WLC - Final Weigh-In

There it is. The final weigh-in. I lost another 1/2 pound since Sunday so my official weight at the end of this challenge is 134.5

Pretty awesome. I didn't starve myself and I really didn't deprive myself of anything I wanted. Don't forget, I had birthday food and apple pie ... I just didn't go overboard and I never stopped exercising. There was one week when I didn't lose any weight but I never gained any either.

Thanks to SingleMa for having this challenge and forcing me to really look at my nutrition choices. This challenge really reinforced what I already knew about discipline and accountability.

As you may (or may not) know, this whole thing wasn't really even about losing weight. For me it was about setting a goal, developing a plan, working that plan, and reaching the goal. I love short-term goals. They provide such a sense of self-satisfaction and the chance of getting distracted and giving up is pretty small. I feel like I should set a different goal every month.

I should do something to celebrate, I just don't know what that should be.

Tomorrow is October 1st and the beginning of my birthday month. I'm excited about that because I love celebrating my birthday. Not because I think I'm so great ... wait yes I do ... but also because I just feel so incredibly blessed to even be here. Life is a gift and I don't take that for granted. Especially in October. This is the first birthday in many years that I won't be celebrating with a partner. Yeah ... so there's that ... but I will still enjoy the things that I love. I bought my ticket to this year's wine festival (yay!) and I may begin the actual redecorating of my bedroom (yay!). I plan to get a lot of reading done, eating out and just reflecting and being grateful that I'm allowed to do all the things that I want.

WLC - 4th Sunday Weigh In (My Weight Story)

Yes!!!!!!!



Not only did I lose 2 lbs since my last weigh in but I've reached the goal that I set at the beginning of the challenge. There are still four days left and I have to be careful not to get cocky and lazy. I've already done my food shopping for next week so I'm confident everything will be okay. I've also incorporated the stability wall workout into my regular routine.

This has been an interesting month for me and I'm so glad that I participated in this challenge. I learned so much about my body and what's good for it and what's not. I honestly never really thought about it before.

For years my weight has been the topic of various conversations for one reason or another. I was always thin. Then I went to college and put on the "freshman 15" which filled me out a little bit but wasn't really an issue. By the time I was 25 and got pregnant with my son, I weighed a healthy 134. After giving birth I lost all the weight plus an additional 14 pounds without even trying. My mom was really worried about me and convinced that something was wrong. I just attributed it to my state of mind at the time: having my marriage annulled, being a single mother, working full-time ... I had a lot going on. She thought I couldn't afford to buy food so she went to the grocery store and filled up my cabinets. That was very thoughtful but I was eating and continued to eat but still didn't gain any weight.

Fast forward four years, I'm married and pregnant again and this time after giving birth, I lost all the pregnancy weight and went right back down to 120. People were calling me "skinny" and "stick figure" and my husband's family of "healthy" women were constantly giving me the side-eye o_O and offering me sandwiches.

It wasn't until I hit my forties that my metabolism began to slow down and I started to put on weight. Two years ago I noticed that I my comfortable size 6s weren't so comfortable anymore. I looked in the mirror and my shape was rectangular. I had to buy blouses that hid my mid-section. What heck was going on? All those years of not thinking about what I ate and not exercising were finally taking its toll. That was when I joined a gym and started this whole thing. At my heaviest I was 143 and I KNOW, I KNOW that isn't a lot of weight (so save your comments) but I didn't feel comfortable with it on me. 120 was way too little, but for me 143 was way too much. I'm happy at 135 and I believe this is where I'll stay.

Today's Workout

I bought the stability ball months ago but I never did the workout contained on the DVD.

Until today.

There are two options: a 20-minute express workout and a 40-minute full workout. I did the full workout and for the first time I was sweating while working out at home. It was a great combination of strength training and cardio and I didn't have to leave the house.

WLC - Midweek Update

Last week, I lost no weight because I didn't do the things that I knew I should do regarding my nutrition.

So this week I paid more attention. But because of other obligations, I couldn't workout on Monday or Tuesday. I was anxious to get to the gym on Wednesday to workout and to hop on the scale right quick.

But first, here's the nutrition roundup:

Monday
Breakfast - Special K Redberries and 2% milk
Lunch - leftover porkchop and brown rice
Snacks - orange, plum, Special K crackers, waffle fries
Dinner - N/A (I was on the road to/from Richmond and there was no time)

Tuesday
Breakfast - oatmeal and 2% milk
Lunch - small salad with grilled chicken and romaine lettuce and carrots
Dinner - grilled turkey and cheese sandwich and cheese-its
Snacks - orange, plum, string cheese, Special K crackers

Wednesday
Breakfast - Special K Redberries with 2% milk
Lunch - Healthy Choice spinach and cheese ravioli
Dinner - Chicken breast with sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes
Snacks - orange, string cheese, Special K crackers

I had a piece of honey wheat bread with 1 tbs of peanut butter before going to the gym.

Workout

Treadmill for 42 minutes
435 calories burned
2.97 miles

I lost one pound since my last weigh-in on Sunday. I'm down to 136. My goal is to be 135 by the next weigh-in.

I'm sure I'll make it.

As expected, even if I miss one workout as long as I watch my diet I can still see results.

WLC - 3rd Sunday Weigh In

The bad news is I didn't lose any weight this week. Still at 137.

The good news is I didn't gain any weight this week. Yay!!!!

This week just proves what I've always known to be true: If I eat whatever I want but maintain the intensity of my workouts, I won't gain weight.

This week will be better. I'm only two pounds away from reaching my goal and I'm going to take care of that this week. We're in the home stretch and I will not fail.

I know that for this week I have to go back to what I know: clean eating. No cheeseburgers and no chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies. More fruits and veggies.

I'm ready for Week 4!

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday - Birthday Food!

All diets are off ...

But I'll have my butt in the gym tonight.

WLC - 2nd Sunday Weigh-in

I lost another pound this week. Down to 137. Half way through the challenge and I have two pounds to go.

This week I increased the intensity of my cardio workouts and made awesome food choices.

Weekly workout:

Sunday - rest

Monday - Cardio

Tuesday - Yoga

Wednesday - Cardio

Thursday - Strengh Training

Friday - rest

Saturday - Cardio

Weekly Calorie Intake:

Sunday - 1,012

Monday - 1,329

Tuesday - 1,412

Wednesday - 1,167

Thursday - 1,272

Friday - 1,281

Saturday - 984

Too few on Saturday, I know. But we're going to the amusement park today so I'll probably more than make up for it.

Bring on Week 3!

WLC - Midweek Update

I am so going to meet this challenge. That 5 lbs is as good as gone!

I went to the gym today even though I felt kinda yucky after work. Normally, I would make every excuse in the book: I'll go tomorrow, I'll work out at home, my stomach feels funny, blah blah blah ... not this time. I came home, took my daughter to step practice, synced my ipod, and carried my butt to the gym. At first, I was feeling not so good but I kept going. Breathing, telling myself that I could do it ... just keep going ... I kept increasing my speed and before you know it

46 minutes had passed
3.14 miles had been accomplished
464 calories had been burned

Victory!

My eating schedule was all out of whack today because I had a mid-morning meeting. Which actually proved something that I suspected ... I really don't get hungry at 10:00. I'm just bored and choose food to occupy my time. That and FB. Anyway, I missed my morning snack and since I had a late lunch I missed my afternoon snack.

Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg on a whole grain english muffin
Lunch: Leftovers from last night (3 cheese chicken pasta bake)
Before workout snack: 1 slice of whole wheat bread with a 1 tbs of peanut butter
Dinner: Bowl of Special K Redberries with 2% milk
I had one cup of green tea in the morning and water throughout the day

I may have a glass of white wine before I call it a night.

Feeling pretty good right about now.

WLC - Week 1 Results

I started this challenge on September 1st weighing 140 lbs. Admittedly, I was not totally jazzed about the whole thing but there are 5 lbs that I want to lose and the only way that is going to happen is to stop wishing and to start moving.

This challenge is perfect for me because I'm accountable to approximately 49 other women. They keep me honest and watching their progress keeps me motivated.

I began with a calorie intake goal of about 1200 calories a day. I quickly had to adjust that because it seemed really low and from day 1 I was miserable. I felt like I was starving and I refuse to starve for 30 days. So I increased the number to 1300-1363. Here are my results for the week:

9/1 - 1327
9/2 - 1,153
9/3 - 2,195
9/4 - 725 + ?
9/5 - 1,012

I'm unintentionally cycling my calories. The question mark on the 4th is because I went out to eat here and I honestly don't know how many calories that meal was. Add on two cocktails and two glasses of wine and I'm sure I exceeded the daily goal.

I went to the gym on 9/1 and 9/4 and spent 45 minutes on the treadmill and each time burned about 475 calories. I remember when getting past 300 calories was a struggle. What I'm doing now after my warm up at 3.0 and 3.5 mph, I increase the speed to 4.0 for five minutes and then increase it to 5.1 for two minutes. I toggle back and forth between 4.0 and 5.1 for the rest of the workout and then cool down for three minutes.

I've also been doing my yoga practice twice a week. Not sure how many calories that burns but I'm guessing not too many.

Well, that's it for week one. I believe I'm really going to reach my goal and stay there this time.

On to Week 2.

Sunday Dinner

Shrimp, Tortellini & Spinach - Recipe courtesy of Kraft Recipes

It was light and delicious and so easy to make.

WLC - 1st Sunday Weigh In

Not sure if you can see that or not ... but it says 138. Which means, so far I have lost 2lbs!!!!

This accurately reflects my efforts this week. I've been super careful with my eating. I even ate out last night but my eating during the day was such that I was prepared.

I worked out hard on Wednesday and Saturday and I was able to increase my speed and duration on the treadmill.

I'm feeling pretty good about this.

Earl's Coming

It’s hurricane season my friends and everyone in these parts is battening down the hatches, loading up on water, batteries and canned goods.

Deep sigh

I don’t take it lightly, I really, really don’t. But it actually is possible to do what you need to do without all the … hype. I normally buy groceries on Friday after work but since that will be when Earl should be at his worst, I’ll be shopping today after work. Along with everyone else and their mama.

I may even have to work from home tomorrow.

A few years back, Isabel made an appearance and many people didn’t take her seriously at all. Folks were without power, and in some cases, water for the better part of a week. I think I lost power for about 48 hours during that storm. The hardest part was finding gas and food. It was a nightmare.

On another note ...

This weight loss challenge has me counting calories and thinking three times before I eat anything. Who knew losing five pounds would be so difficult? I’ve planned the following dinners for next week: (recipes all found on http://www.kraftrecipes.com/)

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake – 460 cals/serving, 46g protein and 14g fat (way too much fat)
Creamy Chicken, Vegetables & Noodles – 320 cals/serving, 35g protein and 8g fat
Saucy Pepper Steak – 330 cals/serving, 25g protein and 6g fat
Shrimp, Tortellini & Spinach – 350 cals/serving, 30g protein and 8g fat
BBQ Beef Soft Tacos – 400 cals/serving, 31g protein and 12g fat

Breakfasts are ususally cereal or an english muffin and yogurt. Lunches will be salads, soup or Healthy Choice frozen meals.

Goodbye 5 pounds. Goodbye.

Weigh In

Well, here it is. I don't own a scale so I use the one at the gym.

140 lbs. and by the end of September I'll be back to 135.

Statistics:

Current weight: 140
Current BMI: 22

Ideal weight: 135-139

If I wanted to maintain the 140 and workout three times a week, then I would have to take in about 1800 calories a day. In order to lose 5 lbs by 9/30 I have to drop 1.2 pounds per week. I can achieve this with a 600 daily calorie deficit, or 1200 calories a day.

Today I hit 1207. I'm tracking on Sparkpeople.