Megan's Weight Loss Journey

Day 73

2009-03-17T12:42:00.002-04:00

So I missed blogging on here yesterday.. boooo! I am here today, but since I can't work out, I feel so blah, with trying to lose weight strictly off of food. I still work on making healthy choices and I am trying to stay at or below 1500 calories for a day. Today, well...

Breakfast - Muffin - 500 /1000
Lunch - Taco Salad (6oz turkey, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup lettuce, 1 serving of chips and 2 0z. light french dressing) - 390/610
PM Snack - yogurt and apple - 200/410
Dinner - Green salad and spaghetti (ground beef, 1/2 cup sauce and 1 cup pasta) - 450 / -40

Stupid morning muffin!! I wish I didn't eat it, but I did...
Happy St. Pats Day to everyone!

Simple Plan, Lose Weight! This is great

2009-03-13T14:39:00.002-04:00

I thought that you might be interested, I am going to use this to help keep me going!! I have to take somewhat of a brake from working out because of all the baby stuff - too much to go into right now... but I can still do all the food things right!

A Simple Plan to Lose Weight By Gabrielle Reece - Posted Fri, Mar 06, 2009, 4:26 pm PST

90% of users found this article helpful.

Day 68

2009-03-13T14:37:00.002-04:00

Well the much dreaded weigh-in came today. Week 10, I stayed the same. I am 235 and have lost 24 inches and 15 pounds. You know what, I am super happy with that, better than having gained that! It's my own fault that I failed in the last week, but you know what, I just wasn't up to it... Working out that is.

Day 67

2009-03-12T11:03:00.002-04:00

Ah... good morning. Today is a good day I think : )
No workout again, I just feel SO tired!! I wonder if that's a side effect of the drugs?

I am planning on working out tonight and then tomorrow morning... we will see what happens. It seems like things just keep coming up! Anyway.

Breakfast: 1 cup Kashi cereal and 1 cup skim milk- 300/1200
AM Snack: Fresh fruit cup and yogurt - 150 / 1050
Lunch: 4oz. chicken, 1/2 cup spag. sauce and 1 cup noodles - 440 /610
PM Snack: Chocolate pudding and apple - 200 /410
Dinner: 4oz turkey burger, ww bun and cheese potatoes - 400/10

Not too bad today! Food is planned out pretty well : )

Day 66

2009-03-11T12:10:00.002-04:00

So I have been on a downward spiral with my workouts. I know this is like my last week for a while to really get in a good week of exercising, but have I been doing it, nope! I have been so tired! And have not wanted to get out of bed. Couldn't go last night or tonight, because I have things to do after work... so I am pretty ticked at myself. I have cut my calories down this week to only 1500 per day. No working out, no need for higher calories! Anyway... I did however plan out a 12 day menu which is very helpful!

Breakfast: bagel and 1/3 fat cream cheese - 340 / 1,160
Am Snack: Fruit and Cottage cheese - 130 / 1,030
Lunch: Lean cuisine - 270 / 760
PM Snack: Fruit cup - 120 / 640
Dinner: 4 oz. chicken breast, 1 cup pasta sauce, 1 cup spag. noodles and green salad - 550/90
Snack: Choc. Pudding 100/-10

It will be an interested weigh in on Friday. Weird thing too, I have been on my period all week long, and not exercising, but I feel thin. My clothes have just been feeling really baggy! Which is great, but odd : )

I gave up candy for lent, it was really starting to take a hold of me - It's going as good as can be expected : ) I haven't cheated - thank you Jesus and I REFUSE to cheat, but man do I WANT CANDY!!! I am still chewing Gum though, so that is helping...

Day 64

2009-03-09T15:36:00.002-04:00

Sorry, I am really late today. I am SUPER tired and not feeling too well. There fertility drugs have really been playing with my emotions. I don't have ANY drive today. I am exhausted because my dogs kept me up all night LONG... I need to go shopping so my eating choices were VERY poor today - but I planned out a 12 day menu starting with tomorrow, so I am excited to shop for that stuff : ) Going tonight and going to bed! I will be sleeping by 9PM, guaranteed! Shoot me now, no working out today : ( Today is just not a good day for reporting! So, I am going to start while I am NOT ahead. Oh, and since I am doing all this stuff with invitro, I got my little friend early, so no way I am going to loose 5 pounds this week... I will shoot for as high as I can, but we'll see how it goes.

Day 61 - Weigh In and NEW Measurments

2009-03-06T08:51:00.002-05:00

Well, God is good! He really does see our hearts and blesses us accordingly : ) I lost 2 pounds this week, which is GREAT!!! I am so excited - in 9 weeks I am down now 15 pounds... I measured again and I lost another 7 inches, so in 9 weeks I have lost 22 inches total!! I am pretty excited about my accomplishments. And what's great about it, I don't really feel like I am missing out on a lot.

Here are my new stats:
I now weigh 235, down from 250.

Measurements: start/current

Arms- R: 14.75/12.5 (-2.25) L: 14 / 12.5 (-1.5) = 3.75
Hips - 51 / 48 = 2
Thighs - R: 30 / 28 (-2) L: 31 / 29 (-2) = 4
Calves - R: 17 / 16 (-1) L: 17.25 / 16 (-1.25) = 2.25
Waist - High: 41 / 37 (-4) Low: 48 / 44 (-4) = 8
Bust - 45 / 43 = 2
Total Overall inches lost = 22 Inches!!
So, I am excited.

My goal for my last week, week 10 (before I start having to cut my exercise down to practically nothing - is to get in 8 workouts, eat my fruits and veggies and to pull off my biggest weight loss of 5 pounds!! I just want to be down 20 pounds so bad in 10 weeks!! I am going to hold myself to this and MAKE me do it!! I can do it!!

Thanks for all your encouragement!!

Day 60 -

2009-03-05T16:04:00.002-05:00

Someone tattoo the word SLACKER on my forehead will ya! Man, I forgot to come on and write here yesterday, I didn't get up this morning to work out. I have NOT been getting my fruits and veggies in... I have been staying within my calories, not going over, but just not the best choices...

So to say the least, I am excited that it's Day 60! But, man, I am so disappointed in myself. I did go to the gym last night and I am going again tonight, so I am getting my workouts in, just not as much as I would like!! It's funny, I go in spurts... when I know I can't work out I get depressed, "like, I have to do it, I just have too!!!" Then when I can, sometimes I find LAME excuses to not do it! I don't know...

Tomorrow is weigh in and measuring, not sure how that will end up going... My fault though, no one else! But you know what I haven't given up, I get right back on the horse and for that I am REALLY proud of myself.

We are doing the invitro this month, so as of March 18th NO strenuous workouts until who knows when. I can walk, that's it! But that worth it if there is a BABY!!! : )

Anyway, here's what I mean, look at what I ate: I have been on 1600 calories all week which is good!
Breakfast: 2 tbsp of PB, 2 chocolate chip waffles - 360 / 1240
AM Snack: Granola Bar - 100 / 1140
Lunch: Progresso Soup, oreo 100 cal pak - 300 / 840
PM Snack: Pringles - 140 /700

OK, can anyone say CARB overload, and where the heck is the fruit and veggies??

Day 58

2009-03-03T09:50:00.002-05:00

I am almost at the 60 mark, I can't believe it, it seems so quick!! Wow 58 - and you know I have to say, everyday I am feeling better and better.. although today I am trying to fight off a sinus headache, YIKES, it's better than it was.. I hope it does NOT go full blown!!

I got up this morning and did 20 minutes of cardio and then my bicep and tricep workout, I was also exercising my lungs too, singing - I learned on the Biggest Loser, one of their "tips" to burn MORE calories while working out, try singing.... At times it's hard, because I really put all that I have into my workouts, and sometime a little breathless... but boy was it fun!!! Probably didn't sound the best, but hopefully no one heard except Chris... LOL and he likes my singing...

Anyway, always trying to add something a little different to keep it fresh! A couple ladies are trying to find a night during the week to play a little more wallyball - I'm in! It's a great work out and a LOT of fun!!! Hopefully we can find a steady 4-some.

Breakfast: 1 med banana, 2 eggo waffles - 270/1330
AM Snack: Yogurt and Apple - 200 / 1130
Lunch: 4 oz ground turkey, 2 taco shells, 1 oz cheese, 14 pringles, celery - 400 / 730
PM Snack: 100 calorie pack and pear - 200 / 530
Dinner: Chicken and Rice, green salad - 420 /110
Other: ?

Ok, I guess that's about it. I hope that everyone is having a great day today : )

Day 57

2009-03-02T12:10:00.003-05:00

Hello All - Good Afternoon : )
How was your weekend? Mine was good~ I did really well with eating... which I needed too!

I got up this morning to do my workout and I was going to do dancing off the inches, tummy tone. Well, I started with it, but it is just TOO LOW impact for me!! I know that I need to always be changing it up, but I feel like I'm not doing it right... I don't know, it just doesn't feel like a great workout. I think I am going to list 2 out of the three on ebay ans sell them, I like the salsa one. So I popped on my mp3 player and danced like a mad women :) I was drenched afterward...

Anyway...
Breakfast: Bagel with 1Tbsp of PB - 370 / 1330
Am Snack: Granola Bar - 100 / 1230
Lunch: 4 oz. pork, potato wedges, and celery, orange - 440 / 790
PM Snack: Apple and yogurt - 200 / 590
Dinner: Tacos, ground turkey, 3 taco shells, mex rice - 480/110
Dessert: Klondike Slim Par - 100/10

I will be getting my gym workout in tonight, thinking of trying to change it up a little... adding some flavor : ) not sure yet what thought, it would be better if it was more empty at night, so I could move from machine to machine... but it's usually so packed.

Ideal Weight?

2009-03-02T12:09:00.001-05:00

User Post: What is my ideal weight? 5 tips for finding your happy weight

user

by Karly Randolph Pitman, on Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:06am PST

If you're trying to lose weight, you probably have a goal, your ideal weight, in mind. A good question to ask yourself is, "Where did I get this number?"

Is it what you weighed in high school? Is it what health experts suggest you should weigh, based on your age, body frame and body type?

While weight loss is an admirable goal for a woman who is truly overweight, many women who want to lose weight don't need to. In study after study, researchers have found that the majority of normal weight women think they need to lose 10 or 15 pounds: what I call vanity pounds.

Why is this a problem?

If our happy weight is based on unrealistic expectations, it will cause us much pain and suffering. We'll exhaust ourselves, trying to achieve the impossible. We'll live in fear: when we've lost weight, we're fearful of gaining it back; when we've gained a few pounds, we're fearful that the scale will keep rising. We may delve into all sorts of whacked out behaviors: crash dieting, food obsession, fasting, and overexercising in our desire to reach our goal.

Unrealistic expectations can create an unhealthy focus on our appearance. You can only be 10 pounds underweight if you're working very, very hard: by exercising for hours a day and being very stringent about what you eat. These behaviors can easily morph into an eating disorder.

The flip side, accepting a realistic happy weight, may mean giving up our wishful thinking of being a size 2. This can be painful; I know. But the rewards of letting go of our impossible expectations are many: vitality, feeling satisfied by the variety and amount of food we eat, energy, stable moods, confidence and a healthy appreciation for our appearance instead of obsession. It's also a sure way to temper the jealousy you may feel about other pretty women.

How can you find a weight that is realistic for your body? Here are 5 tips:

1. Look at the unique factors of your body. Self magazine has a calculator to determine your happy weight which takes into account your age, exercise habits, and if you've had children. You can also factor in your eating and self-care habits: Do you have ways of comforting yourself without turning to food? If not, accept that this may mean weighing a bit more than you'd like until you have stronger nurturing skills. As you learn how to care for yourself, your weight may go down. But accept where you are right now. Then, as Maya Angelou says, as you know better, you do better. And then you can adjust your goal. Having realistic expectations is about looking at what is - not what you'd like to be - and using that information to shape and mold a positive, yet honest expectation for change.
2. Aim for a healthy body fat percentage. One of the best ways to compute a realistic happy weight is by basing it on a healthy body fat percentage. Start by figuring out your current body fat percentage. Then, you can use this number to figure out how much of your weight is comprised of core, lean mass: your organs, muscles, water, and tissues, and how much of your weight is fat. It can also tell you if your body fat percentage is in a healthy range. So, if you want 22% body fat, which is considered a healthy body fat percentage for a woman, you can see whether you need to lose a few pounds, or if your body is healthy just as it is. With hard data, and real numbers, you can see if your expectations are realistic .
3. Look at media images of women with a critical eye. Look at window mannequins in most women's clothing stores, and you'll see a woman whose body fat would make her underweight. Likewise, the "ideal body" that is touted in the movie industry, fashion industry and media is also underweight. This skews our perception, where, as Stanley Tucci's character in The Devil Wears Prada famously quippped, a size 2 is the new 6; a size 6, the new size 14. Separate yourself from these images by recognizing them for what they are: unrealistic. This doesn't mean turning into the body image police. When I see celebrities who look clearly underweight, I bypass judgment. But I do feel compassion for them -- think of the enormous pressure they must feel to always look their best. I know I wouldn't want to live with that kind of scrutiny on my appearance.
4. Give yourself enough time to lose weight. If you are wanting to lose weight, one of the best ways you can support yourself is by giving yourself time to accomplish your goal. You didn't gain weight overnight; you won't lose it overnight, either. If you're holding onto an unrealistic expectation about how quickly you can lose weight, you'll either be discouraged and frustrated because it's taking longer than you think it "should," or you'll delve into drastic measures to lose the weight faster, such as starving yourself, purging, or overexercising. This is being kind to yourself, allowing time for changes to manifest. It's nature's way - growth and change take time.
5. Recognize that your happy weight will change over time. Health is dynamic, not static. Our bodies are always changing, and life is always in flux. The media focus on Jessica Simpson was ridiculous because it denied this basic truth. It is normal for our weight to go up and down, particularly as women. One year you have a baby; another year, you have major surgery and have limited exercise capabilities; another year, you're under tremendous stress and gain weight. All of these things can effect what a realistic weight is for your body at this moment in time. Accepting that your ideal weight may be higher than you'd like - for now - doesn't mean that this will always be the case. Accept the ebb and flow; the highs and the lows, and learn to love a weight range for your body, not just one ideal weight.

We are so much more than a number, but as women in an appearance-conscious society, it is very, very eased to get hooked by the promise of an ideal body. It's easy to believe that it will solve all our pain - our confidence, our needs, our desire for intimacy, acceptance, and belonging.

These needs are valid and important. But the problem is when we use our bodies to feel these needs, instead of our innate worthiness, our beingness. It creates too much pressure, too much focus on one area of our lives. It keeps us from enjoying the present moment, trapped in a place where we are never satisfied; always striving to improve. It keeps us from appreciating what our bodies can do, how we live in them and enjoy their many gifts.

It's a gift to live in a female body. Our beauty should be cherished and appreciated; our sexuality, enjoyed; our strength, celebrated. Yes. While we are not our bodies, we do live in them --- and when we love and care for them, we send a message of love and care for our entire selves.

So, yes, love and care for your body as a loving caretaker, even as a mother lovingly cares for her children. Exercise. Move, sweat, dance, run play. Rest when you're tired. Eat when you're hungry. Feed it whole foods that nourish your particular body (because no one diet is right for everyone.) Breathe. Dream. Release your hurts.

But do so with detachment. Do it out of love, not out of hatred, fear, jealousy or disgust --- I am such a fat cow! ... I am going to run 5 miles because I ate that pizza last night.... I am so sick of being fat ... I hate that skinny b***ch. Love your body with acceptance, embracing every stage and weight of your body, recognizing that your real worth has nothing to do with a number on a scale.

Day 54 - weigh in

2009-02-27T14:01:00.003-05:00

So here we go... today was weigh in. I stayed the same. I really was expecting it. I am just so glad that it wasn't a gain!! I just felt icky all week. I did get a ton of water in, but that's about all I did right this week, with only two workouts.

I need to turn up the heat in the next 3 weeks. I have to lose 7 pounds in 3 weeks to stay on track! I want to lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks. That's my goal. So... anyway, we'll see.

Breakfast:
1 cup of Rice Chex, 1 cup of skim milk - 200/1500
AM Snack:
1 slice of toast with peanut butter - 170 / 1330
Lunch:
7 slice of heart smart turkey, 2 slices of bread, 1 slice of cheese and 1tbs of miracle whip light, 100 calorie oreo pack - 410 /920
PM Snack:
Apple - 110 /810
Dinner:
Beef, and thai noodles (homemade dinner) - 520/290
PM snack:
Popcorn 6 cups - 300 /-10

Day 53

2009-02-26T10:50:00.002-05:00

I am back to work, but not feeling great! Feeling starving is what I am feeling... I can't seem to eat too much yet, without feeling like i am going to get sick, so I am drinking lots of water, but that too, is not helping much. I am really bummed because I haven't been able to work out very much this week, at all!! So, I am a little scared at what the scale will say tomorrow. I haven't eaten much, but I know that you have to eat to lose. So anyway, just a little nervous.

So far today....

Breakfast: 2 slices of dry toast and a can of Vernors - 70 calories /
AM Snack: 100 calorie pack of crackers - 100 calories
Lunch: whole can of Progresso soup, chicken rotini - 200 calories /
PM snack: ?
Dinner: Probably more soup.....

So see, not eating too much, don't want to get sick....
I have to go to the doctors tomorrow morning - so hopefully I am doing better. It's the fertility doctor. I don't want to feel sick while he is doing whatever exam he has to tomorrow, that's for sure! Anyway, still feeling under the weather, maybe I will check back in later, maybe not till tomorrow, who knows. My mind feels so out of it...

DAY 52

2009-02-25T08:15:00.001-05:00

I'm sick with the stomach flu! YUCK!! I am going to go back and try and lay down. If I feel more up to it I will write later. Sorry... Talk soon,

DAY 51

2009-02-24T16:35:00.001-05:00

I didn't forget, but was really busy today. I will have to catch you up tomorrow. Sorry - I did get a workout in and ate pretty well considering we have nothing left in the house for food - WE HAVE TO GO SHOPPING!!! See you tomorrow : )

Day 50

2009-02-23T15:46:00.002-05:00

Hello - I know this is a late post, sorry! I have been pretty busy at work today and kept forgetting to get on here... So my weekend was alright, food wise, I had a lot of fun this weekend!! I tried to make healthy choices... really, I did. And I know I could have been a WHOLE lot worse then I was, so that made me smile. I know I wasn't perfect, but I could have just been miserable with my food choices!!

This morning - I got up and worked out to Dance Off the Inches - Hip Hop. Now I don't claim to be a sweet dancer by any mean, but I have been told that I have a little pep in my step... I love to dance, it's a great stress reliever, but this was HARD - I did not get it!!! It's suppose to be a beginners dvd and easy to get - ya, for who, not me!! I was so disappointed and feel like I did not get the workout I needed this morning - I will have to give it a good hour on cardio tonight to make up for it! Very bummed. i am going to try it again, see if it's any different. I love the Salsa one!! I have a third I haven't tried, now I am worried.

Food:
Breakfast: bagel and cream cheese, and Iced tea - 380 / 1320
Am Snack : Granola bar and 100 cal pack - 200 / 1120
Lunch: Chicken breast and fresh parm cheese - 200 / 920
PM Snack: 2 cuttie oranges - 100 /820
Dinner: Mexican ground beef, veggies and noodles- 600 / 220 (this is a recipe)
Other: Pringle chips - 150 / 70

Today wasn't the greatest, at least I stayed with my calories - thanks so much for reading today, probably a little boring today, I am so beat, no energy to write... still recvering from a long weekend of fun : )

Day 47 - Weigh In!

2009-02-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

I lost 3 pounds this week!! Woo Hoo!! I was a little concerned about what was going to happen this week - Thank you Jesus! I am so pumped. So in 7 weeks, I have lost 13 pounds and 14 inches (I haven't measured on the inches since 2/6/09, the next measure is 3/6/09). I am very excited!

Breakfast: 2 choc. chip waffles and 1 tbs. peanut butter, 100 cal granola bar - 350 / 1,350
AM Snack: Pita Chips and Hummus - 200 / 1,150
Lunch: Hot Pocket and Pear - 360 / 790
PM Snack: Cheese chunk and Yogurt - 160 /630
Dinner: 3 oz steak (lean) and potatoes - 380 / 250

I am going to save the 250 for tonight - I am going to a hang out for a while at my church and I know there will be snacks!! I am bummed because I don't get to go workout tomorrow, but I do get to go volunteer, so I guess that it's for a GREAT cause. This mission is one of my favorites!!

I hope that you all have a great weekend - you know I won't be on here this weekend... I never have the time.

Day 46

2009-02-19T11:47:00.002-05:00

Still plugging along : ) Tomorrow is weigh in number 7 and I just have to lose something!! I am a little nervous about tomorrow. I didn't get in nearly enough workouts this week - so much was happening, and it seemed like Satan was just throwing up blocks that I really couldn't get around. It was really frustrating.. I have been praying about it and I know that God knows my heart, I know he will be with me tomorrow when I step on that scale, I just hope that it will make both of us proud : )

I started my new DVD's this morning - today was Sizzling Salsa - Dance off the inches.. it was fun and I did get a good workout in!! It's much more low impact than the Turbo Jam so those will be a good mix in a week!! I am excited to try out the others- think I will get a little hip-hop in tomorrow : )

Breakfast: Bagel and Grapefruit juice - 400 / 1300
AM Snack: Granola Bar and Tagalong cookie 170 / 1,130
Lunch: Progresso Soup and apple - 300 / 830
PM Snack: Pear, Green Peppers and Cucumber w/ ranch - 180 /650
Dinner: I will use 550 / 100
Other: Crackers 100 / 0

Last night we had Thai noodles and turkey kilbasa - 430 calories, it was good! And I had a 100 cal granola bar for dessert.

So tonight I think I will aim to eat the ground turkey... maybe burgers, yum!!

OK, so I will check back in tomorrow with week 7 weigh in, hopefully I can report some good news : )

Day 45

2009-02-18T09:43:00.002-05:00

Here we are, half way to my 91 day mark!! I can see it now : )
I wasn't able to workout this morning because I had a doctors appointment at 7AM !! Ya, you heard right - 7AM!! I had to be there... but I was thankful that I didn't have to miss work : )

Chris and I are starting all the prep work for the IVF procedure to get pregnant (In Vitro) so I will have weeks of tests, yay!! (not). But the outcome could be a huge YAY!! I really need to take advantage of these next 5 weeks, because if all goes well, I will be going through the surgery and insemination at the end of March. So, I need to try and lose a lot of weight and kick up the exercising, because, I will not be able to do anything for about 20 days - seriously!! I will have to SUPER strict on my calories, because I will not be able to work out probably starting March 23rd until we find out if it took - even then, I will have to take it real easy... walking on the treadmill! Better than nothing!! So this is POWER time for me...

I don't know what a safe goal would be to shoot for in the next 5 weeks, at least another 10 pounds, hopefully. Another 14 inches, would be AWESOME!!! We'll see. The hardest part is if this doesn't take, to get back on track - so please, can you be praying all around for us!! Thank you!!

Breakfast: bagel and cream cheese - 370 / 1,330
AM Snack: Apple and Yogurt - 200 / 1,130
Lunch: Chicken, 1/2 cup sauce, 1/2 cup noodles - 350 / 780
PM Snack: Orange and cheese chunk and crackers - 210 / 570
Dinner: Something with ground turkey and potatoes
No other today!! No going over!!

Thanks for listening to me today - a lot on my mind : )

Day 44

2009-02-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

Wow - Day 44, no way! I can't believe it. And the REALLY cool thing is that I am still loving it! I am still doing all the working out... although I have cut back a bit. I just can't do two workouts everyday, 5 days a week plus Saturday. But I am doing like 3 day with double workouts, 2 days with single and then Saturday 2hours... so I am getting so good workouts in!!

The food thing is up in the air, a little on the weekends... but you know what, I am really looking at food calories SO DIFFERENTLY!!! And I am so happy for that. I don't know, I can't get into a set schedule on the weekends and it really throws my eating off.

Today - I was up early doing Turbo Jam - Okay, so I LOVE Turbo Jam, but, I am getting bored with it, I REALLY hope my new DVD's come today!!! So I can change it up!!! I will be going to the gym tonight to get my arms and back workouts in.... Let me tell you, I must have done something right on Saturday with my chest/shoulder workout, because I am still sore... I can't believe it, but it's a good thing : )

Breakfast: 2 waffles w/ 1tbs peanut butter - 300 Calories / 1400
AM Snack: WW yogurt - 100 calories / 1300
Lunch: Progresso Soup, necterine - 300 calories / 1000
PM Snack: Cucumber, Crackers - 150 calories/850
Dinner: 4oz chicken, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 cup spaghetti noodles - 520 calories /330
Other: jelly heart candy 140 Calories / 190

no too bad - I have to go to the dentist tonight, then home to eat, then to the gym - long night
: )

Day 43

2009-02-16T16:15:00.001-05:00

Sorry - I missed today! I will fill you in tomorrow. I have been pretty busy. Did all right eating today, going to the gym tonight. Talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night : )

Day 40

2009-02-13T10:07:00.002-05:00

Hola! HAPPY FRIDAY - And yes I am YELLING it!! I am super pumped about this weekend. Plus I am taking a 1/2 day today because I have doc's appointment. Boy, after this week, I wish we have a DOUBLE weekend ahead of us... LOL.

I weighed in today and stayed the same - 240. But I am OK with that. I am very thankful - I haven't gained or stayed the same yet... it was bound to happen. Now I will just shoot for maybe a little higher weight loss next week. I was so busy this week after work, I wasn't really able to get my work outs in like I wanted. But I still was able to work out in the mornings this week and I will be working out tomorrow morning.

So tomorrow will be an interesting day... Valentines Day and Chris and I set a $40 limit for our plans, that's it, nothing else and so here is what we are doing.... (oh not to mention the $40 is coming out of our weekly allowances : ) - 8Am- 9:30Am workout, 11:30 AM movies (only $4 per person, then some snacks... ), then out to lunch/dinner later in the day (before we have to bowl) to one of our favorite Mex. places, with only $20. I can't wait for tomorrow should be fun! As for food choices, I am a little concerned about that. I think I will have a small popcorn... and a low calorie candy -sorry, I have to have sweet and salty. Then at the rest. I will shoot for something that seems to be better - not sure yet what.... Sunday, there might be a workout in store : ) But we are having dinner at my moms house that night so maybe between church and my moms, we'll see...

Breakfast: Slice of cheese, 2 eggs, English muffin and diet coke - 550 YIKES!!! / 1,150
AM snack: Valentines Jelly hearts - 140 /1,005 (I know not a good choice after the HIGH calorie breakfast..)
Lunch:
PM snack:
Dinner:
I will be home for lunch, so probably a bowl of cereal with milk.
I will be at the doc's at 3PM - so I will bring a granola bar for my snack.
I have NO clue for dinner...

Sorry - today was not planned out too well and I don't have a lot of calories to work with : (
OK - I hope that you all have a great weekend !!!

Day 39

2009-02-12T10:38:00.002-05:00

Hello and Welcome to Thursday - Thank you Jesus the weekend is almost here. I can't tell you how these weeks at work see to NEVER want to end. It's just been so relentless here... But anyway, I really am truly thankful that I do have a job!!!

I did not workout this morning! My dogs were up in the middle of the night because of the horrible wind and so they kept us up and it was SO hard to fall back a sleep and stay asleep, I was whipped. I will be at the gym tonight, for sure!

Today the food schedule is pretty blah. I don't know, we just went shopping and already it seems like I don't have enough for lunches... but anyway.

Breakfast: bagel and cream cheese, orange/pineapple juice - 480 / 1170
AM Snack: Quaker Granola Bar and Orange - 150/1020
Lunch: Soup and crackers - 300/720
PM Snack: Green Pepper, Celery, Cheese and yogurt - 180/540
Dinner: Ground turkey, taco shells, cheese, lettuce and rice - 540 / 540

WOW - I don't think that has ever happened, Exact Calories in a Day! Now I have to be SUPER STRICT!! I really want to be able to lose again tomorrow - I hope that I am not coming to a stand still or small gain week... We'll see. That's always so hard after coming off such an awesome weigh-in last week and hitting my 10 pounds in 5 week mark!! I would be happy with even a pound : )

Day 38

2009-02-11T10:38:00.002-05:00

Hello...........I'm here. I love having this blog, but sometimes I feel like it's SO BORING!!! Oh, well, I am doing to hold myself accountable and log all that I'm doing, so I guess I shouldn't care what everyone else thinks.

This morning I was up at the crack of dawn and did some old school dancing. That's it, just danced my heart out for 45 minutes. Man, it was fun and it REALLY helped me with relieving so much stress... Work was a WALKING nightmare yesterday! Boy was it miserable!!

But today is a new day : )

Breakfast: Instant Oatmeal (never again, I hate it, you can just taste all the salt- gross! Anyone want almost a new box? It's yours) and grapefruit juice, pineapple - 390 / 1260
Am Snack: quaker granola bar and yogurt - 200 / 1060
Lunch: Soup and crackers 300 /760
PM Snack: Orange and Celery with little bit of ranch and cheese chunk - 190 /570
Dinner: Potatoes and steak (VERY lean) - 520 / 50
Other: Chips and Salsa - 160 / -110: I will be over today. I will give it an extra 10-15 minutes in cardio tomorrow.

I have my prayer group tonight, and I am hosting, so I know I will have some chips and salsa - it's one of my FAV'S!! OK, that's all for now : )

Keeping you informed...

2009-02-10T14:32:00.002-05:00

So as I snack on my afternoon snack, cut up grapefruit (pink) and orange - oh so good!! I wanted to give you some info....

First- I am so excited - I just ordered 3 new dvd workout videos! Dance off the inches, tummy tone, salsa and hip hop. I am excited because, now I will have a different video for each morning and that will help keep me going for sure! My goal is to have 10 DVD's that I love doing so I can always change it up in the morning. I love to dance, didn't say I could dance, just said I love too : ) But salsa has to be my fav! So now I will learn 12 Latin moves and be able to put them to music... Anyway, I am just super excited.

Second - I was doing some reading in Prevention and I found some things I wanted to share. The article was called Eat to Live Longer. There were 6 steps they give off of the biggest loser - I am going to list them and give you the bones of each.

1.) Have a daily dose of omega-3's ; This is called the anti-aging fat. fish is the best (Salmon), Flaxseed, Walnuts, and some leafy greens.

2.) Eat Antioxidants every 4 hours; Vibrant colored fruits and veggies are best. Shoot to eat a different color fruit or veggie with every meal and snack - aim for 5 to 6 servings a day.
Example: Banana for Breakfast, Blueberries and yogurt for snack, large salad with romaine lettuce and green veggies for lunch, an orange for PM snack, Apple for dinner. You have Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange and Red. Obviously, this is a sample.

3.) Double your Fiber! Every ADDITIONAL 10g of dietary fiber consumed daily reduces the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 17%. the daily recommended is 25-35g per day. Most of eat half or less than that.

4.) Stop when you are 80% full. When you eat slower, you consume less calories than those who eat quicker.

5.) Get about 25% of calories from healthy fats- for a 1600 calorie diet, about 44g per day should be from healthy fats. Nuts and oil would fall under this!

6.) Pack Protein in to every meal and snack.

I thought these made a lot of sense, and if you are already watching what you eat, it's not too big of an adjustment!

Day 37

2009-02-10T10:05:00.002-05:00

Hello, I hope that everyone is doing well today. Margie, I here you're not feeling too well today, I hope that you feel better soon!!! Today is day 37, wow, I am almost at the 46 day mark, which is half way to my 91 day goal. Again, I am shooting to stay on track for a minimum of 91 days, because I understand that once you do something for more than 90 days it becomes a habit and part of your daily routine. This is what I am truly striving for!!!!

Funny little thing happened today at work, and I thought I would share it. See every other Monday/Tuesday we go into production here (I work at a newspaper) and on the Tuesday, we order lunch in (work pays). Well, it's something that I look forward too, and I decided that as long as I like what they are ordering, I would eat it with some restraints. So far it's been fine. But today I think God was telling me I didn't need it : ) I always pack my lunch no mater what on Tuesdays, just in case they go somewhere I'm not fond of... Well, today was one of those days. For lunch they are having Chicken Shack - wow, is it GREASY!!! I can't eat it. So, while the WONDERFUL aroma FILLS our office, I will be eating a bowl of progresso soup. I just think that this is a little sign that I didn't need to eat what wasn't on schedule for me today : ) I don't know, it was probably funnier to me... sorry I bored you with all that.

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese - 370/1280
AM snack: Chocolate Rice Cakes - 120/1160
Lunch: Progresso Soup, orange and celery - 270/890
PM Snack - Cottage cheese and fruit - 130/760
Dinner - Potato wedges, pork chop and veggie - 400/370
Other - ???

I did workout this morning, but will probably not be able to get in my PM workout because I have something to do right after work... I am starting to really miss these PM workouts too!! I missed last night - I won't be able to get there until Thursday this week : ( NOOOoooo!!! But Turbo Jam helps! Chaleen kicks my butt - I can't believe how much I sweat during her workouts!!

Day 36

2009-02-09T10:31:00.003-05:00

Hello : ) I hope everyone had a good weekend! Mine was great - but way too short!! I posted a new picture you might need to scroll down just a tad. I had Chris take the picture this weekend. I could see a change from the one I took on Christmas day. My face looked so much slimmer in the one I used as my profile picture...

Today, I got up and did Turbo Jam this morning - It was great.. I had missed it, I didn't do it all last week. I can't workout tonight, I am going to have our taxes done tonight. By the time I get there, and then get home eat dinner, it will be too last to go to the gym and then try to get to bed by 10PM.

Oh, and since I am down 10 pounds, I should decrease my calories by 50.

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese - 370 calories/1280
AM Snack: Grapefruit - 120 calories/1160
Lunch: Healthy choice Soup - 200 calories/960
PM snack: Yogurt and rice cakes - 160 calories/800
Dinner: ???
Other: Baked Chips and dip - 300 calories/

We need to go shopping SO BAD!!!! Must go soon!!!!

Day 33 - NEW Measurements/NEW Weight : )

2009-02-06T09:22:00.002-05:00

So, today is weigh in day number 5 - and I would say I am right on track to losing healthy weight and keeping it off! I weighed in today and lost 3 and 1/2 pounds this weeks! Whoo Hoo!! I don't know if that's better news than the total inches I have lost since day one.. wait for it.. ready...
14 inches TOTAL, ALL OVER!! Can you believe it, I can't! I am so excited I feel like screaming.

As promised I am laying it all out and telling all! So here are the new dimensions:
Arms: R (was) 14.75 inches (now) 13 (lost) -1.75 inches
Arms: L (was) 14 inches (now) 13 (lost) -1 inch
Hips: (were) 51 inches (now) 49 (lost) -2 inches
Thighs: R (was) 30 (now) 28.5 (lost) -1.5 inches
Thighs: L (was) 31 (now) 29.5 (lost) - 1.5 inches
Calves: R (was) 17 (now) 16 (lost) -1 inch
Calves: L (was) 17.25 inches (now) 17 (lost) -0.25 inches
Waist: Natural (was) 41 (now) 39 (lost) -2 inches
Waist: Low (was) 48 (now) 45 (lost) -3 inches
I forgot to measure the bust the first time, so that will be on the next measuring in 4 weeks.
So the grand total = 14 inches All Over!!

Thank you Jesus!! SO excited.

I started out at an even 250, and today, I am an even 240.0 - so that's been an average of 2 pounds per week and an average of 2.8 inches a week in 5 weeks!!!

I will have to post some new pictures. I will have Chris take some this weekend! Then you can compare and see what you think : )

Here's another one..

2009-02-05T15:51:00.001-05:00

Margie sent this to me... I like what it has to say : ) And again, I do most all of these already.. how cool! I love when i am doing things right : )

WEIGHT TRAINING

Setting realistic resolutions can help you shed pounds for the long run.

By Leslie Goldman

Photographs by Ryan Snook

From the January 2009 issue of Runner's World

It's the new year, and over the past few weeks you've spent way too much time at the dinner table and not nearly enough on the roads. What do you do? Resolve to lose weight, of course, and this year you mean it. But if you're like most people, by June you'll have forgotten your grand plans. After all, more than half of those who make New Year's resolutions end up breaking them.

"Many people come up with a goal of weight loss without an action plan," says University of Scranton psychology professor John C. Norcross, Ph.D., who has conducted research studies on resolutions. "We call that dreaming, not a New Year's resolution," he says.

The key to sticking to any resolution, says Norcross, is to set realistic, specific, and attainable goals. Instead of one vague overarching idea-"lose weight"-set your sights on these five smaller, more achievable healthy eating resolutions. By June, the only thing you'll be breaking will be your 5-K PR-in a new (smaller) pair of running shorts.

Resolution: Eat Breakfast Every Morning

"A mistake a lot of people make, especially runners, is to skip breakfast to save on calories," says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., author of The Runner's Diet. Even if you don't feel hungry in the a.m., eating early kicks your metabolism into gear so you start to burn calories. It also curbs your appetite and sets the tone for a structured commitment to eating healthy all day. According to the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks about 4,500 adults who have maintained a 30-pound weight loss for at least a year, 78 percent of successful losers eat breakfast regularly. Try to eat between 150 and 300 calories for that first meal, and get a mix of carbs and protein (like an egg white omelette with toast) for both quick energy and long-lasting fullness.

Resolution: Plan to Eat

"Real life means planning," says Fernstrom. This means thinking ahead about what you're going to have for meals and snacks-during the week and on weekends-so that you have healthy ingredients on hand. That way you don't end up ordering takeout or going out to eat when you're tired and starving. In fact, a study from the University of Arkansas found that the average restaurant diner underestimates his or her calorie count by up to 93 percent, so eating healthy at home can help keep off the pounds. On weekends, make a big pot of soup that will last a few days, or grill up chicken and vegetables for multiple dinners. Stock your freezer with precooked meat and precut veggies for quick and healthy meals any night of the week.

Resolution: Take Notes

A study of nearly 1,700 participants by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research found that people who keep daily food records lose twice the weight as those who don't. No fancy journal necessary-just jotting down "tuna on whole wheat" or texting yourself "In-N-Out cheeseburger" helps you reflect on your meals and find your weaknesses. Even if you don't think you can keep a food journal long-term, it can be helpful for some after just three days (make sure one day is a weekend). You'll find those hidden calories (nibbling at your kid's unfinished lunch; snacking on cheese and crackers before dinner) and uncover mindless eating patterns (like always having chips when you watch Lost) that can contribute to weight gain.

Resolution: Nix Late-Night Noshing

Do you eat "perfectly" all day only to scarf down ice cream and cookies at 9 p.m.? You may not be getting enough fuel when you need it. Weight-conscious athletes often skimp on daytime calories, only to end up craving high-calorie foods late at night. Runners need to spread their calories out, says Ft. Myers, Florida-based sports nutritionist Barbara Lewin, R.D. "People are active earlier in the day but get most of their calories at dinner," she says. "That's going to affect your workout, your energy levels, and come evening, you'll be starving." Eating enough during meals and snacks throughout the day will keep your hunger level on an even keel and prevent overindulging later.

Resolution: Think Like an Athlete, Not a Dieter

Your friend who "works out" at aerobics twice a week might get away with a meager 1,200 calories a day; you, Runner, cannot. Depriving yourself of calories will slow your metabolism and sap your energy, damaging your weight-loss and running efforts. Besides, diets don't work: A July 2008 New England Journal of Medicine study set out to find whether a low-carb, low-fat, or Mediterranean diet worked best, and concluded that none were particularly effective. While dieters tend to drop weight fast only to regain it, athletes need to focus on slow, steady weight loss. This will provide energy for training while bolstering your chance of keeping the weight off for good. And don't ditch carbs in an effort to get lean: Doing so will drain your glycogen supply (the energy in muscles derived from carbs), preventing you from running as long or hard as you want. Lewin kick-started a client's weight loss by adding a high-quality carb to every meal, plus high-carb snacks like whole-grain crackers and fruit. Her energy skyrocketed, her workouts improved, and she lost weight. Now that's a "diet" we can resolve to follow.

Eat Better

Don't sweat the occasional milk shake. A study found that 71% of successful resolvers said that slip-ups strengthened their efforts to stick to and meet their goals.

Oops...

2009-02-05T15:46:00.001-05:00

I saw this and was going to post it. Then my girlfriend Margie set it to me too... (great minds think alike). What's cool about this, is I have been doing it : ) I was pretty excited when I saw that....

Burn Calories in 18 Minutes.

2009-02-05T15:45:00.001-05:00

Sizzle Calories in 18 Minutes

SELF.com

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Tue, Feb 03, 2009, 3:38 pm PST

Happier, Healthier You
by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief a Yahoo! Health Expert for Women's Health

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Whenever I feel like I want to get a little lighter (usually because my jeans are feeling a little tighter), I work intervals into my routine.

Intervals are one of the fastest ways around to shed fat. Women who spent 20 minutes mixing sprints with jogging lost three times the fat off their legs and butt in 15 weeks than those jogging steadily for 40 minutes, a study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney finds. Burn triple the fat in half the time? Bring it on!

To try intervals, do this speedy slimming routine up to six days a week. Pair it with your toning session or do it solo, for results guaranteed to amaze you.

Hop on any cardio machine you like for the time allotted and the exertion level noted (1 is the easiest and 10 is next to impossible).

Warm up for 4 minutes at a level 3.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.
Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.
Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.
Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.
Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.
Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.
Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.
Cool down for 3 minutes, 30 seconds at level 3.

Want even more workout plans to help you lose inches and tone up? Go to Self.com for The Great 1-Month Slim-Down, where The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels will coach you through

Day 32

2009-02-05T09:53:00.002-05:00

Well, it's another day... While I am staying with in my calorie count, I not making some of the best choices. I think Starting on Monday I will go down to 1550 calories. I am not as hungry as I was in the beginning and I need to have less to work with.

Last night I got my hour of cardio in, burning 620 calories! I was pretty pumped about that -
Today so far...

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese and Diet Pepsi - 370 calories/1330
AM Snack: Baked Chips (I know HORRIBLE CHOICE!!!) - 150 calories/1180
Lunch: Cheese, Ground Turkey, Salsa, 1 serving tortilla chips, green pepper - 340 Calories/840
PM Snack: Yogurt and Blueberries - 150 calories/690
Dinner: Veggies, chicken and potato, milk - 475 calories /215
Other: grapefruit and 100 cal pudding - 210 calories/ 5

Day 31

2009-02-04T14:33:00.002-05:00

Hello - sorry this is late. Chris and I were are the Doc's today talking to him about all of the details for invitro and the process... Wow, is it intense! Please be praying for us....

Last night was great - I had an awesome salad for dinner and then hit the gym for some strength training on those arms : ) Remember how I was talking about a 5K a couple weeks back... I don't know. It's really going to depend on my weight loss - the running I HATE!!! And it hurts my knees. I have horrible knees always have very little, next to NO cartilage in my knees, plus I have had arthritis for about 10 years. Very painful! But, much better than it use to be : ) But Running for a long period of time is not good.... Boy, I just love that eliptical trainer though!

OK, so Last night I did 25 minutes on the treadmill (I was SO bored!) burned 180 calories. Then I headed over to work on my Biceps, triceps and shoulders. Wow, it was such a good workout!!

Breakfast: Crispex Cereal and milk - 320 calories/1380
AM Snack: Kashi Bar 110 Calories/1270
Lunch: Chicken, lettuce, 2% cheese, green peppers, light ranch - 260 calories/1010
PM Snack: Blueberries and a yogurt - 150 calories/860
Dinner: Ground Turkey (4oz), 1/4 cup cheese, 2 servings of tortilla chips, salsa, green peppers - 510 calories/350

I will have some crunchy celery after the gym : ) I will use up the calories one way or another!!
Tonight I will head to the gym for an hour of cardio on the eliptical trainer. Then tomorrow will be the strength training session for my legs and calves.

Day 30~

2009-02-03T10:05:00.002-05:00

Whoo Hoo - I have made it 30 full days and I am still going strong! I am so excited - my goal in the beginning was to make it at least 91 days, but it's said to be after 91 days, after you have been doing something for at least 91 days, it becomes a habit and just part of your schedule! Well, 30 down and 61 to go! I can do it, I know I can.

I was pretty pumped up about something and I have to share it with you - yesterday, I had so many calories left in the day- I couldn't wait to eat them when I got home, so I wasted them all on Chocolate yesterday... I know, how foolish!!! Especially after the day I had on Sunday. Trust me, it would have been SO easy yesterday to just throw out the book and be like "who cares". But I didn't. Satan was trying REALLY hard to take me down yesterday - Boy did I feel it! Even when I got home, I ate dinner and went up to get ready to go to the gym, I realized that both my sports bras where in the washer, not the dyer. Yes, I only have two and have to wear both of them. I have a MISERABLE time trying to find GOOD Sports Bras!!! Anyway, I threw on my jammy clothes and thought, well, guess I won't go tonight.... Went downstairs to throw the clothes in the dyer... while down there I thought, I have to have at least one more sports bra!! So I went back up stairs and I did find one that I could wear, it was only one but it was pretty tight, so it did the job. I got to the gym and I did 1 hour and 30 minutes of hard cardio!!! I burned 950 calories according to the calorie counter, I know people always say that those are off, but oh well, I don't care it says 950 Calories and I am taking it!! See it would have been so easy for me to keep eating chocolate yesterday, but I gave it up. It would heave been so easy for me to NOT workout last night, but I did....It would be easy for me to just quit, But I am NOT GOING TO DO IT!!!

Good friend of mine said last night, after I was telling her that I had hoped to have 10 pounds off in the first 30 days... she said "look at the tortoise and the hair - it's better to go slow and steady..." and she's right!! So that's what I am going to think about!! The hair looses, and the Tortoise, well we all know that he WINS!!! I want to be a WINNER, just call me Tortoise, or Tort for short.. LOL... OK. I am done rambling......

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese - 370/1330
AM Snack: Kashi Bar - 120/1210
Lunch: Progresso Soup, Green Pepper, Grapes, chips and salsa - 550/660
PM Snack: Yogurt and Berries - 150/510
Dinner: Chicken and baked Potato w/ cottage cheese - 400/110
Other: I will have some celery with PB - 100/10
That will be a good snack while watching BL : )

Day 29

2009-02-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

Hello friends - Welcome to February... month by month we get closer to less snow and warmer weather.. yeah! I'm sure you either noticed, or maybe you didn't notice... LOL, I didn't write this weekend. Saturday I did alright though, stayed pretty much on track! But Sunday, yeah, don't get me started. It was of coarse the Super Bowl, and with the Super Bowl comes eating lots of food. Even though we stayed at home, we still had plenty of snacks. I am very bummed we didn't make better choices... It was a hefty day for calories. I will be putting in extra time each night this week at the gym- especially on the Cardio machines!

Moving on to Today - it's a new day, and I am NOT going to get thrown off track!!
Breakfast: weight control oatmeal and berries (fresh) - 210 Calories/ 1490
AM Snack: Didn't have one today, I wasn't hungry for one.
LUNCH: Progresso Soup, celery and cheese chunk - 250 Calories/1240
PM Snack: Green Peppers, Berries and WW yogurt - 150 Calories/1090
Dinner: Lean Sirloin Burgers, cheese, baked french fries, veggies - 510 Calories/ 580
Other: 100 Calorie pack - 100 Calories/480

Yikes! Any suggestions on how to eat up 480 calories today, but in a HEALTHY way???? Thanks : )

Day 26

2009-01-30T10:25:00.003-05:00

Hello All : )
OK, so my day is not starting out the best.... I did not get up and work out this morning - BOO ME! I did one of those, the alarm went off and I thought I would lay there for a sec. yeah, a sec turned into 20 MINUTES!!! And then it was too late to get my full workout in, so, I turned over and went back to sleep and had a weird dream about being LAZY!!! Seriously, i did... it was weird : ) anyway... I stopped by McD's for my friend that I see on the way to work - I got him a med. coffee and 2 sausage burritos, guess what, I didn't see him. Darn Maurice... he wasn't there... so I thought I would look for more friends, nope, none... So what happened, I ate them myself!! NOT good - it was like eating 700 calories : ( I am so disappointed in myself....

I weighed in today and only lost a half of pound... I mean I truly am grateful, but it's been four weeks and I was really hoping for at least 8 pounds... and instead, I'm at 6.5. I hope that when I measure myself next week the inches make up fr the pounds.

But I like to think that GOD is teaching me patience through this.. I have been praying for patience and I have also been praying to KEEP THE WEIGHT off!!!! They always say the slower it comes off the easier it is too keep off... so maybe this is an answer to prayer??? Who knows, I will keep praying.

I will have to come back on and outline my food for today, because the breakfast I had really threw me off my planned schedule!!! BOOOooooo.

Talk to you soon : )

Day 24 and 25

2009-01-29T11:40:00.002-05:00

Ok, so this might be a longer entry - I missed yesterday! I took a snow day and did things I have been meaning to get done. It was such a great day!! Wish I had like 2-3 in a row... not the weekend, the weekends bring too much stuff -everyone is trying to take your time... they are so draining. But this Sunday won't be for me, Church and then home to be a couch potato and then super bowl at 6:30.....

Anyway, yesterday, i did pretty good! But didn't get my fruits and veggies in : ( I was lazy with that for sure....

My workout was shoveling snow.... I didn't workout yesterday while I was home all day... disappointing, but I didn't stop moving.

Breakfast: Crispex, and 1 cup milk - 330 Calories/1370
AM Snack: Bagel and Cream Cheese - 370 Calories/1000
Lunch: Soup (potato soup) - 320 Calories/680 (I screwed up here, I thought it was 160 for the can, nope, I should have know better, it was per serving... ouch)
Dinner: 1.5 cup of noodles, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, and 6oz. ground turkey, 8oz milk- 520 Calories/160
Dessert: WW Fudge Bar - 100 Calories/60

I had a prayer group last night and the snack that was brought was VEGGIES - And I ate the heck out of some veggies : )

Now, as I start into Day 5 - I did my workout this morning and I will be going tonight too!!

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese - 370 Calories/1330
AM Snack: WW Yogurt and Kashi Bar - 220 Calories/ 1110
Lunch: Green salad with check peas, dressing, 2 tacos (from home), cheese and sour cream - 570 Calories/540
PM Snack: Celery and dip and 2 Clementines - 80 Calories/460
Dinner: 4oz Chicken Breast and baked potato, 1/2 cup cottage cheese - 400 Calories/60

Tomorrow is weigh in #4... I would just love to drop an unexpected amount... but I would be happy for a pound or two... We'll see...

Talk to you soon - and tune in tomorrow for week four's weight loss results!!!

Day 23 -

2009-01-27T11:04:00.002-05:00

I decided that I can't have that many calories left in a day (like yesterday) I use them on JUNK!! So I need to plan better... I think that I planned better today : )

Oh, and something else I decided to start with on Monday - changing up my work out schedule... I want to keep my body guessing! So starting Monday, I will go with the following workout schedule: M- PM Workout 1 hour cardio, T - AM/PM workouts, W - PM workout 1 hour cardio, Th - AM/PM workouts, F - AM workout, SAT - AM workout, SUN - Wallyball workout. So this is still good - but will change it up a little for me... I will change it again in a couple weeks I'm
sure : )

Breakfast: oatmeal, kashi bar - 280 calories/1,420
AM Snack: yogurt and 2 clemintines - 150 calories/1,270
Lunch: 2 hard tacos with 4 oz meat, cheese, sour cream, 100 calorie snack pack - 480 calories/790
PM Snack: celery and chocolate pudding, chunk of cheese - 190 Calories/600
Dinner: Tuna Helper (love it : ), green salad with cheese and dressing - 420 calories/180
Dessert: WW Fudge Bar - 100 Calories/80

So I have 80 left... but that's alright. I might add some sunflower seeds to my salad if we have any : )

Calories take two....

2009-01-26T16:47:00.002-05:00

OK. so I owe you some more info about my calories for the day - So for dinner we will be having tacos - two shells are 110 calories - so out of the 420 I had left, I have 310 now. I had some chips today - 150 calories, leaving me with 160 calories. I'm sure I will use the remaining 160 toward a WW fudge bar for 100 calories...

Talk to you tomorrow : )

Entry 22 -

2009-01-26T11:00:00.002-05:00

Ya, I know I missed reporting this weekend - sorry! I did workout on Saturday for about 1.5 hours or so... last night I went an played Wallyball for an hour.... So I did get some exercise in. Saturday and Sunday eating was alright - not the greatest. I need to write DOWN what I am eating on the weekends, if I am not going to get on and blog about it....

Today - I did get up at the crack of dawn to exercise :) Yay me!! I really do feel so great - my body really does feel like it's toning up and it's only been a couple weeks!! I mean 5 inches off in three weeks is pretty good : ) I will not be working out tonight, I forgot I have a meeting to go to at 7PM.

Breakfast: Oatmeal and kashi bar - 270 Calories/1430
AM Snack: Yogurt, 2 clementines - 150 Calories/1280
Lunch: Progresso Soup, strawberries - 210 Calories/1070
PM Snack: Cheese Chunk, Celery and dip - 100 Calories/970
Dinner: Ground Sirloin 4oz., Baked Potato, Salad - 550 Calories/420

I need to eat some more calories!! Wow that's a lot to have left... I will let you know how I decide to use them!!

Talk to you all soon : )

Day 19 - Plus Weigh In

2009-01-23T12:13:00.002-05:00

Hello - Good afternoon : ) So today was my third weigh in and I lost another pound. So far 6 pounds in 3 weeks - pretty good! And the slower it comes off, the more likely I am to KEEP it off!!! So Thank you Jesus, I will take the 1 pound this week!! So to recap, I have lost 6 pounds and 5 inches in 3 weeks. So pretty cool...

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese - 370/1,330
AM Snack: Kashi Bar - 140/1,190
Lunch: Progresso Soup, chunk of cheese 220/970
PM Snack: 2 clemintines, chunk or cheese - 110/870
Dinner: Not sure yet.... I will get back with you : )

Day 18

2009-01-22T12:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I'm late today - boy it's been a low day work today... business is NOT good!
Not worrying about it though, because honestly, no matter what, I know we will get through no matter what happens!! God is good and truly have all my faith and trust in him, after all "Father knows best" (smile).

So today - yep, I was up working out this morning doing my own grooves to my own tunes, wow so much fun and I felt great - 45 minutes!!

Breakfast: (can you guess?) Whole Wheat Bagel and 1 TBS PB - 390 Calories/1310
(I will get off them - it's not like me to stay on the same thing for so long, but seriously, these bagels are better then the kind you get a bagel shops - they are Thomasville I think - big, and REALLY filling - Wlmart had them on sale for $2.88 - worth every penny!)

AM Snack: 8oz V8 Fusion and 2 clementines - 200 Calories/1110

Lunch: 1 Can of Progresso soup, 100 Calorie pack, 8OZ of skim milk, 6 Chunks Cheese - 320 Calories/790

PM Snack: Strawberries and WW yogurt - 150 Calories/640

Dinner: 6oz chicken breast, stuffing and salad - 400 Calories/240

Other: 2 pieces of Dove Chocolate - 75 Calories/165

We need to go shopping - we are like out of food!! Seriously : ) Time to get some different things!

Off to the gym tonight - 20 minutes on the treadmill - still running for that 5K - still on 5 minutes brisk walk, then rotate 60 seconds run, 90 seconds walk - so far so good....

Then I will work on my legs/calves and abs tonight too!!

OH - one more thing... I did an early measuring to see if I was losing inches, I measured myself on 1/6/09 and in that time, 2 weeks and 2 days, I have lost a total of 5 inches. Pretty cool huh!! I am not recording though until 2/2/09 - so I still have some time to get some more off... LOL. Have a great day!

Day 17

2009-01-21T12:21:00.002-05:00

OK - so I missed working out this morning - I was tired and had a great workout last night, so I was still pretty sore. I know I should have still got up and didn't, oh well... The part that really stinks is that I am not going to get to work out tonight : ( I am signing up my first recruit for AVON - which I just started selling by the way - I LOVE AVON, so I figured why not try selling something I LOVE!!! I really need some extra money : ) But I have a new recruit ALREADY to sign up tonight - whoo hoo.

Breakfast: Same thing all week - wheat bagel and cream cheese - 370 Calories/1,330
(These bagels are SO good and SO filling!!!)
AM Snack: WW Yogurt and celery raw with homemade dip - 160 Calories/1,170
Lunch: Pork and 100 calorie pack, strawberries - 250 Calories/920
PM Snack: grapefruit and cheese chunks - 220 Calories/700
Dinner: 4 oz beef and thai noodles - 400 Calories/300
Other: 4 pieces of Dove Dark Chocolate - 150 Calories/150

So, I still have some calories to eat, but since I didn't workout today, I am noting to force them down my throat : )

Recipes....

2009-01-21T11:10:00.002-05:00

Ok, so here are some really good little things that we have found along the way.

First, this dip - it's like only 30 calories for 2 full TBSP and only two ingredients: Container of Sour Cream )fat free or Light) and a packet of Fiesta Ranch mix - mix the two together and wow, eat veggies ALL day long - SO GOOD! Good on baked chips, crackers, just about anything - so easy and wonderful : )

Second - Taco Baked Potato
Bake a potato (medium size) for an hour unwrapped for about 1 hour. Ground up some turkey or very lean beef, and mix the meat with taco seasoning. Cut open the potato and then sprinkle light salt on it, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, 1/4 cup of ground meat, 1 tbs of sour cream and then salsa or taco sauce - totally FILLING - for about 430 Calories. Great for a dinner and top it off with a green salad and use about 70 calories for the dressing and you have a very filling dinner and healthy for only 500 calories. Plus, what I love about it, is that it didn't feel like I was eating super healthy : )

Let me know if you try them!!

Day 16 -

2009-01-20T10:45:00.002-05:00

Hello - oh man would I love to be home right now : ) I had to take my truck in this morning, again - something is acting up!! Gosh, I really hope it's nothing too expensive, Lord you know where we are at financially right now, please let it be something within our budget, please.

No sense in worrying about it, so lets move on. I was up at the crack of dawn today to workout - Turbo Jamming it all the way for a wonderful 40 minutes!! I will be heading to the gym tonight for my 20 minute 5K training workout on the treadmill and some strength training on my biceps and triceps : )

Food - well, I am starting to get bored and I am changing my food all the time!!! So not sure why this is happening. I am starting to REALLY crave carbs... I'm still wondering if I am getting enough calories for all that I'm doing. CARBS, I want MORE CARBS!!! Not Veggie Carbs, but bread, potatoes, crackers... those kind. Oh did I mention my SWEET cravings???? Ya, these are getting kind of bad too... And normally, I am more of a salt person than sugar.... but I go through this EVERY TIME I start to eat differently again. Doves dark chocolate pieces usually do the trick - 4 of those throughout the day or so.. but that's 150 calories, on candy - but dark chocolate is suppose to be really good for your heart!!

Breakfast - Whole Wheat/Grain Bagel and cream cheese - 370 Calories/1,330
AM Snack - 2 pieces of dark Chocolate and 100 Calorie Pack - 175 Calories/1,155
Lunch - 4 oz ground Turkey, raw veggies, 2 clementines, 2 slices of bread - 320 Cal/835
PM Snack- Grapefruit and Yogurt - 220 Calories/615
Dinner - Ground Beef (not sure what for yet), potato of some sort and milk - 620 Cal/-5 over

Oh well, I should be able to burn that little 5 calories off at the gym tonight. Not going to worry about it. Talk to you later : )

Day 14 & 15 -

2009-01-19T10:45:00.003-05:00

Good Morning and Happy Monday to everyone : )

I am having a pretty good day so far! I have to share something with you, kinda of funny, or at least I thought.... So, I am pretty crazy person at times and I tend to use my imagination quite often!! It's so much fun : ) Anyway, I got up to do my Turbo Jam DVD this morning and found one that I had never done before. So, I thought to myself, since I am doing so well on the there DVD's why not try a different one... starts off pretty good and kind of the same worm up as the others... i was getting kind of excited - that I had a new one to put into the mix : ) Ya, then it gets going.... Oh boy, it was WAY over my head - I have been doing Turbo Jam for about 2 years now off and on and I actually and pretty good - ya, not at this one... I was like, "whoa, what, wait go back... what.. oh forget it.." But I didn't forget it : ) I got my new $35 MP3 player this weekend and loaded like 90+ songs on it, so I grabbed that bad boy popped it in my ears and started my OWN workout!! LOL, here comes the imagination - I put my own 40 minute routine together and acted like I was teaching a class - I will say that it was one heck of a workout!! I was pretty impressed : ) It was fun and I really feel it... So much fun - I am thinking of doing this at least once a week maybe twice - who knows, maybe I will teach a class someday... that's a long way away : )

Alright, onto other things... I know I missed writing yesterday. I did pretty well yesterday and I had Mickey D's Breakfast and Taco Bell for lunch.... I know, not the things I want to be eating while trying to lose weight, but you know what, I counted EVERYTHING yesterday and only came in 40 calories over 1700. I had TONS of fruits and veggies - I mean TONS - like 8 servings minimum!!! And I did drink a lot of water. Oh, and even though I ate fast food yesterday - I made GOOD choices, I didn't go nuts!

Ok, so onto today!

I did my 40 minutes of cardio this morning!
Breakfast: Whole Grain Bagel and cream cheese - 370 Calories
AM Snack: 10 Whole grain baked wheat crackers, grapefruit, raw cucumbers and ff dip - 250 Calories
Lunch: 4 oz. ground turkey, 1/4 cup ketchup, two slices of bread, 100 calorie pack and clementine - 390 Calories
PM Snack: green peppers raw, dip, yogurt, clementine - 210 Calories
Dinner: Subway sub, baked chips and pop. - ? Calories (I have to figure them out and then I will fill it in).

I just found out we are having a HALF DAY !!! Whoo Hoo!!! Talk to you soon~

Day 13 -

2009-01-17T12:42:00.002-05:00

Hello - I realize that my Saturday and Sunday blogs are probably going to be shorter and straight to the point. I am not on my computer all that much while I am at home : )

I started my day with a two hour gym workout - 40 minutes of cardio, then abs, back and chest. I feel great..

Breakfast: Special K, 1/2 cup skim milk, whole wheat waffle, 1 tbsp PB, grapefruit = 460 Calories
Lunch: 4 Cups of lettuce, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup green peppers, tuna can, yellow peppers, 1/4 cup of cheese, 3 tbs light dressing = 380 Calories
Dinner: ( I will get back with you : )

We have bowling tonight, so that will be fun : ) It's still SO COLD here though.... SO COLD.. leaving the house stinks.

Day 12 - Food Exercise track

2009-01-16T11:19:00.003-05:00

Alright, so I did get up and workout this morning, I did 20 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of sculpting! It was fun and I felt great afterward. I burned about 350 calories to kick start my day - pretty cool. There will not be a PM workout on Friday nights -

Breakfast: 1 large egg and 1 egg white, 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of high fiber bread, 8 oz skim milk - 305 Calories. AM snack: Grapefruit and yogurt - 220 Calories. Lunch: Spaghetti with turkey - 250 Calories. PM snack - Whole Wheat Chips and Salsa - 190 Calories. Dinner - Medium baked potato, 1/8 c shredded cheese, 2 tbs lit sour cream, 4oz chicken, green salad - 485 Calories. So on the day I will have had 1,450 Calories - But I will be having popcorn tonight while watching Friday Night Lights - So that will take up the remaining 250 Calories to close out the day.

Not too bad today : ) Can't wait for 9PM tonight!! It's back - YAY!!!

Day 12 - Week 2 Weigh In

2009-01-16T10:21:00.002-05:00

This week will be a short weigh in because I am going to go back to weighing in on Fridays.
So I lost another 2 pounds today - Not the number I was hoping for but I'll take it! I am down to 245 now. Not bad, 5 pounds in two weeks. Although one of my goals this week was to lose 5 pounds - that didn't happen. Thats alright, the slower it comes the off the better chance I have at keeping it off - I have to remind myself of that ; )

Day 11

2009-01-15T11:53:00.002-05:00

Taking it day by day, one step at a time : )
Today - I failed to workout this morning... I know... I let myself down. I will be going tonight and I think that I will get in an hour of cardio, to help make up for it a little... I will do the Trifecta again, that was fun!

Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 egg white, 2 pieces of high fiber whole wheat toast, 1 slice of cheese, 8 oz of V8 Fusion = 325 calories. I was happy with that and it's filling!! That's what counts matters, staying full!! AM Snack: Medium banana and WW yogurt = 205 Calories. Happy again. Lunch: Progresso can soup, whole wheat chips and salsa = 350 Calories. Cool.. that's good!! PM Snack: celery and peanut butter = 200 Calories. Dinner: (We don't know yet, something with ground turkey though) 4 oz of ground turkey for 120 calories and then whatever else : ) I will let you know. So far without dinner though, I did pretty good today, with a total of = Wow, only 1,080 Calories on the day before dinner!! That's great!!! So I have 620 left - the 120 for the turkey = 500 Calories!! Whoo.

Tomorrow is weigh in though - so I will have to be careful on how I use those calories.... I will!!
So besides the no AM workout, I am feeling pretty good about today!!

New Blog...

2009-01-14T11:18:00.002-05:00

So I thought I would let all of you know that I started another blog page : ) Along with my goal of losing weight this year, I also made it my goal to grow more intimately with God. I thought since this blog is helping me so much with the weight loss journey, I would also track my journey with God - you can find it at http://megansjourneywithgod.blogspot.com - I have only a couple posts so far, but I think that what I have been sharing is pretty amazing, at least to us : ) Enjoy! Don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!

Day 10

2009-01-14T09:10:00.003-05:00

Good Morning All! How are you today? I am pumped and ready to go!! I started my day with a 40 minute workout with Turbo Jam - Turbo Sculpt. OK, I know I mentioned it before, but Turbo Jam is awesome - I love working out in the comfort of my home in the morning and this video set is FUN and I look forward to doing it!! So, I did get in 40 minutes this morning - I won't be able to workout tonight because we have an orientation meeting to go to tonight - Chris and I are checking out Fostering to Adopt infant/s. I'll keep you posted : )

So for breakfast today - I had kind of a lot of calories: 2 whole wheat waffles, 1 tbsp of PB, 8oz. of V8 Fusion and 1 medium banana = 475 Calories - This is high, I like to stay around 300, NO more than 350 - (so I failed here). AM Snack: Yogurt and grapefruit = 220 Calories. Lunch: Bean soup, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 2 tbsp sour cream, whole wheat chips = 525 Calories. PM Snack: Celery with Peanut Butter = 200 Calories. Dinner: 1/2 whole wheat pita, 3 oz. tuna, 8 cheese chunks = 280 Calories.

So, out of 1700 calories, lets see how I did - 475+220+525+200+280= 1700 - WOW on the nose!! No SNACKING TONIGHT MEGAN!! You had enough calories through the day, you shouldn't be hungry!!! NO snacks at orientation either!!! ONLY have whatever they have to drink : ) I can do it!!!

I'll be back later, I'm sure. I love writing on here and love that you guys are supporting me and reading what I am writing : ) Thank you so much!!

2009-01-13T14:44:00.001-05:00

Fast Workouts That Really Work!

SELF.com

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Wed, Nov 26, 2008, 1:47 pm PST

Happier, Healthier You
by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief a Yahoo! Health Expert for Women's Health

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85% of users found this article helpful.

I love my long training runs, but most days carving out more than an hour to work out just isn't in the cards. And when my schedule is really crammed, shoehorning a sweat session seems next to impossible.

Luckily, the fantastic fitness team at SELF let me in on a little secret: You can get an hour's worth of fitness and calorie burning in 20 short minutes. Yes, I was skeptical at first, but this fat-blasting routine is as ultraeffective as it is speedy, and the secret lies in high-intensity spurts of energy. Here's how to do it:

• Pick any cardio you like (running, swimming, the elliptical trainer). Warm up for 2 minutes at a moderate pace, then sprint for 30 seconds at the highest intensity you can muster. Slow down and do 90 seconds at a catch-your-breath recovery pace. Repeat eight times. You'll torch more calories in less time, while you burn fat faster. Follow this cardio session with a few of the following fast firmers for a total-body workout in less than 30 minutes.

• Tighten your tummy: Do two sets of 10 to 12 crunches on a stability ball. Research from the University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, in New Zealand, revealed that using the ball makes crunches 20 percent more effective compared to hitting the floor.

• Firm up legs: Stand on left foot, hands on hips, and bring right knee to hip level in front. Trace a horizontal figure eight in front of you with knee. Then bend left knee and hop to right, landing on right foot. Repeat figure eight with left knee, then hop back to left to complete one rep. Do 10 reps, then hop back and forth 10 times to complete one set.

• Boost your bottom: Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on waist. Shift weight to left foot and lift heel of right foot so you're resting on toes. Bend left knee and sink hips back, keeping weight off right foot (toes stay on ground). Rise up. Do 12 reps on left leg, then switch legs and repeat.

• Bare amazing arms: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with feet hip-width apart. Raise arms, palms down, out and slightly forward to shoulder height. Slowly lower them behind you so weights almost touch. Do 12 reps.

• Slim all over: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Keeping legs as straight as possible, bend forward and walk hands out until they're under shoulders. Do two push-ups, then walk hands back and stand. Repeat twice, doing four push-ups, then six.

Jillian from the Biggest Loser! Great Article!

2009-01-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

Jillian Michaels' Motivation Tricks

SELF.com

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Tue, Jan 06, 2009, 7:51 pm PST

Happier, Healthier You
by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief a Yahoo! Health Expert for Women's Health

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Rate this blog entry:

71% of users found this article helpful.

As sure as the ball dropping in Times Square, New Year's resolutions to get
in shape abound. After January 1, the gyms are packed, lines at the health
food store snake down the block and everyone's talking about looking fine in
2009.

But a few weeks into the month, just as the mercury dips and retail
prices decline, you can also count on a sharp dip in workout dedication. To
the rescue: Rev-your-resolve tricks from one of the most inspirational
trainers around--Jillian Michaels of TV's The Biggest
Loser, who developed the workout to go along with our annual Jump Start Diet.

MAJOR MOTIVATOR 1: Write down your goals
Hoping to slim down for your college reunion? Want to tone your butt and
thighs in time for shorts season? Looking for flat, sexy abs you'll be proud
to show off at the pool? Put it all in writing, either in a journal or
somewhere you can see it easily (the door to your fridge, perhaps?). When
you find that your motivation is dwindling, simply read your list to get
back on track.

MAJOR MOTIVATOR 2: Reward yourself
Each time you fulfill one of your goals, treat yourself to something you
deserve: a pedicure or a magazine (like SELF!). This will help you stay
excited and motivated to clear your next hurdle.

MAJOR MOTIVATOR 3: Pair up for workouts
Planning a sweat session with a pal is one surefire way to ensure you
actually show up. Someone's waiting for you! Beginning a healthy eating plan
with a friend is similarly effective. Dieters who have support from their
buddies are more likely to keep the weight off than those who fly solo,
according to research from the Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology.

MAJOR MOTIVATOR 4: Tune in
When the beat goes on, so does your workout! Listening to music as you walk
can make you go farther, according to research from the Journal of Music
Therapy. And choosing an MP3 player over the TV at the gym can help you
feel more positive as you sweat, a study from Elon University in North
Carolina indicates. Michaels loves any song by The Roots, but you can find
plenty of keep-you-going exercise playlists at Self.com.

MAJOR MOTIVATOR 5: Envision fun workouts and a fitter, firmer, more fabulous
you
Visualizing an energizing and entertaining workout a few minutes each day can
make you feel more excited to exercise, research shows. Once you've covered
your workout, focus on you: "Think about what you're trying to achieve," Michaels says. "Having intention behind your actions is extremely powerful."

My lunch....

2009-01-13T13:00:00.003-05:00

Ok. so Margie is right, I need to not skip writing anything down - so she sent me a link for my chicken salad sandwich - 658 calories! Yikes. My carrot cake, now that was pretty hard to find, I am going to use 300 calories, the numbers I was finding were between 245-340 and none of them were for homemade carrot cake. So for lunch my total was 958. Wow!! Well, it's done.

Day 9

2009-01-13T10:48:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be honest here, I don't have too much to say so far today. If you read my last post, that's where all my energy went : )

However, today, I did NOT get up and work out this morning. I think I slept on my shoulder wrong last night and the pain was going up into my neck. But you can bet your bottom dollar, I will be there tonight : ) Getting my 40 minutes in!

Food - well, we are celebrating my birthday today at work. My boss made from scratch my most favorite cake ever, carrot cake!! And we are getting lunch from the best place ever too - 18th Street Deli, they had a Chicken salad sandwich there that I CAN'T pass up. So, with all that said, I made sure to bring LOTS of fruit and veggies to eat today. I have no clue how to count the calories in the sandwich or the cake and I am having both.

Breakfast: 5 pieces of celery with 2 TBS of peanut butter - 200 calories, 8 0z. V8 Fusion - 100 Calories. Total of 300 Calories for breakfast.

AM Snack: 1 medium banana - 105 calories

Lunch - uncountable.... NO Clue.

PM Snack - Grapefruit cup 120 calories and yogurt 100 calories. Total of 220 Calories.

Dinner - La Choy dinner, very low in calories, pepper beef, not sure what the actual calories are though, I will get back to you on that : )

Not miserable, but you know....

Well, let's see....

2009-01-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

I was talking to my friend Margie last night, she's my neighbor, sister in Christ and Friend! God knew what he was doing when I bought that house : ) It's funny, whenever I think about the things I don't like about my house, you know, start COMPLAINING, I always think about it being part of God's plan - Chris and I moving in next door to Margie and her daughter. It's pretty neat... anyway, I seemed have got a little side tracked.

So, I was talking to Margie and she is going to run a 5K in May, and I have ALWAYS wanted to run a 5K, then a 10K and so on.... well, I figured since my first Goal of weight loss I am pushing for in May, what better way to help me stay on track than to start training for this 5K. So guess what people, I'm doing it and I already started workout number one on the training plan last night - cool huh!

I went to the gym last night, walked at a good pace for 20 minutes and then went into the 20 minute training - so all together 40 minutes last night and right over 300 calories. So yesterday I burned around 500 total with the morning exercise and night.

While I am telling you about all this great news, I figure I would throw in something else, NON-Weight related..... I have been having some issues with my truck... it was starting to shake when I drive it. Well, I was a little worried, because we all know how car repairs and be EXPENSIVE and OUTRAGEOUS!! As I mentioned, I was worried at first, but then I thought, GOD, I am NOT going to worry, it's in your hands and you have kept me safe so far... you know our financial situation and I am just going to trust you - this is what I prayed as I dropped my vehicle off at the repair shop. I told them that I thought it might be my tie rods (Money pit), but wasn't sure, my truck started shaking once it got to a certain speed and then would stop... he said he would take a look. He called me like 20 minutes later, "nope, it's not your tie rods, I am going to rotate your tires and tighten up your wheel bearings, because there is too much give in your tires, and that should fix the problem - $55 for wheel bearings and only $18 for tire rotation, Total = $73.00 - GOD you ROCK!!! You are so amazing!!! You answered my prayer almost directly on the spot!! Thank you Jesus!!

Sorry this was so long - but I HAD to share : )

UPDATE: Please Read Regarding My Earlier Post!!

2009-01-12T15:59:00.002-05:00

So earlier I posted a piece of info from an article I was reading, well a friend of mine pointed out an error in the article after reading my post. At first I thought it was my error, but it wasn't it was theirs. So there are some changes. When using the info below to determine you daily calorie intake - women use 65 NOT 655 - there is a HUGE difference.

I was thinking to myself, WOW, I was eating that many calories a day, that's insane. This calculation with the number 65 instead of 655, makes SO MUCH MORE sense.

My new stats, right now, to stay where I am, if I wanted to, which I DON'T, I would need to eat 2,002 calories - since I want to LOSE weight, I need to cut my calories and cutting them down by 300 should be a good start! I will see how week 2 goes!

Sorry for all the confusion~

Caloric Intake - what should it be??

2009-01-12T12:07:00.003-05:00

So I wanted to see if maybe I am eating to few of calories at this moment. I did a search and here is what I found - I thought it might be helpful for you out there too so I copied and pasted it, you can find the whole article at http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm

Calculate Your BMR Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing.

Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.

Step one is to calculate your BMR with the following formula:

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Please note that this formula applies only to adults.

Calculate Activity

Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent

If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent

If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent

If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

Add this number to your BMR.

The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weightt. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.

As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.

ME again - not the article. So I did all this and this is what I came up with based on the numbers. In order to stay right where I am, I would need to consume about 3,300 calories in a day, that's almost double what I am trying to eat now.

Now, obviously I want to LOOSE weight, so I should cut that down, but I don't think I should literally cut in half off the bat - especially with all the working out I am doing - I am getting in 10, 45 minute+ sessions a week!!! That's 450 minutes in a week of exercise. That's a lot!!!

So, I think for week 2 I am going to stay at the 1700 mark to see what happens, but if I don't lose at least 5 pounds and I stayed on track all week with eating and working out, then I am going to increase my calories, probably to like 2,000.

I do know that you have to EAT to LOSE!!! Too few calories will not help you, it will only hurt.

Let me know if this is helpful :)

Goals for Week 2

2009-01-12T10:28:00.002-05:00

I want to lose at least 5 pounds this week!! I hope that I am eating enough for as much as I am working out. We'll see...

Goals for week 2:
1.) Lose 5 pounds
2.) 5 out of 7 days, not go over my calories in a day (1700)
3.) Not miss a work out - I will miss Wed. morning and Friday night - this will be standard my
Mon - Sat. But I want to make all the others!! (Last week I missed 3).

Every week I am going to try and come up with 3 NEW goals to accomplish for the week!! Help hold me to them : )

Day 8 - Weigh in Day

2009-01-12T10:08:00.003-05:00

Good morning - it's Monday and feel pretty good!
I got up this morning and did 45 minutes of exercise - so that's good!
I have already had 64 ounces of water and it's only 10:10AM, so that's good!!

I weighted in today and Lost (drum roll please.....) 3 pounds, that's good too. I was REALLY hoping for like 5 pounds. But sometimes when you have a lower first week your second week will be great. That's what I am hoping for : ) So now, I weigh 247 pounds - HOPING to NEVER see 250 AGAIN!!!

Breakfast: 2 wheat waffles - 170 Calories, 2 tbsp sugar free jelly - 20 Calories, 1 medium banana - 105 Calories. Total Calories = 295

AM Snack: 6 chunks of cheese - 100 Calories, celery w/1 tbsp of peanut butter - 100 Calories. Total = 200 Calories

Lunch: 1 can of progresso soup - 160 Calories, 1/2 piece of pita bread - 110 Calories, 2 tbsp of hummus 60 calories. Total Calories = 330 Calories

PM Snack: 1 WW yogurt - 100 Calories and 1 green pepper w/ 1 tbsp of ranch - 50 Calories. Total 150 calories

Dinner - Homemade bean soup w/ ham - 250 Calories, crackers 2 servings - 240 Calories. Total Calories = 490 Calories

Late Snack (after the Gym) - WW yogurt and 2 tbsp of sun flower seeds - 300 Calories total.

For day 8 - Calorie intake = 1615 ( that leaves very little wiggle room.. but enough)

Day 7

2009-01-12T09:58:00.002-05:00

OK. So I feel like I did a lot better today, but let's see once it's all written out.

Breakfast: Grapefruit 120 calories, 1 Cup Special K 120 Calories, 1/2 cup skim milk 40 Calories, 8 ounces of V8 Fusion 100 Calories = 380 for Breakfast.

Lunch: 1 sloppy joe and bun - 381 Calories, Cup of Chicken Noodle Soup - 120 Calories = 501 calories for lunch.

Dinner: 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (made low) 180 calories each, - 360 Calories, 1 cup of Salsa - 50 Calories and 2 servings of hint of line tortilla chips - 280 Calories = 690 Calories total.

Today's total = 1571 Calories - Goal was to eat 1700, so I actually had 130 calories left. Wow, I did do a lot better today! Yay me : )

Day 6

2009-01-12T09:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry - I know this is over due! I missed Saturday and Sunday. Wow, what a weekend. Let me just say, it was a lot harder to stay on track then during the week.

Do you ever notice how during the week it's really much easier to stay on task because you are in this routine? Man, for me, it's MUCH easier - the weekends just seem like free-for-alls! In the past I did MUCH better when I did my weigh-ins on Friday morning. Yes, they would be bigger losses, but it kept me motivated so much longer. I think that I am going to go back to weigh in on Friday mornings, starting with week 2.

OK back to day Six - WOW, I had an amazing workout day today!! I worked out for 2 full hours - 1 hour of cardio and 1 hour of strength training. Within my cardio workout, I actually did the Stairmaster for 20 minutes - so exciting, along with the treadmill and elliptical... I figured out that I burned about 800 calories - 600 burned with cardio and about 200 for the strength training.

My eating today wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. I didn't get back form the gym until about 10:30 so we just went and grabbed some lunch out to eat. I had one of the BEST salads ever : ) So, I had about 7 ounces of Chicken - 220 calories, 1 hard boiled egg - 78 Calories, 10 slices of cucumber - 10 calories, 8 cups of romaine lettuce - 80 Calories, 3 ounces of shredded cheese - 150 Calories, 1 pita bread - 210 Calories, Greek Dressing - 135 Calories and I did have 3 fried cheese sticks : ( - 240 Calories - YIKES!!! So for my breakfast, AM snack and Lunch, I had - 1,123 - OUCH!! I could have done with out the stupid cheese sticks, they weren't even that good...

So, I didn't eat again though until dinner - Turkey Burger Patty - 120 Calories, Slice of Provolone Cheese - 70 Calories, Wheat Bun - 120 Calories, Baked Fries - 150 Calories and 4 TBS of Ketchup - 60 calories. And the dinner total was 520 Calories.

Later that night we went out and met up with some friends for Karaoke, and I had 4 Mick Ultra Lights - but at 95 Calories each wasn't too bad - total 380 Calories.

So, let's up the daily totals - 1,123+520+380 = 2,025-1,700=I was over by 325 Calories for the day. Oops, I guess I should do some better planning!! Let's hope I do better on Sunday!

Day 5 Follow Up

2009-01-09T17:10:00.002-05:00

Alright, so for lunch I did have Taco Bell - but I was REALLY good!! 2 crunchy tacos and pintos without cheese for a total of 400 calories, not bad!! I would have had that anyway, and it was really filling.

I am not going to be able to get a workout in tonight - but I will get a GOOD one in tomorrow, probably like hour and half or so... then on Sunday we are playing Wally Ball - YAY!!! I am hoping for a minimum weight loss this week of 5 pounds. I think I can pull it off!!

Alright - well Happy Friday!! Talk at you tomorrow.

Day 5 Entry

2009-01-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I didn't get up and work out this morning, I know.... My bad! But in my defense, my abs hurt so bad that I felt like I was going to throw up. Funny thing, I haven't worked solely on my abs since Tuesday - So this is a good sign, I must be working out well!! Cardio is suppose to be amazing for the core and really help strengthen, and I think I believe them now : ) I always believed them, cardio is just the hardest for me, but I am doing it!!

So I have to share with you- I was planning on trying out for season 8 of the Biggest Loser, but instead I am going to try it my way one more time before I look to drastic measures, (if I have too). By starting this blog and having all of you to hold me accountable and to be looking at me to change, this is going to REALLY help me!! I know I can do it - I just have to do it!!

Moving on... Today is day 5 and I am getting really excited about weighing in on Monday morning, I am thinking it will be a good week! Breakfast today, I had a blueberry bagel and cream cheese with a V8 fusion - 440 Calories (wow, kind of a lot of calories for breakfast and I am already hungry for my morning snack and it's only 10:30). AM Snack - 1/4 piece of pita and 1 TBS of hummus and yogurt - 158 Calories. Lunch - not sure yet... : ) PM Snack - 6 chunks of cheese and something else... I'm sorry, not as prepared with my food for the whole day. I will have to write back later.

Oh, I am in for a test tonight. Chris and I are going out to dinner and I am going to practice making healthy choices. Wish me luck and be praying for me - I know I can do it and I like to start testing myself early on. Here we go : )

I'll write later!

Good NIght...

2009-01-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

It's 10:07 and I HAVE TO GO TO BED!!! But, I was really proud of myself tonight - I was at the gym and did 30 minutes on the Eliptical machine, and 10 minutes on the stair master, ya, that's right I said stair master - Megan does not do stair masters, but I did tonight for 10 minutes. My goal is to get up to 20 minutes on it - it felt awesome!! I ended the night with 7 minutes on the treadmill - not bad. Over all, I exercised over 80 minutes today - pretty cool! OK, off to bed so I can get up and do it ALL over again : ) Good Night.

Whoo Hoo!

2009-01-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

Guess what, it's 4:23 and I have not been hungry enough to eat my afternoon snack - so now I have 290 calories left over!! Whoo Hooo! Just had to share : )

Thursday, Jan. 8th

2009-01-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

So as I mentioned in my earlier post, I am on day four! I am doing pretty well so far... yesterday was horrible - bad on eating and I wasn't able to work out. But, today is a new day. So far so great! I am doing good with my eating and I also worked out for 40 minutes this morning using Turbo Jam - By the way this workout program ROCKS!!! It's fun and you REALLY feel it!! It's like anything though, in order to get results, YOU HAVE TO DO IT :-)

Anyway, for Breakfast I had a blueberry bagel with cream cheese - 290 Calories -For my AM Snack I had 6 chunks of cheese and 1 pear - 200 Calories - For lunch today I am having a whole wheat pita, and 4 TBS of hummus, a 1/2 of cucumber and light ranch - 400 Calories - For my PM Snack WW yogurt and 6 chunks of cheese - 200 Calories - And Dinner, 6oz Cube Steak and baked potato w/ 1 TBS of Sour Cream - 520 Calories. I still have 90 calories left for the day!!

I will be hitting the gym for about 45 minutes tonight to get in some more cardio! Today I will have stayed within my calories of 1700 and have 85 minutes of exercise!

My water intake - I did some research and I know the standard is 8 glasses of 8oz water, but I found that really for women, it's more like 9 glasses of 8oz of water. And if you are working out more than 60 minutes in a day you should add an additional 2.5 glasses - so, I am aiming for 12 glasses of 8oz. of water, so really 96 ounces! I can do it....

YAY - go me :-)

4 Days In....

2009-01-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

OK. So, I am starting 4 days late.. oops. Like so many others, I am starting my new weight-loss journey, and "get fit" program at the beginning of 2009! I started in full on January 5th. I weighted in at 250 pounds!!! Yes, 250 pounds!!! This IS the biggest I have EVER been, YIKES!!! I will be weighing myself every Monday Morning.

Here are my measurements: Arms- R 12.75" - L 14" Hips- 51" Waist - High 41" Low 48"
Thighs - R 30" - L 31" Calves - R 17" - L 17.25" - I am going to take NEW measurements every four weeks.

I'm sure buy now you have already seen my pictures - YUCK!! I need to lose the weight so I like to myself in pictures again! I will post a NEW picture of me every 4 weeks. The picture with me in the Green shirt and Black pants is the MOST recent- Taken on Christmas Day 2008.

I will be tracking here my food and exercise too - how many minutes I workout a day and the calories and food I am eating. While I know eating super healthy foods is the best way to go - I like to go as realistic as possible - I will add in the not so good foods. My target caloric intake for now, until I lose my first 10 pounds is 1700. I know this might seem high - But I am pulling two a day workouts to help jump start my weight loss and the more I burn, I do need some extra calories for energy. I will NOT be going below 1400 in a day - I am TOO active to go below that amount. And really 1400 is a very healthy amount of calories.

So wish me luck - this journey will be long and life changing : )