Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 banana
                 1 cup 2% milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 3 pieces chocolate

Lunch- 1 bowl chili
            water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 cup roasted broccoli
             1/2 cup roasted squash
             1/2 cup corn
             1 cup green beans
             1 cup sweet potato w/ brown sugar
             water (16.9 oz)

Snack- small chocolate shake

Eating was pretty good today except for the candy I ate and the milkshake I just had which happened because of boredom.  I've got to get ahold on my life and figure out what I'm going to do with all my extra time.

I haven't exercised today because its been raining all day here.

How I improved my mood.

Today started off ok but as the day went on I got more and more depressed.  I've never been diagnosed with Seasonal affective disorder but I know how I feel on days like this.  When the sky is gloomy looking and there is rain in the forecast I'm just miserable.  I want and need my sunshine.  On my drive home from school I just felt like coming home and curling up in a ball and crying.  When I got home I layed around for alittle while, getting nothing done and then a friend suggested that I go for my walk.  I got ready and headed out and decided to see how much I've improved with my jogging.  The first lap was wonderful but I forgot to time how long I could run so on my second lap I timed myself.  Amazingly I could run 5 minutes straight and that was including one hill.  I have come so far and when I jog my energy level goes through the roof.  I only did 2 laps because I've been having a pain running down the side of my leg today so I didn't want to push myself to hard.  After I finished my walk/jog I got dinner started and cleaned my house, things I could have never done in the mood I was in.  Exercise truly can improve your mood.

For those of you that suffer with depression what do you do to change your mood?  I am on an antidepressant but I think I need to talk to my doctor about increasing the dose at least during the winter months.  I'm also going to talk to my doctor about light therapy because my mood changes so drastically based on the weather.  I just need to remember that when I'm feeling bad exercise can be a natural mood booster.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 banana
                 1 cup 2% milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 20 oz diet mt dew

Dinner- 1 bowl of taco chili w/ cheese and
             lite sour cream
             water (16.9 oz)

I just wasn't that hungry today.

I walked/jogged earlier, I did 1.5 miles in 16 minutes.  I also did 100 crunches on my exercise ball.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 cup oatmeal
                 1 tsp butter
                 2 tbsp brown sugar
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1/4 cup mixed nuts
            1 banana
            water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 bowl cheeseburger hamburger helper w/
             lite sour cream and cheese
             water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 fiber one bar
            1 1/2 cups bran cereal
            1 banana
            1/2 cup 2% milk

At least I didn't eat out today or have any soda so its been a good day so far.  I'm trying to get back on track with my goals and its going well. 

I'm taking today off from exercise just because I want a day off.

It's Time

As most of you know last weekend my husband and myself decided it was best to seperate and life has been up in the air alittle bit since then.  I'm trying to continue with my exercise and eating right but I have noticed that I've eaten out alot this last week and thats just not going to do.  Now I do have to give myself credit for making the best choices I could under the circumstances but its time get back to normal around here.

Earlier my oldest son who I don't get much time to spend just one on one time with wanted to go eat chinese food which also happens to be an all you can eat buffet.  I absolutely love this particular restaurant and have avoided it like the plague because I just didn't think I had enough control to not overeat.  I tried to talk my son into picking somewheres else but thats really what he wanted so I went with a plan in my head.  I was going to stick to as many veggies as I could, avoid anything fried and skip the dessert.  Overall I did pretty good considering what choices I had but I did leave the restaurant feeling regret for going there.  For the first time in along time the thought of purging entered my head but I pushed it away.  I tried to tell myself the same old rationalization I use to use that it would only be this one time and then I would do better after this but I know better.  One time leads to a million and if I had done it then thats outright giving myself permission to overeat anytime I want because I have that as a backup plan and I refuse to fall back on old bad habits. 

I have spent this last week getting my house in order, schools going great, the kids well they are as mean as ever but that will take time and now its time to put my focus back on me and make sure I'm doing all I can to maximize my weight loss.  This morning I decided to issue myself a new challenge.  I want to be under 200 lbs by New Years.  That means I have 7 weeks to lose 19.1 lbs.  I know that goal seems alittle daunting but hey I like to push myself and if I fall short then I know I have done all I could to try to hit that goal. 

My other goal I am working on is to walk 160 miles between September 10, 2010 and January 1, 2011.  So far I've walked 100 miles so I only have 60 to go which should be no problem at all and I may even raise the closer I get to New Years.  Its such an amazing feeling to set goals and accomplish them even if its just small ones.  The confidence it builds in you really does help with your weight loss.

Now all I have to do is make it through the holidays without overeating.  I'm very confident I can do this.  I'm just going to take it one holiday at a time.  Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and then my oldest sons birthday is right before Christmas and then Christmas.  I don't plan on cooking any meals this year because we will be celebrating at my moms so that means no leftovers to worry about.  I just have to have the willpower to make it through those family meals without overdoing it. 

When I started on this journey I thought it would take forever to lose weight and it was coming off so slowly that I didn't really see any differences.  I'm noticing differences now, I have dropped from a size 20 to a size 16 and I actually got into a pair of bluejeans today that I haven't worn since over a year ago.  Just to see and feel my clothes getting looser is motivation in itself to keep going.  In only 3 months I have lost 28 lbs, thats amazing.  I'm sure I could have lost more if I was doing some extreme diet but I'm trying to learn a way of eating I can maintain for the rest of my life, one where I don't feel like I'm having to sacrifice everything.  No I don't eat perfect but what I'm doing is working.  Perfection has always been my downfall and I refuse to follow that path again. 

I still have things I need to work on such as my water intake.  I have been struggling with this for the last 3 months but today while I was eating I was drinking water out of a straw and it really did help.  I think I'm going to start using a straw and just drinking as much as I can at a time.  I can tell a difference in how my body functions and how I feel when I drink more water and I know it helps with weight loss so I really need to focus on this.  Second thing I need to work on is avoiding fast food again.  I was doing so good with this and then our seperation happened and I started slipping again.  I promised myself that I wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in my way and I plan on keeping that promise.  Third thing is staying away from soda, even diet soda.  The other day I had a really bad eating day and I ate alot of sugar and drank quite a few glasses of diet soda with caffeine in it and the whole day my heart was doing flip flops in my chest.  This is a condition that I got from my mom and its nothing to worry about but just seeing what effect sugar and caffeine had on me was an eye opener.

I just need to stay focused, keep on plan and take it one day at a time.  Tomorrow things are returning to normal around here.  I will be cooking my meals so that I can eat as healthy as possible and I think I will challenge myself to walk as far as I can just to start this week off on a good note.  I think I need one really good day just to get back on track.  Who else is with me, lets make this the best week so far.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/2 cup 2% milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 1 grilled chicken wrap (McDonalds)
            6 oz coke
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cereal bar

Dinner- Chinese food
            water (16.9 oz)

As you can see eating wasn't to good today.  It was a busy day so I went for easy and then my son wanted chinese for dinner and we never really get anytime to just do things together, just me and him so I said ok.  I did eat way better than I use to when I eat chinese but I know I had way to much sodium so I'm trying to drink as much water as possible to flush it out of me. 

I walked 2.6 miles in 33 minutes around my neighborhood.

I HATE Exercise

This post is going to be short and simple.  I know I have to exercise to lose weight and get healthy but sometimes I literally HATE walking.  Now don't get me wrong there are days where I feel like I could keep walking forever but today was not one of those days.  I would have rather went to the doctor an got a shot or went to the dentist an had a tooth pulled then walked today.  I may not have set any records or walked farther then I ever had but I made myself go do it.  I whined and complained the whole time but I made myself keep going.  Its days like today that make me proud of how far I have came because even when I want to be lazy and my old self is making excuses not to do anything I just suck it up and do it.  So when that little voice is telling you that you don't have to exercise just remember who is boss and why you are doing this.  If I can do this then I know all of you can, just keep pushing forward.

A New Year's Personal Challenge

The end of this year is coming up fast, with only 48 days left until the New Year I'm challenging myself to lose even more weight.  I'm currently participated in the Hot 100 Challenge hosted by Steve at  http://logmyloss.com/ .  One of my goals in this challenge is to lose 20 lbs between September 23, 2010 and January 1, 2011, at the present time I have lost 16.4 lbs of this goal.  My weigh in was yesterday and I weighed 219 lbs which means I'm only 19.1 lbs away from being in onederland.  I'm setting a new personal goal to be under 200 lbs by New Years.  I know this isn't going to be an easy task but who said everything had to be easy.  That gives me almost 7 weeks to accomplish this goal which means I have to lose about 2.8 to 2.9 lbs a week.  What a wonderful way to start off the New Year.

Food and Exercise Journal

I decided to test myself today, I'm not really sure why but I went to an all you can eat buffet.  My mom happens to work in the bakery at this restaurant so she took her break while I was there.  I honestly didn't eat that bad until it came time to get dessert and even with that I did alot better than I normally do.  I did see that I still don't have the willpower I thought I had and I will not be going back to an all you can eat buffet anytime soon.  Here is what I had to eat today.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/2 cup 2% milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 1 piece broiled fish
            1/2 roasted chicken breast
            1 small slice salisbury steak
            1/2 cup glazed carrots
            1/2 cup corn
            1/2 cup green beans
            1/2 cup blackeyed peas
            1 small rice krispie treat
            1 small slice of chocolate cake w/ chocolate
             frosting topped w/ 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
             and a squirt of chocolate syrup
             water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cinnamon toast crunch cereal bar
            water (16.9 oz)

As you can see I didn't eat dinner because of what I had for lunch.  Was what I ate worth it to have to skip dinner, definitely not.  Not even the chocolate cake was worth it but I did it and time to move on. 

I did walk today but not as far as I wanted to.  I only did 1.4 miles in 19 minutes around my neighborhood.  Halfway through my second lap my stomach started feeling alittle queezy so I don't think I had completely recovered from the stomach virus like I thought I had.  I'm hoping to be able to walk farther tomorrow.

Now I'm laying here bored to death trying not to eat.  Two out of three of my kids aren't here this weekend so its just me and my oldest son.  He's playing his playstation 3 and I'm laying here counting the minutes until its bedtime.  Its weird being single again and very lonely.  I don't look forward to the first weekend I have all alone without any of my kids.  I guess I need to find some new hobbies to keep me busy.

My self worth isn't based on my weight.

Earlier I was thinking about how I wasn't ready to move forward with my life. How I wouldn't be until I could lose all my weight and finally learn to love myself.  Then it hit me, I do love myself.  I may not like what I weigh right now and I may not like what I see when I look in the mirror but its who I am for the moment. 

How much I weigh doesn't determine what kind of mother, sister, daughter or friend I am so why should it matter so much.  I know that overweight people are discriminated against and I know we are seen as fat and lazy but why should I care what people think about me.  A year from now they won't even know I'm the same person.  My self worth shouldn't be based on how much I weigh. 

I do love myself and I show myself love each and everyday.  I show myself love by being the best mother, sister, daugther and friend I can be.  I show myself love by going back to school to make a better life for myself and my kids.  I show myself love by eating right and exercising.  People may judge me for what they see on the outside right now and thats fine because you don't determine who I am, I do that.

I found this quote and I think it describes me perfectly.  "Our motive is not to prove our self-worth, but to live up to our possibilities".  I'm living up to my possibilities each and everyday, are you?

Goals, Challenges and Weigh In Updates

I decided to keep all my challenges and goals together in one post to make it easier to track everything. I know it seems like I have taken on alot but its keeps me motivated and keeps me busy so I don't think about food so much. Updates are in red.


Weight loss goals (2 lbs a week):
November 30, 2010- 213 lbs (I weigh 219 lbs)
December 28, 2010- 205 lbs (42 lb loss for Christmas would make it a very merry Christmas)
January 25, 2011- 197 lbs
February 22, 2011- 189 lbs (under 200 for valentines how sweet that would be)
March 22, 2011- 181 lbs
April 19, 2011- 173 lbs
May 17, 2011- 165 lbs (it would be nice to celebrate our 5 year anniversary with me at this weight)
June 14, 2011- 157 lbs
July 12, 2011- 149 lbs ( 2 days before my birthday what a wonderful birthday present to myself)
August 9, 2011- 141 lbs (this would be the smallest I have ever been)

Recommended Daily Allowances:
(not really a challenge but something I need to keep an eye on)
Calories: 1760 to lose 2 lbs a week
Fat: 64 grams
Fiber: 25 grams
Carbohydrates: 300 grams
Sugar: 40 grams
Protein: 50 grams
Sodium: 2400 milligrams

Exercise:

I have challenged myself to walk a 160 miles by New Years. I am using the ticker on the right side of my blog to keep track of how far I have walked.

(I have walked 96 miles so far in this challenge.)

Hot 100 Challenge:

Steve from http://logmyloss.com/  is hosting the Hot 100 Challenge. The Hot 100 is a challenge focused on the last 100 days of 2010 beginning September 23, 2010. Here are my goals:

#1....This was my own personal challenge anyway so I'm adding it as my first goal here.....walk 160 miles by New Years.
(I have walked 96 miles so far.)
#2....Continue to eat healthy and exercise so I can lose 20 lbs by New Years. Beginning weight 235.4 lbs.
(I have lost 16.4 lbs so far.)
#3....Make it through the holiday season without falling back into old eating patterns.
(I made it through a Halloween without overeating so I'm doing pretty good so far.)

Monthly Goals (11/1/10-11/31/10):
(my own personal goals)
1. Water- My goal has been to drink 128 oz of water a day but I still have not managed to accomplish this so that is my first goal I'm going to work on this month. (I have still yet to hit this goal)
2. Sugar- I have greatly reduced my sugar intake already but its still something I need to continue to work on. (I have improved on my sugar intake but I still think I can do better)
3. Fruits- I love fruits especially sweet fruits like bananas, apples and grapes but I have learned that fruits have alot of natural sugar in them so you do need to watch how much you eat so my goal this month is to continue to keep my fruit intake to a maximum of 1-2 servings per day. (I haven't been doing to good on this goal)
4. Vegetables- I have always been a vegetable eater but I have had to learn to replace some of my carbs like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes with vegetables instead. I am learning to try new vegetables that I've never had before to add some variety into my eating and vegetables really are good for you and help to fill you up. So I plan on continuing to try at least one new vegetable and make sure I get my daily servings of veggies in. (Lately I haven't been eating as many veggies so I need to work on this)
5. Carbohydrates- This is probably one of my favorite types of foods, I mean who doesn't love macaroni and cheese and pasta dishes and breads but if you aren't careful these types of food can put alot of weight on you. So I plan on continuing to really watch my intake of carbs. (I have greatly reduced my carb intake but I can always do better)
6. Exercise- I have been doing really good at exercise but I am adding that as one of my goals so that I make sure I continue to get all of my exercise in. I am challenging myself to walk/jog 5-6 days a week and at least 15 miles a week. (This last week I only got in 10.6 miles)
7. Soda- I have mainly been drinking water but I have been sneaking in a couple diet sodas a week and I want to completely give up sodas this month. (I drank to many diet sodas this last week)
8. Fast Food- I try to pick the healthiest thing when I get fast food but like a friend pointed out to me no fast food is healthy. I'm only picking out the least unhealthy thing on the menu so this is definitely something I need to give up. So my last goal is to completely avoid fast food this next month. (I have eaten to much fast food this last week)

I Refuse to Blow it Over the Holidays Challenge:
This challenge is being hosted by Erika at http://wwwfatlikeme.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html . Its just a personal challenge not to overeat during the holidays. You just keep track of how much weight you have lost from the first day of fall until after New Years. My beginning weight was 235.4 lbs.

(I have lost 16.4 lbs so far in this challenge.)

I know this seems like alot of goals and challenges but they all kind of fit together I just want to be able to update all of them on the same day to make it easier for me to remember.

I'm sick

Last night and today I have felt so bad and my eating really hasn't been good.  Yesterday I was really tired so I layed down and took a nap about 5 oclock.  I felt like I had been asleep forever when I woke up but it turned out to only be 8 at night.  When I got up to use the bathroom thats when it hit, I started throwing up.  I guess I had managed to get the same stomach virus my son had.  Luckily the vomiting didn't last long but I felt so sick all night long.  Right now my stomach just feels really bad and I don't feel like doing much.  It seems like I have been craving sugar because last night the only thing we had to drink in the house besides water was cherry koolaid so I had a couple glasses of that because I wanted something to sip on.  This morning for breakfast I had sugary cereal and then a couple of other sugar filled treats.  I'm not really hungry but what I have eaten wasn't the best choices I could have made.  I don't plan on exercising tonight because I just don't have the energy to.  Here is what I've eaten so far.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups froot loops
                  1 cup skim milk

Snack- 1 peanut butter bar

Lunch- 12 oz soda

Snack- 1 peppermint patty
             12 oz diet soda

Dinner- grilled chicken sandwich
            12 oz diet soda

I just hope my other two kids don't get this stomach virus, it really sucks.

Food and Exercise Journal

Today was going pretty good until I got a call from my sons school saying he was sick.  I went and picked him up and he must have a stomach virus because he's been sleeping in between waking up long enough to throw up.  At least I got the house all cleaned and got dinner cooked.  I won't be walking tonight since I can't send the kids to my moms when they are sick.  I might just try doing some crunches and floor exercises.  My eating wasn't to bad today but I've really been craving eating today.  Here is what I had.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1 banana
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 3 slices chicken breast, 1 slice of cheese and
            honey mustard on 2 slices whole wheat bread
            1 cup lowfat yogurt
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 2 peanut butter bars

Dinner- 1 bowl of chicken pie topped with dressing

            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cup sugar-free fat-free vanilla pudding w/
            2 tbls fat free cool whip

Thats about all there is to tell for today, a pretty boring day.

A new me

Today has been a better day, I got alot done.  I cleaned my house, run errands and exercised earlier so I wouldn't have to worry about it getting dark on me.  My eating has also been good and it just feels nice to be in control.  I also pampered myself alittle today by getting my hair cut off and dyeing it black which I've never been before.  It will take some getting use to but I like it.  Here is a picture of what my hair looks like, sorry for the poor quality I took it with my webcam.

Here is what I ate today.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal

                 1 cup skim milk

                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 2 slices chicken breast, 1 slice of cheese and

            honey mustard on 2 slices whole wheat bread
            1 cup grapes
            20 oz diet coke

            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 peppermint patty

Dinner- 1 slice spaghetti pie
             1 slice garlic bread

             water (16.9 oz)

For exercise I walked 3.2 miles in 45 minutes around my neighborhood. 

Sorry for such a short post, I'm just glad things seem to be getting back to normal around here.

Losing focus, emotional eating and recommitment

I feel like I'm losing my focus alittle bit.  I'm not eating bad or giving up my exercise but I don't feel like I'm putting as much energy into losing weight the right way.  I did eat out again today but I had a veggie sub from Subway so that wasn't that bad.  I also got an almond joy cappuchino which I was craving for some reason and I had one of those bad thoughts like "I deserve this because of what I'm going through".  How is consoling myself with food going to help?  I can't let these kinds of thoughts creep back in.  I would rather lose the weight and feel better because my body is healthier than splurge on food that I don't need just to get a temporary fix.  As for what I ate today its not that bad.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 6 inch veggie sub on whole wheat bread (Subway)
            12 oz almond joy cappuchino
            water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 small slice lasagna
             1 piece garlic bread
             water (16.9 oz)

I do plan on walking in just alittle while and I hope its a great walk because I need one.

Update: I ended up only walking 2.3 miles in 29 minutes because it got dark on me, guess I'm going to have to start earlier from now on.  I did run the last .2 miles and I felt so great after I got done.  There is something about running that just invigorates you.  I think I'm going to start working harder on my running since my husband took his weight bench with him and now I have no way to do my strength training until I can afford to buy some equipment. 

I am recommitting myself to my weight loss as of right now because I have worked to hard and come to far to give up now.  I refuse to let food be my source of comfort, I need to learn healthy ways to deal with my emotions.  There is a quote I read last night I think its goes "You never know how strong you are until being strong is all you have left", well its my time to prove to myself just how strong I can be.  I've spent to many years pushing my feelings down with food, its time to start feeling again.  There is no amount of pain that can be as bad as being fat.  I'm not going to spend the rest of my life hating myself.  Maybe this is my time to learn to love myself and then maybe I can learn to appreciate someone else loving me.  I'm going to make everyday of the rest of my life count because we are only given one life and I've already wasted enough of mine.  I'm looking forward to the future because I'm done with the past.

Making the best of a bad situation

Today has been a pretty good day considering that my husband is no longer here.  I spent the whole day cleaning and trying to make things seem normal around here.  I spent time with the kids and mowed the yard.  Just took care of alot of things that I have been putting off forever.  My eating wasn't to good today but considering what has happened I still thinking I'm doing really good.  Normally something like this would throw everything in my life in a tailspin but I refuse to let that happen.  I have worked to hard to give up now.  I didn't exercise today but I don't feel bad for that because I have kept busy since I got up at 7:30.  I still have more cleaning to do before I go to sleep tonight but it will be nice to wake up in the morning to everything in its place.  The kids are doing ok and I let them call their stepdad today and talk to him.  I'm just ready to get on with my life and start a new chapter.  Thanks to everyone that has offered me their support it means so much to me.  Now for what I ate today.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 banana
                 1 cup skim milk
                  water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 2 cups fat free chocolate milk
            1 bite birthday cake

Dinner- 1 grilled chicken sandwich (Wendys)
             1 small chili (Wendys)
             water (16.9 oz)

So I guess my eating wasn't to bad but I have eaten out 3 days in a row so I need to stop that habit.  I also need to get back on track with my drinking water.  I'll do better tomorrow.

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures for my photo challenge that I started and since I've already failed to take a picture everyday for 365 days I'm stopping this challenge for now.  I may just start posting pictures as I take them just for fun instead of forcing myself to take a shot even where there is nothing interesting to take a picture of. 

I did have one positive thing happen today, I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 218.8 which is 3.4 lbs less than I was when I weighed Friday.  I guess you can always find something positive even in the darkest moments.

Emotional day

Todays post is going to be kind of short, it has been a really hard day.  This isn't something that I have shared with many people but things haven't been to good between my husband and myself pretty much since we met.  We dated for about a year before we moved in together and then after about 2 years of being together we split up only to get back together with the hope of working on our relationship.  Things really didn't get any better but we got married anyways in 2006, in February of 2009 we split up again.  We both went through seperate counseling for issues we were having and I believing like I always have that I can change the world thought that if I changed the behaviors that caused problems when we were together before that I could save our marriage.  March of 2010 we decided to give our marriage one last chance and things were better for awhile but we are just to different to make things work.  He is the quiet, stay at home, wanting peace kind of person and I'm the outgoing, want to experience life kind of person.  Last night we talked and we both decided we weren't happy and it was best for us to go our seperate ways.  He moved out today and even though I know its for the best its still hard.  I haven't really eaten much today because I'm not that hungry and kind of stressed but I am going to walk in a few minutes just to relieve some of the emotions I'm going through.

Breakfast- 2 packs instant oatmeal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- veggie burger, no mayo, no cheese (Burger King)
            small diet coke

I'm going to walk now.  There will be no picture of the day for my challenge, I think I deserve a pass for the day. 

What a wonderful day

I woke up this morning and got the kids off to school and then got myself ready to head to school for a few minutes.  On my way to school I stopped and took this picture which is my picture of the day for my photo challenge, today is day 12 out of 365.  Just click on the picture to enlarge.

After taking care of a few things at school I was driving home when I decided to take this picture.  You can see why I had such a wonderful day it was beautiful outside today.

My eating wasn't to bad today either.  Here is what I had.

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1 banana
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1/4 cup mixed nuts
            1 peppermint patty
            water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 2 fresco ranchero chicken soft tacos (Taco Bell)
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cup applesauce

I got my exercise in early today by walking 3.6 miles in 53 minutes around my neighborhood.

Now for a very special thank you.  I participated in a weight loss contest hosted by Stephanie at http://unveilingthediva.blogspot.com/.  I won the contest and the prize was two of her homemade candles, well I got them today.  Oh my god these things smell good enough to eat.  I got vanilla hazelnut coffee and cinnamon bun.  Its like sitting down and having a hot steaming cup of cappuchino and a warm cinnamon bun.  I may not be able to have this stuff in real life but at least I can now light these candles and enjoy the smell of them.  Thank you so much Stephanie I love the candles.

I'm so excited

Today is my official weigh in day and as of this morning my weight was 222 lbs which means I lost 2.4 lbs since last week for a total of 25 lbs.  Now if that wasn't enough to be excited over I decided to weigh again before I jumped in the shower alittle while ago and of course I was naked but the scale read 219.8 lbs.  I am so happy right now that the scale is in the teens again.  I'm not going to change my weigh in for the day because for one thing I haven't eaten much today and I have already did my walking for the day so I'm figuring thats where this extra weight loss came from.  I'm just going to leave things the way they are right now because that just means next week I will see a loss.  I'm only 14 lbs from what I was a year ago and only 20 lbs from what I was 2 years ago so I can't wait to hit all these milestones and then its all downhill from there.  I'm crossing my fingers and I plan on working super hard and maybe just maybe if I'm lucky I will be in onederland by New Years.  Nothing or noone can stop me now baby, I'm on fire.

Goals, Challenges and Weigh In Updates

I finished up a couple of challenges last weekend so I wanted to update my list of ongoing challenges and goals. Keeping them all together like this makes it easier to track everything. I know it seems like I have taken on alot but its keeps me motivated and keeps me busy so I don't think about food so much. Updates are in red.

Weight loss goals (2 lbs a week):
November 2, 2010- 221 lbs (I weigh 222 lbs.)
November 30, 2010- 213 lbs (34 lb loss for Thanksgiving, thats a lot to be thankful for)
December 28, 2010- 205 lbs (42 lb loss for Christmas would make it a very merry Christmas)
January 25, 2011- 197 lbs
February 22, 2011- 189 lbs (under 200 for valentines how sweet that would be)
March 22, 2011- 181 lbs
April 19, 2011- 173 lbs
May 17, 2011- 165 lbs (it would be nice to celebrate our 5 year anniversary with me at this weight)
June 14, 2011- 157 lbs
July 12, 2011- 149 lbs ( 2 days before my birthday what a wonderful birthday present to myself)
August 9, 2011- 141 lbs (this would be the smallest I have ever been)

I managed to hit 2 mini weight loss goals this week, I've lost my 10% which equals 24.7 lbs and I hit my 25 lbs lost goal.  Yay for me.  My next mini goals are to lose 30 lbs total and be in the teens (219 lbs).  About a year ago I weighed 205 lbs so I can't wait until I get back to that weight so it will be all downhill from there.  I would love to be under 200 by New Years and I may be able to do it if I work really hard and watch everything I eat.  Sometimes I get so excited that I'm losing weight but the reality of how slow its happening is kind of depressing.  I know its better to lose it slowly but I'm ready to be able to look in the mirror and see a skinny me.

Recommended Daily Allowances:
(not really a challenge but something I need to keep an eye on)
Calories: 1760 to lose 2 lbs a week
Fat: 64 grams
Fiber: 25 grams
Carbohydrates: 300 grams
Sugar: 40 grams
Protein: 50 grams
Sodium: 2400 milligrams

Exercise:

I have challenged myself to walk a 160 miles by New Years. I am using the ticker on the right side of my blog to keep track of how far I have walked.

(I have walked 85 miles so far in this challenge.)

Hot 100 Challenge:
Steve from http://logmyloss.com/  is hosting the Hot 100 Challenge. The Hot 100 is a challenge focused on the last 100 days of 2010 beginning September 23, 2010. Here are my goals:
#1....This was my own personal challenge anyway so I'm adding it as my first goal here.....walk 160 miles by New Years.
(I have walked 85 miles so far.)
#2....Continue to eat healthy and exercise so I can lose 20 lbs by New Years. Beginning weight 235.4 lbs.
(I have lost 13.4 lbs so far.)
#3....Make it through the holiday season without falling back into old eating patterns.
(I made it through a Halloween without overeating so I'm doing pretty good so far.)

Monthly Goals (11/1/10-11/31/10):
(my own personal goals)
1. Water- My goal has been to drink 128 oz of water a day but I still have not managed to accomplish this so that is my first goal I'm going to work on this month. (I have still yet to hit this goal)
2. Sugar- I have greatly reduced my sugar intake already but its still something I need to continue to work on. (I have improved on my sugar intake but I still think I can do better)
3. Fruits- I love fruits especially sweet fruits like bananas, apples and grapes but I have learned that fruits have alot of natural sugar in them so you do need to watch how much you eat so my goal this month is to continue to keep my fruit intake to a maximum of 1-2 servings per day. (I'm getting in my 1-2 servings a day)
4. Vegetables- I have always been a vegetable eater but I have had to learn to replace some of my carbs like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes with vegetables instead. I am learning to try new vegetables that I've never had before to add some variety into my eating and vegetables really are good for you and help to fill you up. So I plan on continuing to try at least one new vegetable and make sure I get my daily servings of veggies in. (Lately I haven't been eating as many veggies so I need to work on this)
5. Carbohydrates- This is probably one of my favorite types of foods, I mean who doesn't love macaroni and cheese and pasta dishes and breads but if you aren't careful these types of food can put alot of weight on you. So I plan on continuing to really watch my intake of carbs. (I have greatly reduced my carb intake but I can always do better)
6. Exercise- I have been doing really good at exercise but I am adding that as one of my goals so that I make sure I continue to get all of my exercise in. I am challenging myself to walk/jog 5-6 days a week and at least 15 miles a week. I also have began strength training and plan on doing this 3 times a week. (This last week I got kind of lazy and only walked 10.4 miles but I have done my strength training 4 days)
7. Soda- I have mainly been drinking water but I have been sneaking in a couple diet sodas a week and I want to completely give up sodas this month. (I only had 1 diet soda this past week)
8. Fast Food- I try to pick the healthiest thing when I get fast food but like a friend pointed out to me no fast food is healthy. I'm only picking out the least unhealthy thing on the menu so this is definitely something I need to give up. So my last goal is to completely avoid fast food this next month. (I had fast food once this past week but at least it was only a veggie burger)

I Refuse to Blow it Over the Holidays Challenge:
This challenge is being hosted by Erika at http://wwwfatlikeme.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html . Its just a personal challenge not to overeat during the holidays. You just keep track of how much weight you have lost from the first day of fall until after New Years. My beginning weight was 235.4 lbs.
(I have lost 13.4 lbs so far in this challenge.)


I know this seems like alot of goals and challenges but they all kind of fit together I just want to be able to update all of them on the same day to make it easier for me to remember.

How much exercise is to much?

Well I was going to try to stick to one post a day but I wanted to talk about exercise and get some advice.  First off I have started strength training on top of my walking.  I am walking 5-6 days a week and strength training every other day.  I'm also planning on adding some other exercises in the form of crunches and such using my exercise ball, resistance training using exercise bands and toning exercises using a pilates bar.  My question is can you overdo it on exercise?  Also if I'm faithful to my strength training how long before I will see my work paying off?

This will be my exercise schedule, any advice would be appreciated.

Walking/Jogging- 5-6 days a week totalling at least 15 miles

Strength Training- every other day (arm curls, bench presses and leg curls)

Exercise ball- opposite days of strength training (to strengthen my core)

Resistance bands- opposite days of strength training (tone arms and legs)

Pilates bar- opposite days of strength training (stretching and toning)

Do you think this is to much?  I don't mind doing all this as long as I'm not hurting my body.  I'm willing to put in the work if its going to pay off for me in the long run.  I know my body is never going to look perfect but I want to try to tone up as much as I can.

My Day

I hate days like this, gloomy and rainy and just down right depressing.  I did manage to get alot around the house done and run all my errands.  My eating was ok today and honestly I wasn't even that hungry.  Ever since I started taking my vitamin my stomach hasn't felt right and I haven't really been hungry which is a good thing I guess.  I didn't feel like eating dinner but I did eat alittle.  Here is what I had today.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 banana
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Lunch- 1 bowl of black bean chili mac w/ mexican
            cheese and lite sour cream
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 fiber one bar

Dinner- 1 riblet
             1/2 cup baked beans
             1/2 cup macaroni and cheese
             1 cup broccoli
             water (16.9 oz)

I walked/jogged 1.8 miles in 24 minutes around my neighborhood.  I also did my strength training.  I did 3 sets of 15 bench presses at 40 lbs, 3 sets of 15 arm curls at 40 lbs and 3 sets of 15 leg curls at 48 lbs.
Photo Challenge, Day 11
Here are my photos of the day.

A Change in Plans

I've decided to change how I post and see how it works out.  Usually I post three or even four posts a day but I'm going to try combining all these into one daily post.  This will save not only me time but also my fellow bloggers who read my posts time.  I will start off today by telling you that this day was so much better than yesterday.  My eating was on track and I also feel alot better.  I've been very busy today going to school, running errands, taking pictures, cleaning and cooking.  I'm just glad that I don't have that same sense of hopelessness about my weight loss like I did yesterday.  Now on to what I had to eat today.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
                 1 cup skim milk
                 water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 banana

Lunch- 2 slices turkey, 1 slice of cheese and honey
           mustard on 2 slices white bread
           water (16.9 oz)

Dinner- 1 bowl of black bean chili mac w/ mexican
             cheese and lite sour cream
             1 garlic cheddar biscuit
             water (16.9 oz)

I kept track of my nutritional info so I could see where I stand on my eating.  The first lists shows what I'm suppose to be eating a day and the second list is what I actually ate.

Calories      1760          1605
Fat              64 g            68 g
Fiber           25 g            41 g
Carbs          300 g         186 g
Sugar           40 g           36 g      
Protein         50 g           73 g
Sodium       2400 mg     1984 mg

I did have alittle to much fat and protein and I really ate alot of fiber so I better get on the ball drinking my water.  Other than that there are a few minor changes I need to make but it doesn't look to bad.

I haven't exercised yet and I'm not sure if I'm going to get to since I have noone to watch my kids tonight but I may try to get them to walk with me even if we can't walk as fast as I normally do.

Update:  I walked 1 mile with the kids before it started raining on us.  I guess thats better than nothing.

Now on to my photo challenge.  Today is day 10 of my challenge in which I take a picture everyday for a year.  Its getting harder and harder to find things that are interesting to take pictures of.  I hate living in such a small town, I guess I'm going to have to get more creative but anyway here is my picture for today.  I saw these right up the road from where I live so I pulled over and snapped a quick shot of them.  I promise I'll have something more interesting tomorrow.

In case you don't know what these are they are called guineas and they were just running around in the road.

Lastly I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that reads my blog.  Lately I haven't been feeling the blogging mojo and my posts have gotten pretty boring and still I keep getting support and that means so much to me.  I have no doubt that I will succeed at my weight loss this time thanks to all of my wonderful fellow bloggers.  Thanks and I hope I can be as much support to all of you as you have been for me.

Photo Challenge Day 9

Here are the pictures of the day.  They aren't very good because I had to find something quickly to take a picture of because it was getting dark but here is what I got.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 3/4 cups frosted flakes
                 3/4 cups rice krispies
                 1 cup skim milk

Snack- 1 fiber one bar

Lunch- 1 bowl chicken noodle soup
            water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 mini pack peanut butter m&m's
            1/4 cup mixed nuts
            1 cup grapes           
            water (16.9 oz)

Another not so good eating day but I'm vowing to get back on track tomorrow.  I'm also making sure I get all my water in tomorrow.

Even though I didn't want to walk I made myself go and I felt alot better after I was done.  I walked 2.1 miles in 30 minutes around my neighborhood.  I also did my strength training today which included 3 sets of 15 bench presses at 40 lbs, 3 sets of 15 leg curls at 48 lbs and 2 sets of 15 arm curls at 40 lbs.

Feeling Blah

Do you ever have those days where you just feel blah?  Thats what I'm going through today but its my own fault. 

Yesterday I decided to get up early and drive to the mountains to take pictures.  Halfway to the mountains I realized I have forgotten to take my depression medicine.  I know better than this because this is what happens when I miss taking my medicine on time.  By the time I got home yesterday I had a giant headache and I felt all floaty headed.  I took my pill as soon as I got home but it will take a few days to feel better.  I couldn't sleep last night so I ended up staying up all night and then I slept most of today.  I did manage to drag myself out of bed and run some errands but I hate feeling like this. 

Its scary to be so dependent on a pill to want to live your life.  I will never consider going off of this medicine though and I hope nothing ever happens that I have to because honestly its the only thing that keeps me going.  I truly believe this medicine is the only reason I have been able to go back to school, to lose weight and to just manage normal daily tasks.  It helps me think rationally, stay focused and keeps me motivated. 

I told my husband earlier that I needed to figure out someway to make sure I take my pill the same time every morning.  I usually remember but when i don't I pay the price.  Does anyone have any suggestions to help me remember?

I have also started taking a multivitamin and need to make sure I take this everyday to.  I am having issues with this though because I have difficulty swallowing big pills so I have been splitting my multivitamin up and taking it like that, does anyone know if this is ok to do?  I looked on the bottle and it doesn't say you can't take it this way.

I am forcing myself to exercise later today because I know this will make me feel better.  I wish I could just stay in bed though.

Food and Exercise Journal

Breakfast- 1 1/2 cups bran cereal
                 1 banana
                 1 cup skim milk
                 diet dr pepper (20 oz)

Snack- 1 fiber one bar

Lunch- veggie burger w/ ketchup (Burger King)

Dinner- 1 bowl chicken noodle soup

             water (16.9 oz)

Snack- 1 cup grapes

            1 1/2 cups bran cereal

            1/4 cup trail mix

            1 cup skim milk

Today hasn't really felt like a good day eating wise even though I see I haven't eaten that much.  I was so busy today and I just didn't really get time to think about myself much.  I didn't even drink that much water today which is never a good thing.

I meant to exercise today but I just ran out of time so I will be back on track tomorrow.

Photo Challenge Day 8

I decided to take a trip to the mountains all by myself today to see what I could take pictures of.  I don't know how I managed to miss the turning of the leaves but I did because most of the trees were bare which was really disappointing.  I did find a few interesting things to take pictures of though.  Here are my pictures of the day.  You can click on any picture to make it larger.