Is this really me?? On track and going strong!

Even though my allergies are kicking my butt right now, I’m feeling extremely positive. The scale is still dropping! I can hardly wait to see where I’m at June 1, so I have to keep up this momentum. Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t have any plans for the long Memorial Day weekend. It would be nice to grill out a couple of times, but I can keep my meals healthy with that, so I expect a healthy weekend overall.

I am eating really well. For the most part anyway. Last night for some reason I just had to have a bowl of cereal. I decided to use almond milk and was surprised at how much I liked it! It had a really nice, nutty flavor. I am logging every single thing I eat, and I think it’s making a big difference. I stopped at the bowl of cereal last night knowing I didn’t want to log more calories. And I really wasn’t hungry anyway.

My right foot/hammertoe/whatever causes this pain still hurts from my jog last Wednesday. It most definitely helps when I wear tennis shoes in the house, so I need to be diligent about that. I can’t get lazy! As soon as I put them on, I feel relief. I am still planning to jog when I can, but am focusing on just being more active for now. On work days, 6500 steps seems to be reasonable. I want to push that a bit and see if I can get closer to 8000 on a regular basis.

Somehow I have stopped doing my wii Biggest Loser workout. I got back to it today. I think it’s great for doing exercises I wouldn’t normally do, and will definitely help to strengthen my core since I’m doing the “belly blaster” program.

It has been raining a lot here for the past week. Fields have standing water, so farmers can’t plant crops. It’s supposed to rain much of the coming weekend too. Marcus and his dad are going to be cranky, I have a feeling. It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to start planting until closer to June, and that’s getting a bit late! I hope the forecast changes and the ground dries up so they can plant.

I have some boring data entry type work to do this afternoon. Since this is my day to work at home, I am going to enter an item, then go up and down the stairs. Enter another one, do another flight of stairs. It will help to keep me awake for the afternoon, get some steps and flights of stairs in. Have I mentioned how much I love my fitbit??

Celebrating Success

Today I am celebrating success. I am starting to see changes in my body. I am starting to see the healthier person I used to be. I am starting to feel pretty again. I am (slowly) starting to feel more confident.

The process of losing weight is hard. Really hard. It isn’t just physical, but emotional as well. Very emotional. I have been open and honest with myself in figuring out WHY I’m overweight. Now it’s time to make the physical changes.

The hardest part is getting started and figuring out what works for YOU. I have found this changes as life circumstances change. What worked for me before having kids is much more of a challenge now. I feel like I have found what works for me right now, so I am going with it. I eat as clean as I can without feeling too much pressure. I log every single thing I eat at MyFitnessPal. I try to move as much as I can.

I am absolutely LOVING my FitBit pedometer! While I’m not at 10,000 steps per day yet, it is motivating me to move more. The other night none of the kids would go to sleep, and just knowing I would get steps and flights of stairs kept me from getting too frustrated with them. Yesterday I was close to getting the next badge for flights of stairs, so I went up and down ours at home a few times to make sure I’d get it. And when neither of my daughters wanted to go for a walk (it was really windy), Allison and I walked up and down the driveway a few times. I hope I continue to stay so motivated by this! Anyone who has one and wants to add me, my link is http://www.fitbit.com/user/25XWH3

My weight fluctuates a LOT. But I’m doing something right lately. I don’t like to report weight loss mid-month, but I am just too excited about this one. In the past week, I have lost SEVEN pounds!!!! I know this may go up again before it drops more. I’m okay with that, because I know I’m on the downward path.

Today I celebrate success. What do you celebrate today?

Two steps forward, one painful step back

Nothing is ever easy, is it? If it’s not one body pain, it’s another. I need to revise my C25K plan, but I am by no means giving up.

Let me back up and explain what happened.

A few years ago, I stubbed my toe. BAD. I thought it was broken or jammed or something. It’s possible it was, and still is, jammed. It bothered me months after the initial stubbing incident, so I finally talked to my doctor about it. I had x-rays which found nothing out of the ordinary. She mentioned it could be hammertoe, but wouldn’t she have known that by the x-rays? I don’t know, but she referred me to a foot and ankle clinic. I never went because I figure all they’ll do is recommend expensive orthotics that won’t work anyway. Instead, I decided to only where good shoes. This has really helped and I don’t have much pain anymore.

Unless I walk too much…or jog like I did on Wednesday. My foot felt fine all day Wednesday, but yesterday it was really hurting, and pretty much throbbing by the end of the day. Today it’s a bit better, but I’m not sure I can do the C25K program now. ARG!!

I think jogging can be extremely therapeutic for me, so I’m not giving up. I just need to listen to my foot. Maybe once a week is all it can handle for now. So instead I’m focusing on getting my daily steps up, and will jog when I can.

I am tired of all the body aches and pains! I know losing weight will help. It probably won’t cure the possible hammertoe, but it definitely can’t hurt. So I will keep plugging away and see how many steps I can get today.

The great news about my fitbit, is it’s encouraging me to eat better. At the end of the day, I LOVE seeing that I burned more calories than I ate. I’m eating fairly clean, and am naturally making better choices.

Despite the foot issues, I am feeling positive about my journey.

I am making progress!

Wake-Up Call

Yesterday was my first full day of wearing my FitBit pedometer. I knew it would be a very inactive day, but wow, I was surprised by just how low my steps were! I didn’t exercise, and my desk job was especially slow. I didn’t even clear 4000 steps!! Yikes!

So today, I put it on and did my wii Biggest Loser workout. It didn’t add many steps because my current routine focuses on core strength, but it still felt good to do it. Then I did my first C25K workout before starting work. Luckily, I’m working at home today so had time to do this after dropping the kids off at daycare. The first workout wasn’t super hard, but it definitely pushed me. I’m sure I will be sore tomorrow. It felt great and is definitely a great mood elevator. And I have already surpassed 4000 steps by 7:30 am!!

Perhaps the kids and I can go for a short walk tonight and get some more steps in.

It’s going to be a great day!!

FitBit, C25K, and Mid-May Goal Change

I ordered a FitBit pedometer and it arrived yesterday! For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a highly accurate pedometer. You can read more at www.fitbit.com. I am really hoping this helps motivate me to keep moving. Today is my first full day of wearing it, so I’ll see how many steps I reach in a typical day with no official exercise. It’ll be a good baseline to start with.

Thanks to Sharon at http://mimigettingfit.com, I am considering doing the C25K, or Couch to 5k, program. You see, I’ve had visions of becoming a runner. This is something I never, ever thought I would be serious about. Yet the visions are still there. I think running will be an excellent stress reliever for me, moreso than most other exercises I have tried. I enjoy walking, but I like the idea of burning more calories and relieving stress in a shorter period of time. My life is busy, so I need something that will be the most time efficient. I will make out a “training” schedule and stick to it the best I can. I do need to be somewhat flexible, depending on the weather and when Marcus is in the fields. But it’s only 3 days each week, so I can make it work.

I also am revising my goal for May. Originally, I said I was going to log my food every single day with MyFitnessPal. I admit, I am really struggling with this the past few days. I had it set to lose 2 pounds each week, so perhaps that is what has gotten me off track. I have changed my goal to lose 1 pound each week, which gives me quite a few more calories each day, so hopefully it doesn’t leave me feeling deprived, which only leads to bingeing.

My new goals for the remainder of the month are below.

1. Walk at least 10,000 steps a minimum of 4 days each week.
2. Start the C25K program.

These goals really go hand-in-hand. If I do the C25K program, I will be that much closer to getting my 10,000 steps in those days. If I get my 3 days of training in this week (I’m off work Thurs and Fri, which will make it easier), I should be able to get my first 3 weeks of training done by the end of the month.

I am excited about this! I know diet plays a big role in weight loss, but I also know I feel better when I exercise, regardless of what I’m eating. I will still log my food, but am going to focus more on exercise right now. And hope my calf doesn’t act up.

Anyone else have a FitBit? What do you think?

Has anyone else done the C25K program?

Back to Business!

The last few days have not been good, foodwise. But the good news is that TODAY I am back in the saddle!

For the first time since my calf injury, I got up this morning to exercise! It wasn’t a real long workout, but still felt good to do it. Assuming my calf doesn’t give me any fits, I WILL be back to my routine! Right now I’m focusing on doing my wii Biggest Loser workout 4 times each week, and sneaking in as much extra walking as we can. I just met someone downtown, so that was an easy 20 minute walk that I wouldn’t normally have. I really should do that more often during the work day!

I missed a few days logging my food with MyFitnessPal, but am back to counting calories today. Even if I go over, I need to log it!

I am really tired today, and it’s not because of lack of sleep. Allergy Season seems to be here, and I’m feeling the effects. But, I am thrilled spring is finally here, so you won’t get any complaints from me!

Counting Calories

It’s been almost a full week since I started logging my food with MyFitnessPal. It’s going quite well!

I think I was putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect. I know I feel better with no sugar, bread, etc in my diet, but sometimes a girl just wants a piece of toast! Or I just want to eat what Marcus made for supper instead of making something else for myself when I’m already tired after a long day. Now, I feel like I have more freedom and more choices. Ultimately, my goal is to eat as clean as possible, but when life throws a bowl of ice cream at me, I need to know when/if/how much I can indulge.

It’s kind of like a weight has been lifted from me. I’m still eating basically the same, but I’m getting a better idea of how many calories really are in various foods. A taco salad is awesome, as long as I don’t use too much meat. And while my smoothies are a great meal (usually breakfast), they are a bit high in calories to have as a snack.

I feel good about this change.

I am slowly increasing my physical activity. My calf muscle still gets a bit sore, but I’m able to pretty much do anything around the house without it bothering me. My office building is down to one elevator for a while, as they replace the current ones we have. They are fairly slow to begin with, but now will take even longer. So I took the stairs this morning and will be doing that more often…partly to save time, but also to get back into the routine. I was going to get up this morning to exercise, but that didn’t happen. I will likely go for a walk tonight while Cameron is at Girl Scouts, so all isn’t lost.

And…I am hopeful that spring is FINALLY here!!

How is everyone else doing?

Peach Banana Smoothie

Okay Mother Nature, enough is enough! Yesterday, May 2 (May 2!!!!), we woke up to another pile of snow on the ground. Here is a picture of Marcus. You can’t see the pile of snow he’s standing on, so it’s deeper than this. I heard the official snow fall amount was 18 INCHES!! This is extremely rare for us in Minnesota. We have been hit with storm after storm since February. Everyone, even the snow lovers, are tired of this. It’s hard to believe that just last weekend, the kids were riding bikes while wearing shorts and flip flops. Sigh…

May 2, 2013 – Record Breaking Snowfall

Smoothies are such an easy and yummy way to get some great nutrition. Even winter weather won’t keep me from enjoying this cool treat or meal! I haven’t ventured into complex recipes because I need to keep it as quick and easy as possible. My recipes are fairly basic, but I like to share the winning combinations.

I almost always put spinach in my smoothies. I can’t taste it at all, and it’s a great way to give it a nutritional boost for just a few calories. It is 14 calories for 2 CUPS of spinach! Can’t beat that!

Peach Banana Smoothie

Peach Banana Smoothie

2 cups spinach
1 banana
1/2 cup sliced peaches (mine were frozen)
1 scoop protein powder (mine was vanilla)
1/2 cup almond milk

Blend and enjoy!

April Recap & May Goals

My calf injury in April really threw me for a loop. I was establishing a nice exercise routine, then BAM! Out of commission. The good news is it’s almost healed so I think I can safely get back to some exercise.

Here is a recap of my April goals and results:

1. Stairs. Continue taking the stairs to the office at least twice each week.
2. Exercise. About 2 weeks ago I started exercising in the morning. This is going really well and I want to continue it in April. I am also working to add walks at home when Marcus is around and I’m able to go.
3. Circuit. Since I’m on an exercise roll, I’m going with it. I want to come up with an exercise circuit of sorts, with exercises like jumping jacks, squats and planks. I need to finalize my list. My goal is to complete it 2 days each week.

These were all a BIG FAIL!! I will not give up on them, but won’t make them official goals again quite yet.

The good news is that I managed to lose 2 pounds in April! I am down 19 pounds total.

Onto my May goals:

1. Counting Calories. This month is going to be all about calories. I will continue to eat as clean as I can, but will log my food every single day at MyFitnessPal.com. If I decide I can’t resist some ice cream, I need to be responsible for it and log the calories.

That’s it for official goals. I will also start getting back to a regular exercise routine. I am also working on putting together a binder of motivational images and quotes. I took some progress photos of myself this morning, my first official ones. I will post them here sometime. For now, they are going in my binder. I think I will appreciate having them someday – hopefully soon!

May Motivation

I know it’s not May yet, but I came across this little tidbit. This is one of the things I will use to help with my motivation throughout the month.

Many times I think I don’t have the time, energy or motivation to exercise, prepare meals, count calories… But if I want to see results, I need to MAKE time. And I need to DO it whether I have the energy and motivation or not.

My calf feels better each day. While it’s not completely healed, I think I can slowly start doing some modified workouts and pray I don’t do something to set myself back.

May goals will be coming tomorrow. I’m ready!!