easy since I would be in between 21-day challenges. I was unsure how the week was gonna go, to be honest. I wanted it to go well, but I was a little worried that old habits would rear their ugly heads and cause me to make poor decisions. I'd say it was a little of both.
I realized that when I'm not actually counting the things I eat all day every day it's really easy to skip the good and go with the bad. Having said that, I didn't let myself get that bad. I definitely ate more carbs than I was supposed to, but I didn't go crazy. I allowed myself to eat pretty much what I wanted, but I often found that after I ate it, it didn't taste as good as the idea of it had been. During the fix challenge, I ate a lot of quinoa and a little bit of brown rice. On occasion when I ate them with baked chicken, I would put some of the chicken juice/gravy over it but it was often left plain. Sometimes I would see that box of white rice in my cabinet and really just want some white rice with butter and I was tired of the plain better-for-you stuff. This week I allowed myself to eat some white rice with butter....and it didn't taste very good. I actually ate it with baked chicken and wished that I had put some of the juice over it instead of the butter.
I allowed myself to eat one mini-sized Kit Kat....I LOVE Kit Kats....but I didn't like this one. I took one bite and thought "holy cow that is so sweet!!" There was nothing wrong with the candy bar - I just realized that my taste buds had already changed so much. I've been drinking pretty much just water since I started the fix (other than the Shakeology drinks), with just the rare exception of some tea with honey. I started getting a migraine at work the other day so I broke down and bought a diet Pepsi with the hope that the caffeine would help my headache go away. And the drink was disgusting. I could actually taste the sweetener in it and I certainly didn't like it.
While doing Weight Watchers I had essentially cut out all pop-like drinks, but when I would go back to one it never was quite as bad as this time. I think the difference is that while I may not have been drinking the diet drinks, I was still using artificial sweeteners in my food and other drinks. I'd put them in my tea, use them to sweeten my plain greek yogurt, etc. But the fix doesn't allow you to have them at all. I sweeten my tea and yogurt with honey, I eat my oatmeal plain or with peanut butter, and everything is natural. So I didn't just cut out pop this time - I cut out the sweetener altogether and it's made a huge difference.
I'm finding that I don't need to add as much to sweeten things, I don't use as much salt (not that I really used a whole lot to begin with), and several things just aren't tasting the same as they used to. Microwave popcorn...I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
So, while my week obviously wasn't as good as the past few have been, it was still pretty successful. I still lost a little weight, but more importantly, this was a great opportunity for me to see these changes and realize that during those 21 days when I'm craving something not-so-healthy and wishing I could just eat whatever I want, I can remember this week and remind myself that if I ate that thing I wanted when I wanted it, there's a really good chance it's not going to actually taste as good as I think it will.
A lot of people say things like "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" and I've pretty much always thought that was bogus because I've tasted some pretty amazing things. But after this week I understand it a little more. I won't live my life depriving myself of things in an effort to be skinny, but when you spend more time eating natural foods that are good for you, your tastes themselves change. And maybe that amazing cheesecake or chocolate ice cream or whatever floats my boat right now, isn't going to float my boat as much when I get myself even healthier. And healthy is the goal...not skinny.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 4: -0.4
Total weight loss: -6.2
Current weight: 248.2
I'm a little behind where I was at this point on Weight Watchers, but I also haven't been working out like I was then and I'm eating better quality food. I didn't eat "bad" stuff on WW, but it gives much more room for including processed foods than the fix does. And, our new challenge got pushed back another week so this week I'm not being super strict, but much more so than I was this past week.
I realized that when I'm not actually counting the things I eat all day every day it's really easy to skip the good and go with the bad. Having said that, I didn't let myself get that bad. I definitely ate more carbs than I was supposed to, but I didn't go crazy. I allowed myself to eat pretty much what I wanted, but I often found that after I ate it, it didn't taste as good as the idea of it had been. During the fix challenge, I ate a lot of quinoa and a little bit of brown rice. On occasion when I ate them with baked chicken, I would put some of the chicken juice/gravy over it but it was often left plain. Sometimes I would see that box of white rice in my cabinet and really just want some white rice with butter and I was tired of the plain better-for-you stuff. This week I allowed myself to eat some white rice with butter....and it didn't taste very good. I actually ate it with baked chicken and wished that I had put some of the juice over it instead of the butter.
I allowed myself to eat one mini-sized Kit Kat....I LOVE Kit Kats....but I didn't like this one. I took one bite and thought "holy cow that is so sweet!!" There was nothing wrong with the candy bar - I just realized that my taste buds had already changed so much. I've been drinking pretty much just water since I started the fix (other than the Shakeology drinks), with just the rare exception of some tea with honey. I started getting a migraine at work the other day so I broke down and bought a diet Pepsi with the hope that the caffeine would help my headache go away. And the drink was disgusting. I could actually taste the sweetener in it and I certainly didn't like it.
While doing Weight Watchers I had essentially cut out all pop-like drinks, but when I would go back to one it never was quite as bad as this time. I think the difference is that while I may not have been drinking the diet drinks, I was still using artificial sweeteners in my food and other drinks. I'd put them in my tea, use them to sweeten my plain greek yogurt, etc. But the fix doesn't allow you to have them at all. I sweeten my tea and yogurt with honey, I eat my oatmeal plain or with peanut butter, and everything is natural. So I didn't just cut out pop this time - I cut out the sweetener altogether and it's made a huge difference.
I'm finding that I don't need to add as much to sweeten things, I don't use as much salt (not that I really used a whole lot to begin with), and several things just aren't tasting the same as they used to. Microwave popcorn...I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
So, while my week obviously wasn't as good as the past few have been, it was still pretty successful. I still lost a little weight, but more importantly, this was a great opportunity for me to see these changes and realize that during those 21 days when I'm craving something not-so-healthy and wishing I could just eat whatever I want, I can remember this week and remind myself that if I ate that thing I wanted when I wanted it, there's a really good chance it's not going to actually taste as good as I think it will.
A lot of people say things like "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" and I've pretty much always thought that was bogus because I've tasted some pretty amazing things. But after this week I understand it a little more. I won't live my life depriving myself of things in an effort to be skinny, but when you spend more time eating natural foods that are good for you, your tastes themselves change. And maybe that amazing cheesecake or chocolate ice cream or whatever floats my boat right now, isn't going to float my boat as much when I get myself even healthier. And healthy is the goal...not skinny.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 4: -0.4
Total weight loss: -6.2
Current weight: 248.2
I'm a little behind where I was at this point on Weight Watchers, but I also haven't been working out like I was then and I'm eating better quality food. I didn't eat "bad" stuff on WW, but it gives much more room for including processed foods than the fix does. And, our new challenge got pushed back another week so this week I'm not being super strict, but much more so than I was this past week.
Monday, November 2, 2015
21 Days
I have officially made it to 21 days!!! Starting out when I would see something I wanted, but it wasn't on the food plan, I would just remind myself that it was only for three weeks and if I was successful and still wanted that thing I could have it. At the time, 3 weeks sounded like an awfully long time to wait, but it just FLEW by! I can't believe the 21 days are over already - that's just nuts.
I had a few people ask me about last weeks post and the answer to that actually ties in to this weeks post! No, I did not write a post last week because this past week was a bit of a disaster and I simply didn't get around to it.
Week 2 was overall, pretty great. I had spent that Sunday planning meals and precooking things. I hard-boiled a whole dozen eggs, I made a batch each of steel cut oatmeal and quinoa, then I grilled some chicken and baked some, too. I separated the oatmeal into individual containers and left the others together in large containers that I could just scoop out what I needed when I needed it. It was great! That whole week I was so good about sticking to my plan and having the things precooked so they just needed reheated was so nice! I even got a little bit braver with experimenting with foods and made an amazing substitute for chicken fried rice using quinoa and cauliflower instead of rice! The workouts were surprisingly easier and I had even bought myself a small set of hand weights to use during my workouts instead of the cans of sauce I had been using the week before.
I went home over the weekend to see my family and took all my stuff with me - the containers, my plan book, several of the Shakeology packets, and my workout DVD. In regards to food, I did pretty well while I was home. I used my containers, I talked with my mom about what foods I'd be able to eat and worked with what she was nice enough to fix for us. However, I did not do well with working out. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive, so I got in Friday evening and spent the evening catching up and not working out. Saturday we babysat 3 young girls pretty much all day and while I didn't do my actual workout, I did play Just Dance with them for about an hour so that was a fairly decent workout in itself! Sunday was much the same as Friday only in reverse....church, packing, early dinner, then driving...and of course because of weekend detours in Pittsburgh and a quick stop to drop something off to my brother, my 3 1/2 hour drive actually took about 5 hours. So, it was about 9 when I got back to my place and I hadn't eaten since about 3 that afternoon. But, I weighed myself Monday morning and I had still lost another 2 pounds! Woohoo!
Then Monday happened. The day started off well enough, but then right before the end of my workday I had a work issue go haywire. I ended up having to stay at work late, I hadn't done any of my food shopping or food prep since the drive in took so long the previous night, and by the time I was out of work I was so hungry and had no food to eat and was just mentally in a bad place because of the issue. I went straight to the store and got my groceries - for the most part I stuck solely to my shopping list and only deviated because I needed something to eat for that night. And despite my bad mood and my desire for nothing more than my couch and a tub of ice cream, I ignored the siren call of the stress food and went for the already prepared lemon chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes. I didn't get my exercise in, and I didn't eat all the food I was supposed to for the day, but overall the day was a major win because I didn't succumb to the temptation.
Frankly, the rest of the week didn't get much better. The same issue went through the entire day Tuesday, and it again got to dinner and I had no food already prepared and no will to actually make anything let alone exercise. Wednesday I put in some volunteer hours with a conference that we were hosting so I literally worked all day - barely had time to stop to eat let alone workout. Then on Thursday, my friend Pam came to visit for the weekend from South Carolina. We ate out a couple times and I am super proud of the choices I made. We went to one of our favorite places, Mad Mex, and instead of getting the plate-sized burrito that I normally would have gotten, I got the chicken quesadilla. It was loaded with lots of chicken and veggies and had just a little cheese in it. On Saturday, we went to a tailgate and to the football game. I allowed myself to have one brownie and one sausage, but I resisted all the other delicious but not so good for you foods there, and didn't buy anything in the stadium....plus we walked A LOT. I made chili in the crock pot that was done when we got home and I had used both beef and turkey to make it a little healthier. We ended up eating that again on Sunday since there was a lot left over.
Given the week that I had, and that I didn't work out at all during the week, I could have done a lot of damage to my progress. But, I feel like I made some of the best choices I could given the circumstances I had. I avoided trigger foods, didn't eat any candy, didn't make any pumpkin seeds (which makes me so sad), and made some reasonably healthy choices while eating out without depriving myself. I'm pretty proud of myself and I think it really showed me that while I certainly don't want to have a week like that all the time, it's manageable. You can eat delicious foods and still lose weight. You don't have to deprive yourself - I even had a few drinks this weekend...I just limited it to one each day. I even made cupcakes to take to the tailgate and managed to avoid eating any of them!! There's still about half a dozen sitting in my apartment and they don't even look that tempting to me. I can do this.
So, my 21 days has officially come to an end, obviously that doesn't mean that I have to stop. I've been working these last three weeks with a "challenge group" on Facebook with other women who have also been doing it. I liked the accountability and support that came with it - people who were just starting and facing similar demons, people who had gone through it before and could share how much they hurt the first week too and tell us that it gets better, who would share recipes of things they tried and liked. There's another one with my coach starting on Nov. 9th that I've committed to joining. For this week I'm going to still follow the plan but go a little easy on myself...I may even eat the frozen homemade meatballs that have been staring me in the face for the last three weeks. Then, when the new group starts up next week, I'll be ready to tackle things again head on without losing any progress.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 2: -2.0
Week 3: -1.2
Total weight loss: -5.8
Current weight: 248.6
I also took my measurements before and after and have lost 5.5 inches! Two from my waist, one from my hips, and two and a half from my thighs combined! I have no doubt that if I had done the exercises more these numbers would be even better. I can't wait to see how different they look the second time around.
I had a few people ask me about last weeks post and the answer to that actually ties in to this weeks post! No, I did not write a post last week because this past week was a bit of a disaster and I simply didn't get around to it.
Week 2 was overall, pretty great. I had spent that Sunday planning meals and precooking things. I hard-boiled a whole dozen eggs, I made a batch each of steel cut oatmeal and quinoa, then I grilled some chicken and baked some, too. I separated the oatmeal into individual containers and left the others together in large containers that I could just scoop out what I needed when I needed it. It was great! That whole week I was so good about sticking to my plan and having the things precooked so they just needed reheated was so nice! I even got a little bit braver with experimenting with foods and made an amazing substitute for chicken fried rice using quinoa and cauliflower instead of rice! The workouts were surprisingly easier and I had even bought myself a small set of hand weights to use during my workouts instead of the cans of sauce I had been using the week before.
I went home over the weekend to see my family and took all my stuff with me - the containers, my plan book, several of the Shakeology packets, and my workout DVD. In regards to food, I did pretty well while I was home. I used my containers, I talked with my mom about what foods I'd be able to eat and worked with what she was nice enough to fix for us. However, I did not do well with working out. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive, so I got in Friday evening and spent the evening catching up and not working out. Saturday we babysat 3 young girls pretty much all day and while I didn't do my actual workout, I did play Just Dance with them for about an hour so that was a fairly decent workout in itself! Sunday was much the same as Friday only in reverse....church, packing, early dinner, then driving...and of course because of weekend detours in Pittsburgh and a quick stop to drop something off to my brother, my 3 1/2 hour drive actually took about 5 hours. So, it was about 9 when I got back to my place and I hadn't eaten since about 3 that afternoon. But, I weighed myself Monday morning and I had still lost another 2 pounds! Woohoo!
Then Monday happened. The day started off well enough, but then right before the end of my workday I had a work issue go haywire. I ended up having to stay at work late, I hadn't done any of my food shopping or food prep since the drive in took so long the previous night, and by the time I was out of work I was so hungry and had no food to eat and was just mentally in a bad place because of the issue. I went straight to the store and got my groceries - for the most part I stuck solely to my shopping list and only deviated because I needed something to eat for that night. And despite my bad mood and my desire for nothing more than my couch and a tub of ice cream, I ignored the siren call of the stress food and went for the already prepared lemon chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes. I didn't get my exercise in, and I didn't eat all the food I was supposed to for the day, but overall the day was a major win because I didn't succumb to the temptation.
Frankly, the rest of the week didn't get much better. The same issue went through the entire day Tuesday, and it again got to dinner and I had no food already prepared and no will to actually make anything let alone exercise. Wednesday I put in some volunteer hours with a conference that we were hosting so I literally worked all day - barely had time to stop to eat let alone workout. Then on Thursday, my friend Pam came to visit for the weekend from South Carolina. We ate out a couple times and I am super proud of the choices I made. We went to one of our favorite places, Mad Mex, and instead of getting the plate-sized burrito that I normally would have gotten, I got the chicken quesadilla. It was loaded with lots of chicken and veggies and had just a little cheese in it. On Saturday, we went to a tailgate and to the football game. I allowed myself to have one brownie and one sausage, but I resisted all the other delicious but not so good for you foods there, and didn't buy anything in the stadium....plus we walked A LOT. I made chili in the crock pot that was done when we got home and I had used both beef and turkey to make it a little healthier. We ended up eating that again on Sunday since there was a lot left over.
Given the week that I had, and that I didn't work out at all during the week, I could have done a lot of damage to my progress. But, I feel like I made some of the best choices I could given the circumstances I had. I avoided trigger foods, didn't eat any candy, didn't make any pumpkin seeds (which makes me so sad), and made some reasonably healthy choices while eating out without depriving myself. I'm pretty proud of myself and I think it really showed me that while I certainly don't want to have a week like that all the time, it's manageable. You can eat delicious foods and still lose weight. You don't have to deprive yourself - I even had a few drinks this weekend...I just limited it to one each day. I even made cupcakes to take to the tailgate and managed to avoid eating any of them!! There's still about half a dozen sitting in my apartment and they don't even look that tempting to me. I can do this.
So, my 21 days has officially come to an end, obviously that doesn't mean that I have to stop. I've been working these last three weeks with a "challenge group" on Facebook with other women who have also been doing it. I liked the accountability and support that came with it - people who were just starting and facing similar demons, people who had gone through it before and could share how much they hurt the first week too and tell us that it gets better, who would share recipes of things they tried and liked. There's another one with my coach starting on Nov. 9th that I've committed to joining. For this week I'm going to still follow the plan but go a little easy on myself...I may even eat the frozen homemade meatballs that have been staring me in the face for the last three weeks. Then, when the new group starts up next week, I'll be ready to tackle things again head on without losing any progress.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 2: -2.0
Week 3: -1.2
Total weight loss: -5.8
Current weight: 248.6
I also took my measurements before and after and have lost 5.5 inches! Two from my waist, one from my hips, and two and a half from my thighs combined! I have no doubt that if I had done the exercises more these numbers would be even better. I can't wait to see how different they look the second time around.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Fix'in it
So I've completed my first week of the 21 Day Fix and I must say that I've already noticed a big change in myself...not necessarily in the weight, but in how I feel. Here's how my week went:
I spent last Sunday reading the materials and getting myself familiar with the foods I would need, buying some groceries to stock up on my healthy options, and then planning for the week. I wrote out a meal plan for every day M-F, leaving the weekend up in the air for some spontaneity. I found myself planning a lot of the same things day after day, but I was also limited to what I had already bought and was still trying to figure out how it worked.
Throughout the week I deviated from my food schedule a little, but mostly just exchanged some meals between days due to unforeseen daily challenges like when I burned a potato in my microwave (yep, that really happened) or when I didn't have much time to cook and needed to find something quicker.
The plan is fairly simple to follow, though. Based on your weight you get a certain number of each container to eat each day and initially I actually found it a little difficult to get them all in! I felt like I was eating ALL THE TIME, but the difference was that I was eating good foods, not bad ones. The first two days I failed at eating all of my containers, but I got almost all of them in and wrote it off as me still trying to get the whole thing figured out. Wednesday and Thursday, though, I was a rock star. I got all my containers in except for 1 (eating 6 proteins a day is hard!). Then things fell apart a little bit....my allergies got the best of me on Friday and I woke up miserable. I ate some strawberries for breakfast, some carrots at lunch, and then I left work at 3:30 and immediately fell asleep and slept until 9:00pm!! I made myself get up for a little while and though I wasn't feeling that hungry, I knew I needed to eat something a little more substantial so I ate an egg sandwich. I'm sure I could've made a little bit better of a choice, but I was not in a state to do much cooking and had planned for a Friday dinner out, so I didn't have anything ready-made. Saturday and Sunday I was feeling more like myself, but still just didn't feel like eating and didn't have the energy to do much. So, I came nowhere close to eating my containers, but at least I only had healthy options on hand so I didn't make any bad choices.
The 21 Day Fix also comes with a set of workouts to do - one 30 minute workout for each day. Let me tell you, these workouts are NO JOKE. I realize that I'm not in great shape right now, I haven't been running in over a year and I haven't gone to Zumba in over a month, but HOLY. COW. These suckers kicked my butt and I couldn't even do everything full out...I had to use the modified option on several of them. Monday was total body cardio and I thought I would collapse at the end...and the next day, oh the next day, I hurt...all over. It was like I couldn't walk like a normal person. I saw my reflection walking at one point and it didn't look like I was walking weird, but I felt like I couldn't walk right. I couldn't bend my knees too much, flexing my thigh myself felt like a death sentence, and don't get me started on standing up and sitting down. Oh yeah, and I had to seriously increase my water intake so of course I also have to pee like every hour...in pain...sometimes using the handrails in the handicapped stall to help myself sit down or get back up again. NOT. FUN. Tuesday was upper body workout and thankfully it wasn't too bad, but I had to improvise because I didn't have any hand weights, so I used the next best thing...two big cans of tomato puree. :-D So, I didn't really push myself too much with the weight, but I did the best I could with what I had. Then I saw that Wednesday was leg day and I wanted to cry. I thought about not doing it for a hot second because despite taking a long hot bath on Tuesday night to soak my sad legs, I still hurt...a lot. But, I committed to doing this and figured that I would do it and just do the best that I could that day. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected and I think that instead of hurting more, it actually stretched some of the soreness out because they felt much better on Thursday. Thursday was Pilates, which was pretty cool - I did mostly modified workouts, but this was also possibly the first workout that I didn't end feeling like hurting Autumn (the workout guru). I clearly felt like I had worked my muscles, but no soreness afterwards. Then, Friday hit and you know how that went....I wish I'd looked at the workout schedule on Sunday, though, cause it was yoga and I feel like I probably could have had the energy for that. But, that was my fault for not looking at all.
I'm looking forward to seeing how week two goes and feels different. I did some even further planning for the week to give myself an even bigger help. I went to the store and bought some more foods and did my weekly meal plan, but this time I even took it a step further and already cooked some of it. I have a whole carton of already hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, several individual servings of oatmeal cooked, a container of quinoa cooked, and two different kinds of chicken. I have all my fresh fruits and vegetables split up into individual servings so they're easy to grab. I'm not a morning person (I like my sleep) and having only an hour for lunch when you have to cook it yourself can be stressful. Having things already scheduled, prepared, and just needing a quick minute in the microwave saves me so much time and energy and seems to really make it easier for me to make the good choices.
Oh, and the Shakeology drinks aren't too shabby, either - I got a package of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and have been experimenting with them...thus far the chocolate is my favorite. I've been adding different frozen fruits to them to mix it up. The strawberry one still has a clear powder-y taste to it even after it's made, but the chocolate and vanilla don't seem to as much. They certainly make a pretty tasty afternoon snack.
As I said before, I'm already noticing some changes - I have a better attitude most of the time, more energy, and while I still hate getting out of bed in the morning, it seems to be a little easier than it was before. I'm trying to work in a little bit more variation into my diet this week and am hoping that the workouts (which will repeat through this week) will be a little bit easier this time around....maybe not much, but hopefully at least a little.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 1: -2.6
Total weight loss: -2.6
Current weight: 251.8
I'm pretty happy with this result - I think it would've been better if I had been able to work out for those three other days, but I also didn't each much so maybe it balanced out, I don't know. Regardless, I'm 2 1/2 pounds lighter than I was this time last week so I'll take it!
I spent last Sunday reading the materials and getting myself familiar with the foods I would need, buying some groceries to stock up on my healthy options, and then planning for the week. I wrote out a meal plan for every day M-F, leaving the weekend up in the air for some spontaneity. I found myself planning a lot of the same things day after day, but I was also limited to what I had already bought and was still trying to figure out how it worked.
Throughout the week I deviated from my food schedule a little, but mostly just exchanged some meals between days due to unforeseen daily challenges like when I burned a potato in my microwave (yep, that really happened) or when I didn't have much time to cook and needed to find something quicker.
The plan is fairly simple to follow, though. Based on your weight you get a certain number of each container to eat each day and initially I actually found it a little difficult to get them all in! I felt like I was eating ALL THE TIME, but the difference was that I was eating good foods, not bad ones. The first two days I failed at eating all of my containers, but I got almost all of them in and wrote it off as me still trying to get the whole thing figured out. Wednesday and Thursday, though, I was a rock star. I got all my containers in except for 1 (eating 6 proteins a day is hard!). Then things fell apart a little bit....my allergies got the best of me on Friday and I woke up miserable. I ate some strawberries for breakfast, some carrots at lunch, and then I left work at 3:30 and immediately fell asleep and slept until 9:00pm!! I made myself get up for a little while and though I wasn't feeling that hungry, I knew I needed to eat something a little more substantial so I ate an egg sandwich. I'm sure I could've made a little bit better of a choice, but I was not in a state to do much cooking and had planned for a Friday dinner out, so I didn't have anything ready-made. Saturday and Sunday I was feeling more like myself, but still just didn't feel like eating and didn't have the energy to do much. So, I came nowhere close to eating my containers, but at least I only had healthy options on hand so I didn't make any bad choices.
The 21 Day Fix also comes with a set of workouts to do - one 30 minute workout for each day. Let me tell you, these workouts are NO JOKE. I realize that I'm not in great shape right now, I haven't been running in over a year and I haven't gone to Zumba in over a month, but HOLY. COW. These suckers kicked my butt and I couldn't even do everything full out...I had to use the modified option on several of them. Monday was total body cardio and I thought I would collapse at the end...and the next day, oh the next day, I hurt...all over. It was like I couldn't walk like a normal person. I saw my reflection walking at one point and it didn't look like I was walking weird, but I felt like I couldn't walk right. I couldn't bend my knees too much, flexing my thigh myself felt like a death sentence, and don't get me started on standing up and sitting down. Oh yeah, and I had to seriously increase my water intake so of course I also have to pee like every hour...in pain...sometimes using the handrails in the handicapped stall to help myself sit down or get back up again. NOT. FUN. Tuesday was upper body workout and thankfully it wasn't too bad, but I had to improvise because I didn't have any hand weights, so I used the next best thing...two big cans of tomato puree. :-D So, I didn't really push myself too much with the weight, but I did the best I could with what I had. Then I saw that Wednesday was leg day and I wanted to cry. I thought about not doing it for a hot second because despite taking a long hot bath on Tuesday night to soak my sad legs, I still hurt...a lot. But, I committed to doing this and figured that I would do it and just do the best that I could that day. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected and I think that instead of hurting more, it actually stretched some of the soreness out because they felt much better on Thursday. Thursday was Pilates, which was pretty cool - I did mostly modified workouts, but this was also possibly the first workout that I didn't end feeling like hurting Autumn (the workout guru). I clearly felt like I had worked my muscles, but no soreness afterwards. Then, Friday hit and you know how that went....I wish I'd looked at the workout schedule on Sunday, though, cause it was yoga and I feel like I probably could have had the energy for that. But, that was my fault for not looking at all.
I'm looking forward to seeing how week two goes and feels different. I did some even further planning for the week to give myself an even bigger help. I went to the store and bought some more foods and did my weekly meal plan, but this time I even took it a step further and already cooked some of it. I have a whole carton of already hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, several individual servings of oatmeal cooked, a container of quinoa cooked, and two different kinds of chicken. I have all my fresh fruits and vegetables split up into individual servings so they're easy to grab. I'm not a morning person (I like my sleep) and having only an hour for lunch when you have to cook it yourself can be stressful. Having things already scheduled, prepared, and just needing a quick minute in the microwave saves me so much time and energy and seems to really make it easier for me to make the good choices.
Oh, and the Shakeology drinks aren't too shabby, either - I got a package of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and have been experimenting with them...thus far the chocolate is my favorite. I've been adding different frozen fruits to them to mix it up. The strawberry one still has a clear powder-y taste to it even after it's made, but the chocolate and vanilla don't seem to as much. They certainly make a pretty tasty afternoon snack.
As I said before, I'm already noticing some changes - I have a better attitude most of the time, more energy, and while I still hate getting out of bed in the morning, it seems to be a little easier than it was before. I'm trying to work in a little bit more variation into my diet this week and am hoping that the workouts (which will repeat through this week) will be a little bit easier this time around....maybe not much, but hopefully at least a little.
Initial weight: 254.4
Week 1: -2.6
Total weight loss: -2.6
Current weight: 251.8
I'm pretty happy with this result - I think it would've been better if I had been able to work out for those three other days, but I also didn't each much so maybe it balanced out, I don't know. Regardless, I'm 2 1/2 pounds lighter than I was this time last week so I'll take it!
Monday, October 12, 2015
These are my confessions
Over three and a half years ago I started this blog. It took me about 8 months to lose over 50 pounds and get to a weight I hadn't seen since I was in college. I hit a plateau and maintained that weight for about a year...and then it all fell apart. Over the last two years I gained back everything that I'd lost. I knew I was putting some back on...I knew it was starting to get more than I wanted...and then I had to finally admit what I didn't want to - that I had put it ALL back on.
How did I let this happen?! I worked so hard to get it off in the first place. I learned so many things about losing it and keeping it off...what happened?! And then I realized that it wasn't that it was hard to keep the weight off...but it was SO EASY to fall back into old bad habits! And that's what it comes down to. Life happened...and I let it get the better of me. It threw a whole pile of rocks in my path and I stumbled over all of them.
Some days I get really frustrated with myself for letting things get out of hand...for folding under the pressure...for being the kind of person who eats her feelings. And some days I remember just how much stress I was under and even I can't blame myself!
My life has been pretty unstable for the last year and I'm just now finding my footing again. My job contract came to a close and I ended up having to move home because I hadn't found a new job yet. I spent the past year looking for a new job and getting lots of rejections (when the school even bothered to respond to me at all). It was really difficult! I mean, it sucks basically being told you're not good enough over and over and over again. And being unemployed/underemployed, you'd think I would've had PLENTY of time on my hands to get in some exercise and watch what I was eating. And I did have the time...but I threw myself a year long pity party instead.
But, the reality is that it happened and now I have to deal with it. Now my life is on some solid ground...I'm back at Penn State, although it's temporary. And while I don't have a solid plan for what comes next, I have a rough plan and lots of people who have offered help to make that plan happen...which is a pretty great feeling. So now it's time to get other parts of my life back on track too.
This time around I've decided to try something different. I'm still a firm believer in the Weight Watchers plan, but we all know that I sucked at keeping track of my points. I've heard some great things about the various BeachBody programs and personally know a number of people who have been successful doing one, or more, of their plans. So, thanks to some encouragement from an old friend of mine, I've decided to try doing the 21-day Fix...and Shakeology....doing both was a deal.
In essence the "fix" is quite similar to WW - you watch your portion sizes and make sure that you're eating a balance of the food groups. The method is just a little different and focuses a bit more on clean eating (i.e. no junk) while also providing specific 30 minute exercises to do each day as well. Adding in the Shakeology is an extra way to make sure you get in the vitamins and nutrients your body needs...not a necessity, but I figured I would at least try it out.
This time around I've decided to try something different. I'm still a firm believer in the Weight Watchers plan, but we all know that I sucked at keeping track of my points. I've heard some great things about the various BeachBody programs and personally know a number of people who have been successful doing one, or more, of their plans. So, thanks to some encouragement from an old friend of mine, I've decided to try doing the 21-day Fix...and Shakeology....doing both was a deal.
In essence the "fix" is quite similar to WW - you watch your portion sizes and make sure that you're eating a balance of the food groups. The method is just a little different and focuses a bit more on clean eating (i.e. no junk) while also providing specific 30 minute exercises to do each day as well. Adding in the Shakeology is an extra way to make sure you get in the vitamins and nutrients your body needs...not a necessity, but I figured I would at least try it out.
So ladies and gents, here goes nothing. Today is Day 1. My Journey To A Thinner Me....Take 2
Starting Weight: 254.4
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Ouch
Soooo first week back in the trenches! It's like riding a bike....you don't forget all the stuff you learned, but when you get back on you remember all the details in an instant. I won't say that I had a GREAT first week back, but it was a pretty solid start! The first few days I did really well - I counted all my points and I even actually tracked them!! It went a little downhill at the weekend, though. I have a friend who is leaving the country for ten weeks soon so we've been spending lots of time together before she goes and that involved several meals out this weekend. Now, I certainly could have made healthier choices, but I also didn't let myself go crazy. I didn't track over the weekend - they were mostly local restaurants and you can't exactly calculate the points for their food cause I doubt the waitress can provide you with all of the nutritional facts for their menu!
I started feeling a little nervous about my weekend on Sunday because I'd also been REALLY tired this weekend and didn't really do much of anything. So, while my laundry was washing I decided to get back to the dancing. (It also helped that there wasn't really much of interest to me on the tv...) I put on some workout clothes and did my new-ish Just Dance 2014 for a little over an hour! I've owned the game for several months now and have probably only played it twice before this weekend...oops. In any case, the songs are interesting and it reminded me just how out of shape I let myself get. Oy. I had to drink more water during it than I used to and it was certainly a workout for me cause I could even feel a little soreness in my upper back area on Monday.
Monday afternoon I had my first on-campus Zumba class! Holy. Smokes. It was fifty straight minutes....no break. I needed water after about every other song! But...I was quite proud of myself. It was pretty evident that most of the women there (it's a faculty reserved class) were regulars and went more than once a week...and the instructor came up to me almost immediately and said she'd never seen me before and introduced herself. She asked if I'd ever done Zumba before and I, obviously, answered yes and said that my sister was an instructor - so she said, "oh awesome then I don't even need to worry about you....". Yeah....no pressure. I've taken Zumba from two different instructors before this girl (not including the few extras from the Zumbathon that Sister and I did), but I'd never done any of these songs before...well, I think we did one of them in my first class, but the dance was quite different. Regardless, I think I actually kept up really well! There were only a few small times when I got confused by the footwork, and at one point my thighs were BURNING from this one dance, but overall I was impressed with myself cause this chicks dances are no joke! (For those of you who take Sisters class, it's like Girls and Footloose for the whole 50 minutes....) I don't think I've worked my hips that much in a LONG TIME. I didn't even mind having to grab a quick lunch and eating while I worked afterwards! I did have a strange feeling while I was changing back into my work clothes in my locked dark office (awkward!), but I felt a good exhausted and really proud of myself for doing it.
And then the day went on....
And as the day went on....I began to FEEL my workout. In my arms. In my back. In my abs. And most especially, in my legs. Every time I had to stand, sit, walk, or (God forbid) climb stairs...I felt it. My body was ANGRY! I told that to one of my kiddos who is very athletic and she said, "I don't think your body is angry, I think it's actually really happy". So I told her that it was happy that I worked out, but it was angry that I went so long not doing it and let it get out of shape. Monday night was fairly painful, but I took a long hot bath and just let myself soak in the water. I mostly just grab quick showers, so it had been quite some time since I'd actually taken a bath and it felt like heaven. I put on some good slow music and just let myself enjoy the heat. I had taken in a book, but I didn't even need it...I just let myself fully relax and it was amazing. Granted, it was still sore getting out of the tub, but I wrapped myself up in a big fluffy robe and then bundled up under the blankets in my bed and relaxed a little longer.
I got up this morning and still felt a little soreness, but nothing like what I felt last night. I think that bath was just what I needed! Now, the class is offered multiple days a week over lunch, but because of meetings and such I can only go on Mondays, but I think even that one day a week will really help get me back on track...and the memory of that pain may be enough to not ever let myself go so long without working out!
New starting weight: 239
Week 1: -3.0
Total weight loss: -3.0
Current weight: 236
I will take those three pounds off and be super duper happy about it!!! Let's hope week #2 is just as successful....though slightly less painful!
I started feeling a little nervous about my weekend on Sunday because I'd also been REALLY tired this weekend and didn't really do much of anything. So, while my laundry was washing I decided to get back to the dancing. (It also helped that there wasn't really much of interest to me on the tv...) I put on some workout clothes and did my new-ish Just Dance 2014 for a little over an hour! I've owned the game for several months now and have probably only played it twice before this weekend...oops. In any case, the songs are interesting and it reminded me just how out of shape I let myself get. Oy. I had to drink more water during it than I used to and it was certainly a workout for me cause I could even feel a little soreness in my upper back area on Monday.
Monday afternoon I had my first on-campus Zumba class! Holy. Smokes. It was fifty straight minutes....no break. I needed water after about every other song! But...I was quite proud of myself. It was pretty evident that most of the women there (it's a faculty reserved class) were regulars and went more than once a week...and the instructor came up to me almost immediately and said she'd never seen me before and introduced herself. She asked if I'd ever done Zumba before and I, obviously, answered yes and said that my sister was an instructor - so she said, "oh awesome then I don't even need to worry about you....". Yeah....no pressure. I've taken Zumba from two different instructors before this girl (not including the few extras from the Zumbathon that Sister and I did), but I'd never done any of these songs before...well, I think we did one of them in my first class, but the dance was quite different. Regardless, I think I actually kept up really well! There were only a few small times when I got confused by the footwork, and at one point my thighs were BURNING from this one dance, but overall I was impressed with myself cause this chicks dances are no joke! (For those of you who take Sisters class, it's like Girls and Footloose for the whole 50 minutes....) I don't think I've worked my hips that much in a LONG TIME. I didn't even mind having to grab a quick lunch and eating while I worked afterwards! I did have a strange feeling while I was changing back into my work clothes in my locked dark office (awkward!), but I felt a good exhausted and really proud of myself for doing it.
And then the day went on....
And as the day went on....I began to FEEL my workout. In my arms. In my back. In my abs. And most especially, in my legs. Every time I had to stand, sit, walk, or (God forbid) climb stairs...I felt it. My body was ANGRY! I told that to one of my kiddos who is very athletic and she said, "I don't think your body is angry, I think it's actually really happy". So I told her that it was happy that I worked out, but it was angry that I went so long not doing it and let it get out of shape. Monday night was fairly painful, but I took a long hot bath and just let myself soak in the water. I mostly just grab quick showers, so it had been quite some time since I'd actually taken a bath and it felt like heaven. I put on some good slow music and just let myself enjoy the heat. I had taken in a book, but I didn't even need it...I just let myself fully relax and it was amazing. Granted, it was still sore getting out of the tub, but I wrapped myself up in a big fluffy robe and then bundled up under the blankets in my bed and relaxed a little longer.
I got up this morning and still felt a little soreness, but nothing like what I felt last night. I think that bath was just what I needed! Now, the class is offered multiple days a week over lunch, but because of meetings and such I can only go on Mondays, but I think even that one day a week will really help get me back on track...and the memory of that pain may be enough to not ever let myself go so long without working out!
New starting weight: 239
Week 1: -3.0
Total weight loss: -3.0
Current weight: 236
I will take those three pounds off and be super duper happy about it!!! Let's hope week #2 is just as successful....though slightly less painful!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Back in the saddle again...
Almost exactly two years ago I started this blog and asked for your help to keep me accountable on my Journey to a Thinner Me. Within 8 months I lost 50 pounds - and then I stalled. I spent the next year losing and gaining the same ten pounds, but overall I was still pretty happy and proud of my progress. I didn't quite get as frustrated by my lack of loss as I thought I would. Sure, it was a little disappointing at times, but even though I wasn't losing weight, my body was still changing and getting toned.
And then life happened. Last semester was easily one of the busiest and most stressful that I've ever had for a number of reasons. It seems like the world was determined to make me too busy to work out. Now, I make no excuses as I am certain that I could have made more time for myself, but I never claimed to be an expert at work-life balance. And I certainly could have made a better effort to eat better. But, alas, I didn't and I gained weight back. Unfortunately, I gained a lot of weight back.
It started as a little bit at a time...two pounds this week....then it was five....then it was ten....and then I stopped stepping on the scale because I didn't want to see how high it was getting. I kept telling myself that I was going to get it under control and that I would go back to Weight Watchers after I lost what I'd gained. I haven't been to Weight Watchers since the beginning of September...and I didn't get it under control. I haven't run or worked out in quite some time (I went to one Zumba class when I was home over Christmas and it seriously kicked my butt!).
I postponed my marathon for a year because I was nowhere near prepared for it. This weekend my friend (and one of my biggest supporters) ran the Goofy Challenge without me. Seeing her pictures and texting with her throughout the weekend, I kept reminding myself that I was supposed to be there with her. Despite that she has told me numerous times that I didn't and that we'll do it together next year, I feel like I let her down. And I certainly let myself down. So, it's time to actually get things under control.
The good news is that usually by the time I get to this point I've put on MORE weight than what I lost in the first place...and I haven't quite gotten that bad yet. But, here I am, two years later and in need of your help just as much as I did in the beginning. We're starting over on this journey and I'm bringing you with me again. No looking back at my fall off the wagon - only looking forward because the reality is that THIS IS REALITY. People do anything positive and then life happens and maybe they get sidetracked. I could not have expected to stop working out, eat way more desserts than I should have since I wasn't working out, and to NOT put weight back on. So, I get up, brush off the dust, and hop back on that wagon.
So four months after my last weigh-in, I went back to Weight Watchers today. The numbers on the scale are nowhere near what I would like them to be, but that's okay...I got them there once and I can do it again. I even had them "restart" my account so that today's weight is my new "starting weight" and all progress from now on will be from that weight and not my original weight two years ago (which is so hard to believe that it was two years....sheesh).
Starting over....
New starting weight: 239
Yeah, that was pretty painful, but it's done and we're starting over. I even signed back up at the gym and will be taking a Zumba class on Mondays at lunch (I promise I'll like yours better, Sister...). Alright people, let's do this....again.
And then life happened. Last semester was easily one of the busiest and most stressful that I've ever had for a number of reasons. It seems like the world was determined to make me too busy to work out. Now, I make no excuses as I am certain that I could have made more time for myself, but I never claimed to be an expert at work-life balance. And I certainly could have made a better effort to eat better. But, alas, I didn't and I gained weight back. Unfortunately, I gained a lot of weight back.
It started as a little bit at a time...two pounds this week....then it was five....then it was ten....and then I stopped stepping on the scale because I didn't want to see how high it was getting. I kept telling myself that I was going to get it under control and that I would go back to Weight Watchers after I lost what I'd gained. I haven't been to Weight Watchers since the beginning of September...and I didn't get it under control. I haven't run or worked out in quite some time (I went to one Zumba class when I was home over Christmas and it seriously kicked my butt!).
I postponed my marathon for a year because I was nowhere near prepared for it. This weekend my friend (and one of my biggest supporters) ran the Goofy Challenge without me. Seeing her pictures and texting with her throughout the weekend, I kept reminding myself that I was supposed to be there with her. Despite that she has told me numerous times that I didn't and that we'll do it together next year, I feel like I let her down. And I certainly let myself down. So, it's time to actually get things under control.
The good news is that usually by the time I get to this point I've put on MORE weight than what I lost in the first place...and I haven't quite gotten that bad yet. But, here I am, two years later and in need of your help just as much as I did in the beginning. We're starting over on this journey and I'm bringing you with me again. No looking back at my fall off the wagon - only looking forward because the reality is that THIS IS REALITY. People do anything positive and then life happens and maybe they get sidetracked. I could not have expected to stop working out, eat way more desserts than I should have since I wasn't working out, and to NOT put weight back on. So, I get up, brush off the dust, and hop back on that wagon.
So four months after my last weigh-in, I went back to Weight Watchers today. The numbers on the scale are nowhere near what I would like them to be, but that's okay...I got them there once and I can do it again. I even had them "restart" my account so that today's weight is my new "starting weight" and all progress from now on will be from that weight and not my original weight two years ago (which is so hard to believe that it was two years....sheesh).
Starting over....
New starting weight: 239
Yeah, that was pretty painful, but it's done and we're starting over. I even signed back up at the gym and will be taking a Zumba class on Mondays at lunch (I promise I'll like yours better, Sister...). Alright people, let's do this....again.
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