I've been really struggling with my weight over the past couple of months as most of you know... if you can't tell by my posts, then surely my waist has made it clear. A case of the blahs, the holidays, and just being sick and tired of needing to lose a little more weight can do that to you.
I knew I had made a transformation in my life because each time I would notice myself regressing, I would claw at it just enough to not become the old me. I had been fighting this battle since my dad became ill...
... Then two weeks ago, I snapped. It happened right before our mini-vacay to KC. I can't say I did fabulous on the trip, but 2 hours at the hotel gym, and pushing plates away prematurely surely helped.
When we got home last Monday night a spark was ignited like old times. I woke up Tuesday ready to go, AND SICK AS A DOG.
I ate really well Tuesday, and lost 3 pounds (mostly water weight). I couldn't workout, yep, that sick, so I ate well again Wednesday. Three more pounds gone. This continued throughout the weekend (I was actually able to workout again after my knight and shining armor called my doctor behind my back and got me antibiotics) and I continued to lose weight.
The weekend included Pina Coladas, birthday cake, chips and salsa, movie popcorn, etc. It also included salads, egg whites, veggies... The difference, a new frame of mind. I don't need it ALL. I will have the opportunity to eat this again.
So, I lost 8 pounds this week, and I am REALLY happy with that.
Here's the lesson I hope to share through all of this: When you are working on ANYTHING that is difficult, and you have a success... celebrate it (in a healthy way), and then work to have another small success. Last week each time the scale dropped a bit,(or didn't go up), I congratulated myself, did a happy dance, and worked to do it again the next day.
Baby steps.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Dump Cake
I recently learned a new dessert recipe and have been wanting to share it with you. I wanted to have pictures, but the first time I made it, it was gone in about 10 seconds, and I have not had a good excuse to make dessert for 10 since (and we would probably eat it ourselves if I did make it!)
Here's what you need:
2 large cans of sugar free cherry pie filling
1 large can of crushed pineapple in it's own juice
1 box of sugar free yellow cake mix
12 tbsp of some type of low cal butter (i use Smart Balance with Omega-3)... it doesn't matter, most butter is evil :)
So simple:
Spread your cherries on the bottom of the pan. Layer the pineapple over the cherries. Dump the cake mix over the fruit. Place the dollops of butter evenly around the pan on top of the cake mix. DON'T MIX ANYTHING TOGETHER. Place in the oven at 350 degrees, and bake until your butter melts over your cake and it starts to look crispy.
So calorie count has been changing their website, so i wasn't able to do my normal nutrition form, but I did figure the calories. I will try to remember and update this when their site is up again.
Makes 12 servings
Calories per serving: 209
Trust me it's worth saving 200 calories for! Yum!
Here's what you need:
2 large cans of sugar free cherry pie filling
1 large can of crushed pineapple in it's own juice
1 box of sugar free yellow cake mix
12 tbsp of some type of low cal butter (i use Smart Balance with Omega-3)... it doesn't matter, most butter is evil :)
So simple:
Spread your cherries on the bottom of the pan. Layer the pineapple over the cherries. Dump the cake mix over the fruit. Place the dollops of butter evenly around the pan on top of the cake mix. DON'T MIX ANYTHING TOGETHER. Place in the oven at 350 degrees, and bake until your butter melts over your cake and it starts to look crispy.
So calorie count has been changing their website, so i wasn't able to do my normal nutrition form, but I did figure the calories. I will try to remember and update this when their site is up again.
Makes 12 servings
Calories per serving: 209
Trust me it's worth saving 200 calories for! Yum!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Good Friend...
... stays on the elliptical for another 50 minutes just to keep you company, even though her workout is technically done
... makes sure you really want the calories of another piece of candy or jalapeno popper
... asks you to make her your "fitness project"
... watches you
... texts you to see why you haven't been to the gym (even if the excuse is legit!)
... comments on your blog posts
... encourages you
This list could go on forever. The point is I have a lot of really good friends and fitness buddies out there. I've had a really good week getting my eating back on track, but illness is keeping me at home a lot. Still losing this week though! Thanks to any of you who have offered any type of love or support during this journey...
So tomorrow night at GNO, I need a good friend to keep me from eating all the chips and salsa. Thanks in advance, friend!
... makes sure you really want the calories of another piece of candy or jalapeno popper
... asks you to make her your "fitness project"
... watches you
... texts you to see why you haven't been to the gym (even if the excuse is legit!)
... comments on your blog posts
... encourages you
This list could go on forever. The point is I have a lot of really good friends and fitness buddies out there. I've had a really good week getting my eating back on track, but illness is keeping me at home a lot. Still losing this week though! Thanks to any of you who have offered any type of love or support during this journey...
So tomorrow night at GNO, I need a good friend to keep me from eating all the chips and salsa. Thanks in advance, friend!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Back to the Basics
Losing weight is not easy...if you complicate it. I have complicated it for myself. I am still under my current dreaded weight, but I just seem to keep sabotaging myself. I am sorry to those readers who used to find this to be a cheery blog about a girl who was losing a ton of weight, but here's the truth.
1. I haven't lost any new weight since my dad got sick.
2. My desire to spend my events at the YMCA has been low. I've been getting in about 4 days per week...I need more like 6!
3. I need a fitness buddy bad. I have always had someone around me to push me, someone who I felt like cared whether or not I had over-eaten or under-exercised for the day..
4. I saw a picture of myself today and did not like what I saw.
Here is how I see the glass half-full:
1. Although I have not lost any new weight, I am still 70 pounds less than ever, and I weigh 10 pounds less than last year at this time.
2. I still know how to do this.
3. I have lots of amazing weight loss tools to use.
4. I have an amazing and forgiving body that remembers how things should be.
5. I still have a strong desire to change, and to never be who I was again.
So, back to the basics of weight loss:
1. I will log my food daily at www.calorie count.about.com They have an amazing and free website!
2. We will eat at home at least 5 nights per week. I will go back to the old-standby of bagged meals and veggies.
3. I will get to the gym 5 times a week whether I like it or not... I will also try and find one new class I like...maybe Zumba again!
4. I will find a new fitness buddy... Buddies for hire!
5. I will work to minimize my weekend splurges... More fancy salads, less comfort food and dessert.
How are your new years goals going?
1. I haven't lost any new weight since my dad got sick.
2. My desire to spend my events at the YMCA has been low. I've been getting in about 4 days per week...I need more like 6!
3. I need a fitness buddy bad. I have always had someone around me to push me, someone who I felt like cared whether or not I had over-eaten or under-exercised for the day..
4. I saw a picture of myself today and did not like what I saw.
Here is how I see the glass half-full:
1. Although I have not lost any new weight, I am still 70 pounds less than ever, and I weigh 10 pounds less than last year at this time.
2. I still know how to do this.
3. I have lots of amazing weight loss tools to use.
4. I have an amazing and forgiving body that remembers how things should be.
5. I still have a strong desire to change, and to never be who I was again.
So, back to the basics of weight loss:
1. I will log my food daily at www.calorie count.about.com They have an amazing and free website!
2. We will eat at home at least 5 nights per week. I will go back to the old-standby of bagged meals and veggies.
3. I will get to the gym 5 times a week whether I like it or not... I will also try and find one new class I like...maybe Zumba again!
4. I will find a new fitness buddy... Buddies for hire!
5. I will work to minimize my weekend splurges... More fancy salads, less comfort food and dessert.
How are your new years goals going?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
5 Sneaky Ways to Lose the Pounds
So here are 5 simple or sneaky ways to lose weight...
1. Exercise for 10 minutes 3 times a day... Squats while you are showering or drying your hair, not just taking the stairs, but taking them quickly, a brisk walk during your morning break. Squeezing in shorts bursts of cardio can burn calories. Minutes of burn are minutes of burn, no matter how you time them!
2. Don't drink your calories. Soda: 120 calories, juice: 80-120 calories, vodka... You get it :). By Not drinking your calories, you could save literally hundreds of calories per day.
3. Workout while you watch. Did you know that during an average 1 hour television program, there will be 20 minutes of commercials! Instead of sitting there (or fast forwarding through them), try squeezing in some jumping jacks, squats, lunges, free weights, or crunches.
4. Skip one thing. Instead of eating your full meal, pick one item on your plate,and leave it behind. Leaving your dinner roll behind could spare you 150 calories... Just don't leave the veggies!
5. Try 3 bites. Instead of forgoing dessert all together, try 3 bites of it, then let it go. Most cravings can be squelched in 3 bites. Then you don't feel guilty, and your waistline doesn't suffer!
Have any good tips to share?
1. Exercise for 10 minutes 3 times a day... Squats while you are showering or drying your hair, not just taking the stairs, but taking them quickly, a brisk walk during your morning break. Squeezing in shorts bursts of cardio can burn calories. Minutes of burn are minutes of burn, no matter how you time them!
2. Don't drink your calories. Soda: 120 calories, juice: 80-120 calories, vodka... You get it :). By Not drinking your calories, you could save literally hundreds of calories per day.
3. Workout while you watch. Did you know that during an average 1 hour television program, there will be 20 minutes of commercials! Instead of sitting there (or fast forwarding through them), try squeezing in some jumping jacks, squats, lunges, free weights, or crunches.
4. Skip one thing. Instead of eating your full meal, pick one item on your plate,and leave it behind. Leaving your dinner roll behind could spare you 150 calories... Just don't leave the veggies!
5. Try 3 bites. Instead of forgoing dessert all together, try 3 bites of it, then let it go. Most cravings can be squelched in 3 bites. Then you don't feel guilty, and your waistline doesn't suffer!
Have any good tips to share?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
It Feels So Good
So day 3 of "the end to chaos", and I am happy to say that I feel great. I wish I would remember how good I feel when I am totally on. I wasn't even "perfect" today, but that is ok. That's what I have to realize. That's what we must all realize... Instead of a resolution, or a diet, there has to be change. One foot in front of the next.
I thought back to the first days when I started losing weight, and I remembered something that kept me motivated on a daily basis. I hope this tip will help you...
I loved reaching "a new low" each day. Each day I would weigh in, ( my scale weighs in tenths), and it didn't matter how much lower the scale was, I just wanted a new low. To see the scale go down boosts your confidence, and pushes you to go farther. Some days I would lose one tenth of a pound, other days a full pound. Just work to make small steps each day to move the scale down.
My next post I will discuss the small changes we can make to lose weight.
I thought back to the first days when I started losing weight, and I remembered something that kept me motivated on a daily basis. I hope this tip will help you...
I loved reaching "a new low" each day. Each day I would weigh in, ( my scale weighs in tenths), and it didn't matter how much lower the scale was, I just wanted a new low. To see the scale go down boosts your confidence, and pushes you to go farther. Some days I would lose one tenth of a pound, other days a full pound. Just work to make small steps each day to move the scale down.
My next post I will discuss the small changes we can make to lose weight.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
And A Happy New Year
I love the new year. For me, it brings this renewed sense of spirit. A sense that I can change, be better, be different. The truth is, that is not far fetched. I have experienced the change and the difference, so I know it can be true.
HOWEVER, I DO NOT LIKE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. They feel like a diet to me. You make one, keep it a few days, fail, it's over.
I feel like I have enough going on in my life to not add new stress to it. The holidays brought chaos to our home which made it's crescendo on Christmas Eve with my husband throwing up for hours while I pulled an all-nighter to spend Christmas morning exhausted on the couch. Blah.
My go go go lifestyle causes my children, my finances, and my waistline to suffer. I will not create added stress for myself. I should cap all of this by saying that I love the holidays. I love my life, what I do, etc. I just run it into the ground.
So I just want to get back to the basics this year. To make things more simple. I will take time for the lifestyle change I created 2 years ago. I will take time to make lunch and dinner for my family instead of driving through. I will take time to workout and not feel guilty. I will cut out the excessive and enjoy 2011.
There you have it. No major changes here. If you are looking to lose weight or get healthy this year, I think you have found the right place. I plan to continue to post new recipes, tips, and tricks to help you along the way. Is there anything you would especially like to discuss in the new year?
HOWEVER, I DO NOT LIKE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. They feel like a diet to me. You make one, keep it a few days, fail, it's over.
I feel like I have enough going on in my life to not add new stress to it. The holidays brought chaos to our home which made it's crescendo on Christmas Eve with my husband throwing up for hours while I pulled an all-nighter to spend Christmas morning exhausted on the couch. Blah.
My go go go lifestyle causes my children, my finances, and my waistline to suffer. I will not create added stress for myself. I should cap all of this by saying that I love the holidays. I love my life, what I do, etc. I just run it into the ground.
So I just want to get back to the basics this year. To make things more simple. I will take time for the lifestyle change I created 2 years ago. I will take time to make lunch and dinner for my family instead of driving through. I will take time to workout and not feel guilty. I will cut out the excessive and enjoy 2011.
There you have it. No major changes here. If you are looking to lose weight or get healthy this year, I think you have found the right place. I plan to continue to post new recipes, tips, and tricks to help you along the way. Is there anything you would especially like to discuss in the new year?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)