Archive for the ‘Health/Fitness/Nutrition’ Category
Losing It ‘11:Week 3
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Ok, first things first…. is this week 2 or 3? Seems like the first week of announcing it should not have technically counted? I didn’t actually start doing anything to lose weight until the “second” week. I’ve noticed a couple of bloggers are putting different numbers in their posts. Can we get a consensus on that?
Anyway, moving on to this weight loss attempt week for me.
I somehow managed to gain two more pounds.
Seriously.
This week I didn’t get on the elliptical again, HOWEVER, I did try to make the most of any kind of physical activity I was doing.
For instance: I tightned my stomach muscles and held the laundry basket out in front of me while going up and down stairs. I was trying to work my abs and arms on that one.
Speaking of stairs… going up and down them as much as I have this week should count for something! I’m trying to sleep train my daughter and get her on a good napping schedule in her crib. There have been lots of going up and down stairs to re-bink, re-cover and calm her down.
Trying to get on the elliptical and MAKE TIME for exercising is so hard for me! During my baby’s nap time I like to get as much done around the house as I can that I can’t do when she’s awake. Since I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water right now when it comes to keeping house, I truly don’t want to use nap time as my exercise time.
I’ve noticed snacking is another downfall of mine. I’m a huge nibbler. I’ve decided that if I’m going to have a snack I need to just sit down and have one. Make me a small plate of whatever snack I plan on having (preferably a health one) and eat it. Instead of nibbling while standing up all day.
I’ve been consciously making myself not have anything before bed. That’s been hard since I’m usually very hungry at night. If I do have something, I’ve been trying to make it a fruit smoothie. Usually what I REALLY want is something like toast, a bagel or some other carb laden food. I know I don’t need those calories before bed.
Training my stomach to want less food and being ok with being hungry during the day for right now is TOUGH.
But, it’s a sacrifice I need to make. I keep telling myself my kids are going to grow up with thin, fit parents. I want to make that something “normal” in our house. I don’t want our girls to grow up with an unhealthy view of weight and alway seeing their parents struggling with weight issues. Unfortunately, overweight parents can lead to overweight kids. My husband also struggles with his weight and has been trying to lose weight for years just like I have.
My goals for this week are:
~ Lose, at least, one measly pound.
~ Get on the elliptical at least once! (I’m going for lofty goals here, people)
~ Purposeful healthy snacking.
~ Take my measurements so the scale isn’t the only marker of my weight loss progress.
How’s everyone else doing this week??
Check out Kathy at House of Hill’s Losing It ‘11 challenge for accountability and encouragement in your weight loss journey. While you’re there take a look at the other women who are blogging about their journey and offer up some encouragment!
Losing It Week 16
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
A couple of days ago I put on my Facebook status that with my consistent exercise this week I would be ticked if I didn’t lose weight this week.
Well, I’m ticked.
Can you believe that after FOUR days of exercising I didn’t lose a thing? I maintained! And I can honestly say that I ate well this week. No overeating. Unless you count the two hot dogs I had at the block party last night. But still! It’s not like I walked around eating brownies and cookies. It was two hot dogs!
Anyway, I’m ticked and I can honestly say I don’t know what to do differently. Maybe my body is gearing up for a big loss next week?
Let’s hope!
Anyway, I’m more ticked than discouraged because I just knew I’d get on the scale this morning and at least see two pounds gone. But, I’m super proud of my exercise commitment this week. For the record, I haven’t measured myself in ages. I should probably do that, huh?
For more inspiring women and their weight loss journeys check out the Losing It weight loss challenge at House Of Hills.
I can honestly say being a part of this group has done wonders for my weight loss. The encouragement and accountability have been so good for me. If you’re on a weight loss journey please consider joining us. It’s fun. It’s easy. And it helps!
Losing It Week 15
Friday, July 16th, 2010
I lost 2.5 lbs since last week! Yeehaw!! Seeing those higher numbers was really discouraging me. I felt them, if you know what I mean. They were sitting in my midsection taunting me. I still have to lose another 2.5 pounds before I’m back to my 10 pound loss. I have to give kudos to my two cousins Lydia and Grace (who also happen to be sisters) who have recently lost twenty and thirty pounds respectively! They definitely motivate and inspire me. Way to go, ladies!!!
I was able to exercise three times again this week. I would really like to get at least four days in and in a perfect world, five. Of course, I’m also still trying to get pregnant so if that happens any time soon I won’t be trying to lose weight anymore. But, until then, cheers to losing me some poundage!
It really helped this past week that we had no food in the house! I literally had NO snacking or dessert options!! Of course I had to listen to everyone complaining but it was good for them. (*insert evil laugh*) I’m going to the grocery store today but I still want to keep our unhealthy options at minimum. I’m trying to instill a monthly bulk cooking day in this house and that hasn’t happened. On that day I want to cook large quantities of healthier, homemade snacks and breakfast foods. Granola, granola bars, oatmeal cookies, whole wheat waffles and pancakes and yogurt freezer pops are some of the things I want to make.
How was your week?
Run, walk, bicycle over (you know, for the exercise) to Kathy’s blog, House Of Hills, for her Losing It link up. There’s a great group of gals over there working hard to lose the weight and they are awesome.
Losing It Week 15
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
I was so excited to weigh this morning because I have exercised THREE times this week. I also controlled my eating pretty well, although I could have done better. I didn’t update last week because you-know-what was here and was adding several pounds to my weight. Well, the residual effects are still here from you-know-what since I weighed in FOUR pounds heavier that my last weight. It was quite discouraging to see that number but I feel confident I can lose those four pounds.
It’s been so hard to get back into the good groove I was in before. I’ve had to just set my mind and DO IT. I try not to over think the exercise thing. I grab my sneakers and water and set the elliptical for 30 minutes. I tell myself it’s just thirty minutes and that there’s nothing that can’t wait for thirty minutes while I exercise. The phone, the house, the kids, even potty training! And even though some days I get on kicking and screaming I feel SO GOOD afterward!
I definitely think I can stand to cut back even more with my eating. I don’t have any desserts in the house right now but I’m pretty sure my portions with everything else have been larger than they need to be.
What really got to me motivated me the other day was that while I was exercising I was watching VH1’s “40 Most Slimmed Down Celebrities”. The commentators would talk about how so and so had really let themselves go once they became a mom. Marie Osmond was one of them. {Insert sarcasm} Oh my GOODNESS…she got to 165 lb!!! She lost all that weight and went from a size 12 (yes TWELVE) to a size 2.
Yay for her. Geez.
It’s great that she lost weight and feels good about herself. But a size 12 wasn’t that huge to begin with! I could see it if she was an 18 and went to an 8. But getting to a size 2 is unrealistic for most women, in my opinion.
The other actress was Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) and she is 5′3 (two inches taller than me) and she got to the gross, disgusting weight of 156 pounds.
Wow.
I can’t wait to be 156 pounds again. I don’t want to stay there ,either, but that would be great progress for me.
By Hollywood standards I’m pretty disgusting.
But, what does Hollywood know, right??
So how was your week? Did you meet your weight loss and fitness goals this week? Do tell! And share it over at House Of Hills Losing It weight loss challenge.
The woman who are linking up each week are truly amazing and inspirational. Go check out these REAL women and how they’re slimming down.
Who needs Marie Osmond and Marcia Brady anyway?….grumble grumble ……
Losing It Week 14
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
I can already tell you this week was better for this reason alone—– I exercised! I exercised two days (not counting today). So, yes, it was only 2 days but it was better than the nothing I did last week. I’ll tell you the problem I’m having with exercising. I have two windows of opportunity during the day that I find the best to exercise. If I’m not home for most of the day and miss those two windows I feel like my day is shot for exercising. I’m usually too tired in the evenings but have made the effort before. I know I’m not quite “there” yet mentally when it comes to exercise. I have to get back to the fully committed place I was before.
Being on a strict food budget has really helped Mike and I both cut down on our eating. We’re eating smaller portions of our favorite foods to make them last longer! I’ve also been making more foods from scratch which in turn saves money and makes them healthier. (Well, for the most part. Cake is cake is cake, no matter if it came from a box or from scratch, right??)
Anyway, here are my “stats” this week:
- I ended up actually gaining a pound! I’m not worried since I know I can lose it by being consistent with my exercise and moderate eating.
- I ate pretty well again this week. I didn’t gorge myself but I didn’t deprive myself either. Apparently I need do need to do a little more depriving! I may have to go back to counting calories again.Not sure about that, though.
So, how did you do this week? I REALLY want to encourage my friends and family who are trying to lose weight and keeping track of their progress on blog already to join this accountability group (You know who you are!!) It really makes a difference. You get a whole cheering section for yourself!
Link up to Kathy’s Losing It weight loss accountability meme over at House Of Hills.
Losing It Week 9
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Or, otherwise known as Gaining It Week 1.
Yes, I lost a pound last week and I gained a pound this week. I exercised only once this week. I would usually be a tad discouraged about this since I was doing so well, but I’m not!
Wanna know why?
Because I have a good excuse for gaining one pound!
My girls would also like to say something:
So, see? I have a good reason to be gaining weight from now on. I just found out yesterday. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you know we’ve been trying to conceive for almost 21 months. God answered our prayers in a big way yesterday. I’m just beyond joy and shock. I feel like this is truly a miracle. I’m the type of person that can’t keep being a pregnant a secret for longer than a couple of hours! I get twitchy! So, here I am sharing the news very early on. I trust God wholeheartedly and if anything were to happen I’d want my wonderful friends, family and readers to share in the joy AND the sorrow.
But enough of that morbid talk.
I’ve actually lost weight with my other two pregnancies. After I delivered, I weighed less than when I first started. Let’s hope that’s the case this time!
I do want to continue exercising. I was doing so good with it and getting really consistent. And I know it will be good for me. I’m not going to do any kind of strenuous exercise but I do want stick with this new lifestyle for myself. I want this to be my best pregnancy yet.
I also credit this Losing It challenge to helping me get pregnant! First of all I’ve lost weight and created a healthier lifestyle because of it. I think that may have contributed to better, overall conceiving conditions. All of you have kept me encouraged and accountable. It’s also kept my mind off trying to conceive and excited about weight loss.
THANK YOU!!
I plan to be back next week for the last week of Losing It. I’ll share with you guys on whether or not I’ve exercised and eaten right this coming week. I am truly going to be sad when this challenge is done. I’ve really enjoyed getting to you know ladies and cheering you on in your progress towards your weight loss goals.
So, how was your week??
;o)
Head on over to Giving Up On Perfect to find out how all the other ladies in the Losing It challenge are doing.
Losing It Week 8
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Is it really week 8 already? I’m seriously going to miss these weekly recaps! I’ll continue to post updates on my weight loss journey for my readers but I’ll seriously miss all you lovely #LosingIt10 ladies.
Well, I was able to lose that “Easter pound” I gained. But that was it! I lost no more. I’m back to where I was two weeks ago. I was a tad disappointed since I’ve exercised on my elliptical 4 days this week already! That’s two more that I usually average by my Friday weigh-in each week. But I’m not losing heart and I’m not giving up. I am nearing ” that” time of the month so that could have something to do with my body holding on to some poundage.
I wanted to share two snacks that I’ve found curb my cravings for junk food and desserts.
One is Chocolate Cheerios. They are sooo good! There’s 100 calories for 3/4 of a cup. Not including the calories in whatever milk you choose to put in. But it’s been a great snack for me when I’m craving something sweet while catching up on season 4 of ” Lost” in the evenings with hubby. I feel better about that than grabbing a brownie or Oreos.
The second one is two chocolate graham cracker squares with peanut butter. Even my husband has gotten into that snack! 2 whole crackers are a serving (meaning 4 squares) . That’s 130 calories. But since I only have 2 squares it’s 65 calories. Then I add 1 tablespoon of all natural peanut butter to each square ( at 180 calories per 2 tablespoons) and that is a 245 calories. I know it’s not a 100 calorie snack or anything but it’s definitely satisfying and I feel like these snacks are a tad healthier that cookies or chips!
So, how did you guys do this week?
Check out Giving Up On Perfect to catch up on how all the other Losing It-Not Just My Sanity ladies are doing with their weight loss goals. You can also read about what this challenge is all about over there too.
Losing It Week 5
Friday, March 26th, 2010
Soo…. any guesses on how much I lost this week? If you guessed ONE POUND you’d be correct!! So, my body is sticking with it’s regular weight loss rate. Slow and steady, people. Slow and steady. Just call me ” The Hare”. And as I’ve said before I”m happy with it! So, that makes 8 pounds so far. I will be taking my measurements next week and I’m curious to see if I’ve lost anymore inches.
Another reason I’m happy with the pound I lost this past week is that I only exercised on Sunday and Monday! If you count the vigorous housework and sweating I did yesterday as exercise, well then, I guess that would make three days this week. I plan on getting on the elliptical today and tomorrow to try to “make up” for the days I didn’t do it this week. I think my exercise thus far has built up muscle and quickened my metabolism so that even when I don’t exercise I’m still burning more fat and calories than I did before.
I did not count calories at all this week but still did good with my eating. I guess it helps combining trying to lose weight with a Dave Ramsey style budget because we don’t have any junk food in the house! Trust me, I’ve been starving some nights and have dug around in my pantry and have come up with nothing easy, quick and satisfactory to eat! When you’re craving something like chips or chocolate chip cookies an apple just ain’t gonna cut it! I made banana bread and pumpkin muffins for my ladies Bible study last night and you would think I”d died and gone to Heaven eating that banana bread!
I’ve also been amazed at how many calories I’ve been saving by making myself a sandwich and eating it the car while waiting for Katelyn to be done with school. It’s definitely not as tasty as McDonald’s but it’s been better for my waistline and health. I’ve also put a little effort into making my sandwiches a little more special.
So in summary:
:: Lost another pound this past week for a total of 8 so far
::Exercised two days
:: Did not count calories but am eating smaller portions and healthier foods
:: Am feeling more energized and have better stamina!
To read about this weight loss challenge that I’m participating in and to check out some more Losing It 10 ladies go to Giving Up On Perfect.
See ya next week! Hopefully another pound lighter!
Losing It Week 4
Friday, March 19th, 2010
So…this week was pretty much the same as the past few weeks! I weighed this morning and I lost another pound. That makes 7 pounds total. I’m pretty happy with these hard earned single pounds I’ve been losing each week since they’ve been steady loss. However, I do feel that maybe I should try to kick it up a notch to lose at least 2 pounds a week every now and then. If I continue at this rate I’ll have lost almost 50 pounds by the end of the year which is my goal.
::Eating- I ate well this week. I must admit I haven’t been counting calories as well as I should since at some point I want to be able to eat the right portions without help from counting calories. I don’t think I’m quite there yet. And I’m an awful nibbler!!! I nibble on everything and anything if it’s out or while I’m preparing lunches or dinner. Those nibbles definitely add up! And since we’ve started doing Financial Peace University I’ve been packing my lunch on the three days that Katelyn is in school from 11:30-1:55. On those days I don’t come home and it was just so easy to grab McDonald’s. Now that we’re really watching our spending and I’ve spent all my “blow” money this month I’m being forced to make myself a sandwich instead of eating chicken nuggets and fries. And I haven’t bought chips in ages! That was a weakness of mine. Especially while eating a sandwich. So I know I’m definitely saving calories on those days.
Another thing I’ve been very pleased with is that I haven’t been throwing as much produce away as I used to. We’re all eating it! My girls were actually fighting over the last pear slice the other day! These are the two girls who wouldn’t touch a pear before!! It’s so nice to see my crisper and fruit bow emptying because we’re eating the stuff and not because it was going bad and I had to throw it away. My husband has been taking half a sandwich and salad to work every day. And he doesn’t eat any kind of salad dressing on it either. (He’s super picky and doesn’t like salad dressing! Who doesn’t like salad dressing??!!) So, he’s eating plain salad which I’m sure is healthy!
We’ve also both noticed that if we eat out over the weekend and have a lot of greasy food we feel terrible. It doesn’t sit as well with us anymore.
::Exercise- It’s becoming a part of my day more and more! I’ve worked out my elliptical for 30 minutes two days this week. Yesterday I went walking for 30 minutes while pushing 31lb Madelyn in the stroller on a hilly road by Katelyn’s school so I was huffing and sweating when was done. So that makes three days so far and I’m going to get on the elliptical today too.
I’m feeling positive and encouraged! I haven’t tried on any clothing that didn’t fit me before to see if they now fit me. I think I’m going to wait until the 10 lb mark or later for that!
So, that’s my Losing It week!
How was yours?
Head over to Mary’s blog Giving Up On Perfect to read how all the other participating ladies in the Losing It challenge did this week.
Thank you to Jessie at Vanderbilt Wife and Ashleigh at Heart And Home for also hosting this challenge!
Sleeping, Eating And Drinking Our Budget
Monday, March 15th, 2010
I wish we were doing the above things mentioned in my post title because we’re rolling in money. But, alas, that’s not the case! We’re sleeping, eating and drinking money because that’s all we talk about right now! And that’s a good thing. Ever since we started Financial Peace University 3 weeks ago (tomorrow) we’ve been talking about our budget. We’ve been tweaking it. We’ve been looking at every single detail and giving every single penny a spot to go. And it’s been hard work! Oh how I’m tired of it. We were warned that the first few weeks would be hard. I think it’s been harder for us since our finances were in such a sorry state! This is forcing both of us to sit down and take responsibility for getting control of our money and money’s future. Mike spent hours on Saturday putting everything into excel and tweaking this or that. Then, a bill for my Real Simple magazine subscription comes in (it’s getting canceled!) and everything must get tweaked again for this month. Then something else will pop up we forgot about and the tweaking will start all over again! It’s been a painstaking process but a fantastic one for Mike and me. I hate it. I’ll admit it. My monthly” blow” money has already been spent before I touched it. On what? Girl Scout cookies and the book for our current Wednesday night Bible study! Girl Scout cookies!!!! I like GS cookies but not that much. I was at a friends house a few weeks ago and noticed her adorable little girl was selling them. They were sitting on the floor taunting me. I was hungry and those Samoas were calling my name. So, I bought (with an IOU), 6 boxes. I know… I know! I didn’t have to buy that many! Well, as of last Wednesday I still IOU’d my friend! Enter my monthly personal spending cash.
I hate talking about money. I hate worrying about it. I hate excel spreadsheets!! But, after we’re done with this class and on our way to financial peace and freedom I probably won’t feel that way anymore! It’s good for both of us to be this involved in our day to day finances. Mike has never been this involved. He usually left all that stuff to me and generally kind of knew where we were at. Now he’s neck deep in our finances! Dave Ramsey said that for the first three months or so our budget won’t work right and we’ll be tweaking and fixing it until we get it down pat. Well, that’s definitely happening for us!
Oh, and on a side note, we discovered we paid $30,000+ in taxes last year! Yes, THIRTY THOUSAND! Thank you Taxachussetts! I hope the able bodied people who don’t have jobs because they refuse to look for work are enjoying OUR money while my husband works until 1 am. I’ll probably get some negative comments about this. ” You hate the poor”. “You’re selfish” or ” That’s not a very Christian attitude”. I don’t hate the poor. Mike and I have actually been quite generous in helping those in need and we’ll continue to do that. The more we get our finances in order now they more we’ll be able to give in the future. We look forward to that part! The Bible actually says that if you don’t work than you don’t eat! I’m all for helping someone in need. However, people who are poor because they are lazy don’t deserve my hard earned money. There are way too many people who take advantage of our welfare system and I begrudge every single cent that goes to them.
Anyway, I digress….
We’ve started the envelope cash system Dave Ramsey talks about and it’s really cramping our style. Which is a good thing! As I mentioned before we used to spend anywhere from $ 700-800 a month on groceries. We’ve decided on a $125 a week budget to see how well we do with it. Yesterday, we went grocery shopping for the first time since we’ve installed our cash only, $125 a week food budget. Because Mike gets paid every two weeks we took out $250 to last us for those two weeks. The plan was/is to plan all of our meals, including snacks, for the next two weeks. Then write down exactly all of the ingredients to what I’m going to need. Then each week I’m going to check what I have in my kitchen already and try to plan meals around that first before I buy anything new. Then go from there with my list. Then, I’m going to give couponing and planning my meals around what’s on sale my best effort. We decided to make a trip to Sam’s a make a big bulk buy to kick off our new grocery budget plan. We knew this first trip would be expensive but that the next few food shopping ventures I went on would cost way less because I wouldn’t need to buy as much. Well, not only did we use up our $250 of grocery money at Sam’s we also used almost all of the money from our monthly “Clothing” envelope!! We walked around Sam’s keeping a running total of our purchases on a calculator and writing certain prices down so we could compare them with our grocery store. I’ve never seen Mike so interested in “price per pound” before! I never thought I’d be one of those people with the calculator walking around the grocery store. But… there we were! It was very eye opening and I learned a lot from that one trip. And boy… was it hard to part with that money!
Once we left Sam’s we still needed to buy a few things from our grocery store. So I took the cash I had left for the grocery store from our “Clothing” envelope, my list and my calculator and went for it. I ended up not being able to buy everything on my list. After adding everything up from my cart I realized that some of the stuff we’d just have to do without this week. It was nothing major. One of the things I put back was yogurt cups for the girls. I had already grabbed a tub of plain yogurt so I figured they’ll have to do with plain yogurt mixed with something if they want yogurt the next couple of weeks. The other one was juice. We decided the girls would have to drink water once the juice we have is gone! Now, today, we’ve come to realize I forgot butter and bird food! So, out of desperation we’re taking money from our mothly “Doctor” envelope (copay money for chiropractor or unexpected doctor visit) to pay for those things. It won’t be like this every grocery trip, of course. In fact, I’m feeling pretty confident we can keep our grocery bill to $125 a week or less with coupons, meal planning , buying generic and buying at Sam’s. Sadly, I won’t be buying some of the higher end, all natural, organic etc etc foods anymore until we get well under way with this. I’ll admit…I’m a name brand snob. For some reason name brand cereal must taste better than store brand in my mind! And I know that’s not always the case. And even if it is the case we’ll just have to make do! The “sacrifice” will be worth it in the end.
Mike and I made a huge break through with our purchasing habits a couple of weeks ago. Our couch finally bit the dust and we didn’t go out and buy a new one with our credit card. Instead, we brought the love seat from the playroom into the living room and moved our recliner next to it. Then brought one of dining room set captains chairs in as extra seating. We actually like it better! I also hung some new curtains I’ve had for over 6 months up in the living room. Here’s our new living room arrangement.
This is now my quiet time corner. Below is what my old quiet time corner looks like now:
And here is a close up shot of the curtains I got on clearance at Home Depot. I think they go great with my pillows and living room decor!
I’ll be posting about how things are going with our FPU class as we get further into the study. This should be interesting….
Oh, and Crystal at Money Saving Mom has great tutorials on menu planning, couponing, shopping sales and grocery shopping on a shoe string budget.
