It's been a while since my last post. Primarily, I had nothing really to say. I've been so disappointed in myself. It felt so easy in the beginning to stay healthy and exercise, but as the weeks go by it gets harder and harder. There are days when I just want to chow down on every single unhealthy thing possible. It's been a real struggle, mostly in the evenings. I can do fantastic all day and then blow my whole day out of the water in an hour or two at night. I've been going out a fair bit recently, usually to a restaurant with a girl friend of mine. It's really sad that when I do go out, it's after the kids are in bed, so I've already eaten my three meals for the day, but I'll still order food (and often a meal, not just an appetizer). I know how many calories are remaining in my budget for the day, but I eat anyway. And not anything healthy either!
This past week I've made more of an effort to watch what I eat and be conscious of not going over my daily calorie limit. I did fairly well; I only went over one day. My exercise, however, did take a hit this last week, which is the primary reason for being more vigilant over what I ate. I'm not sure what I've done, but I've got some pretty nasty pains in my lower back. I chalked it up to my poor shoes and the amount of walking I've been doing daily (2.5 to 6 kilometres daily). I did finally pick up a great pair of running shoes. I purchased a pair of Nike Lunarglides, which are simply the best shoes I've ever worn! It's as if I'm walking on clouds when I wear them! I wore them on my walk yesterday for the first time, and my friend and I walked 6 kilometres. I probably should have waited until my back had fully healed before walking so far because I'm paying for it today. I'm starting to wonder if there is an entirely different problem causing the lower back pain.
On top of the back pain, almost everyone in my household has come down with some sort of stomach bug. I'm feeling mostly better now, but last night and this morning was certainly a different story. I felt so bad for my daughter, who is two, because she seemed to have it worse than everyone else. I was up most of the night with her. I'm just thankful that my son didn't get sick. I've never had to deal with a sick child before, aside from the sniffles, and I can only imagine how challenging it would be to look after a baby with tummy troubles.
On the plus side, I weighed in this morning and I have lost 3 pounds since last Monday when I weighed myself. That is a total loss of 19.6 pounds and also put me under 250 pounds! I'm so excited about that! I can't even remember the last time I was under 250 pounds! I'm getting so close to reaching my next goal of 25 pounds and getting my next reward: a manicure and pedicure. Having seen a loss this week (and a nice one at that!), it has certainly renewed my drive to keep on this path and to try harder once again. It'll only be a matter of time before I reach my end goal and I can't wait! I guess I should finish my rewards so that I have something to work towards (aside from good health).
My walking buddy, Ashlee, and I have set a goal to walk the "West Side Hill" at the end of August. It's about a 4.5-5 kilometre walk from my home, up the hill to the Tim Horton's on the other side. The distance won't be the challenge, but the steep hill certainly will be! It's a long bridge that connects the two halves of the city together over a river, but the road goes pretty steeply into the valley before leveling out and returning to a steep hill on the other side. I thought August would be a good time to try, as it will give me a chance to become a more seasoned walker and also lose a bit more weight before taking the challenge on.
Ashlee would also like to start jogging; she's been interested in the "Couch to 5K" regimen. I can't quite commit to jogging just yet, but maybe one day when I have less aches and pains and feel more confident in my body to do something like that. Still, it's something to think about and possibly another goal to work towards.
Something else to look forward to is a nice little weekend trip up to Edmonton, Alberta to the West Edmonton Mall, sometime in August. I'm hoping to be down another 40 or so pounds before the trip takes place, which will make shopping more enjoyable. Plus, the mall has a fantastic water park that we would like to go to and it would certainly be nice to look a little better in a swimsuit than I do currently. So I'd better get cracking to make that weight loss goal a reality before then!
Monday 25 February 2013
Monday 4 February 2013
Redemption, however slight...
After a disappointing week and a 0.2 pound gain when I weighed myself yesterday, I decided to weigh myself again today. I'm not big on the whole weigh-yourself-everyday ordeal - I feel that it can set yourself up for disappointment and failure - but I wanted to see if I did actually gain 0.2 pounds or if it was just water retention from all the salty popcorn I ate the night before. I am currently down to 255.1 pounds, with a total loss of 12 pounds. It's not a significant loss, but I'll take a slight loss over a gain any day! I just have to be more diligent in my exercise and eating efforts to ensure that I don't have any more gains, regardless of how slight they may be.
I took my body measurements today. I'm not sure why I didn't take my measurements right from the start. It would have been nice to have a log of my body measurements before I started to see if my body has changed at all since I began four weeks ago. My husband says that he can see a difference, but I think he may be a little crazy... It's only been 12 pounds! I could understand if I had lost 50 pounds, but not 12. Maybe he's just saying that he notices a difference because he wants to make me feel better, or maybe he actually can tell a difference, who knows. I know I can't see anything yet. Here are my body measurements currently:
Upper Arm: 14.5 inches (left) and 15 inches (right)
Forearm: 12.5 inches (left) and 11.5 inches (right)
Upper Thigh: 28.5 inches (left) and 29 inches (right)
Calf: 17.25 inches (left) and 17.75 inches (right)
Hips: 53 inches
Waist: 45 inches
Chest: 43 inches
It's interesting that the right side of my body is slightly larger than my left. I suppose it would make sense being that I am right handed, thus the right side of my body would be my "dominant" side. It'll be even more interesting to compare my measurements down to road to see if my right side always remains larger than my left side. I think I'd like to take my measurements once a month to see how I'm doing. I know that sometimes weight loss may not manifest itself in the numbers on the scale going down, but by the number of inches lost. I'll post my measurements again at the beginning of March.
I've been shopping around for a heart monitor. I thought it would be a good idea to purchase one because there are some activities I do, such as my workout DVDs, that I have no idea how to gauge how many calories I am burning. When I do my DVD (Beachbody's Slim in 6 - Start it Up), I've just been entering the data into Lose It! as "aerobics" because I don't know what else to classify it as. I tried looking online to see if there was any information about the number of calories burned for that particular DVD, but I didn't really find anything. At least with a heart monitor, it would give me an estimate of calories burned based on my heart rate during whatever activity I happen to be doing.
So far I haven't found a monitor that I both like and that is within my price range. There have been a couple that I thought about purchasing, but after reading the consumer reviews, I have decided that that particular brand/model wouldn't be worth it. I had a couple of people from my group on Lose It! recommend the brand Polar, but I'm still looking through the different models and reading the reviews before I finally make a decision. I want to make sure that I'm getting a good quality product. I should hopefully have one picked out and purchased by the end of the week.
Since starting my blog, I have started reading two other blogs that are primarily about weight loss. I have found them both very interesting and inspirational! If you're interested at all, you can check them out: http://lizzysweightlossquest.blogspot.com and http://abyerly.blogspot.com.
I took my body measurements today. I'm not sure why I didn't take my measurements right from the start. It would have been nice to have a log of my body measurements before I started to see if my body has changed at all since I began four weeks ago. My husband says that he can see a difference, but I think he may be a little crazy... It's only been 12 pounds! I could understand if I had lost 50 pounds, but not 12. Maybe he's just saying that he notices a difference because he wants to make me feel better, or maybe he actually can tell a difference, who knows. I know I can't see anything yet. Here are my body measurements currently:
Upper Arm: 14.5 inches (left) and 15 inches (right)
Forearm: 12.5 inches (left) and 11.5 inches (right)
Upper Thigh: 28.5 inches (left) and 29 inches (right)
Calf: 17.25 inches (left) and 17.75 inches (right)
Hips: 53 inches
Waist: 45 inches
Chest: 43 inches
It's interesting that the right side of my body is slightly larger than my left. I suppose it would make sense being that I am right handed, thus the right side of my body would be my "dominant" side. It'll be even more interesting to compare my measurements down to road to see if my right side always remains larger than my left side. I think I'd like to take my measurements once a month to see how I'm doing. I know that sometimes weight loss may not manifest itself in the numbers on the scale going down, but by the number of inches lost. I'll post my measurements again at the beginning of March.
I've been shopping around for a heart monitor. I thought it would be a good idea to purchase one because there are some activities I do, such as my workout DVDs, that I have no idea how to gauge how many calories I am burning. When I do my DVD (Beachbody's Slim in 6 - Start it Up), I've just been entering the data into Lose It! as "aerobics" because I don't know what else to classify it as. I tried looking online to see if there was any information about the number of calories burned for that particular DVD, but I didn't really find anything. At least with a heart monitor, it would give me an estimate of calories burned based on my heart rate during whatever activity I happen to be doing.
So far I haven't found a monitor that I both like and that is within my price range. There have been a couple that I thought about purchasing, but after reading the consumer reviews, I have decided that that particular brand/model wouldn't be worth it. I had a couple of people from my group on Lose It! recommend the brand Polar, but I'm still looking through the different models and reading the reviews before I finally make a decision. I want to make sure that I'm getting a good quality product. I should hopefully have one picked out and purchased by the end of the week.
Since starting my blog, I have started reading two other blogs that are primarily about weight loss. I have found them both very interesting and inspirational! If you're interested at all, you can check them out: http://lizzysweightlossquest.blogspot.com and http://abyerly.blogspot.com.
Sunday 3 February 2013
Slacking...
These last two weeks haven't been overly fantastic for me, especially this past week. I went over my calorie budget a couple days each week, most days it wasn't by too much, with the exception of yesterday and today. The days that I didn't go over my budget, I didn't make the best food choices. I'm disappointed in myself for not having more control over what I was eating.
When I weighed myself at the start of last week, I was down another 2.7 pounds, which brought me to a total loss of 11.4 pounds since I started. That's a pretty good loss considering I was only trying to lose 1.5 pounds a week. I did weigh myself today, though I didn't record it on Lose It! because I had gained 0.2 pounds, making me 255.9 pounds. Gaining, however slightly, was frustrating, but I should have expected it considering how the past two weeks have gone.
Last week I didn't exercise as much as I should have. I didn't complete my goal of doing my exercise DVD three days last week. I didn't even do it once. I only rode my stationary bike twice, which again didn't meet my goal of three times a week. I did, however, go for a walk three days last week, which has to count for something. This week wasn't much better. I did manage to do the workout DVD twice (it's a lot harder than I remember it being), but it takes a toll on my knees which is upsetting. Again, I only rode my bike twice, but I did go for three walks.
The food I've been eating, mostly this last week, has been awful, but sooooo delicious and hard to resist! I went out a few times this week and made some poor food choices. On Thursday I went to dinner with my sister at Denny's. My favourite foods there are the Moon's Over My Hammy and Smothered Cheese Fries. Between the two, they are 1,650 calories! They have ridiculously high calories on their own, but I ordered both of them together! What was I thinking?! Last night I went to a movie (I saw "Warm Bodies," which was fantastic by-the-way) and while at the theatre I ate a small, buttered popcorn, a large chocolate bar and a large frozen yogurt... Why on Earth did I find it necessary to eat all three?! I don't know why I couldn't have been satisfied with just one of those items.
Today was difficult for eating as well and I went hugely over my calorie budget for the day. As I'm sure you know, today was the Super Bowl and we all know that the Super Bowl is great time to get together with friends and family and munch out. This year was no exception. We spent the evening at my Auntie's house and I had resolved to eat healthy while there. Now, my Aunt and her hubby usually have a huge spread of various different foods, but today, much to my dismay, she did not. There was nary a healthy item in sight! Usually she would have veggies and dip, cheese and crackers... Not today. Today there was chili (which isn't totally unhealthy, if I actually liked to eat chili...), cheese biscuits, French fries and chocolate brownies. What is a girl to do when trying to eat right? Especially when everything looks and smells absolutely delicious (and my Aunt's hubby kept putting more food on my plate...). So, I ate far more than I intended and I'm regretting it now.
I suppose there isn't anything I can do about the mistakes I've made in the past, but I can move forward and try to make better choices in the future. I resolve to do better this week. To actually work out the way I've planned and to make better food choices and stay under my allotted daily calories. You can do anything you set your mind to and being healthy is no different. I knew that this was going to be a hard journey, and most days it feels like it's entirely an uphill battle, but I know I can do it. I just need to pick myself up and dust myself off and keep on going! In the past I would have come to a day like today and because I didn't eat perfectly, it would have been game over. I would have given up and gone right back to my bad habits. Not this time. I am determined to lose this weight, come hell or high water!
On a positive note, I have been getting outside for some walks. It's really nice to get outside and get some fresh air. I've never been much of an outdoorsy person, but being a stay-at-home mom doesn't give me the opportunity to get out often, mostly during the day because we only have one vehicle. The last two weeks haven't been overly cold, with the exception of a couple of days, so I figured I'd kill a couple birds with one stone - exercise, fresh air and getting out of the house for a bit. There is a small lake close by my home, so I've been bundling myself and my two kids up and going for a walk around it.
After a couple of walks, I got curious about how far I had been walking. I found an smart phone app and website called RunKeeper (runkeeper.com) which uses GPS tracking to keep tabs on how far you've gone. It also shows you how long you've been doing your activity (you can use it for walking, running, biking...) and the average time per kilometre/mile. I really enjoy it! I now know that it's about 2.65 kilometres (1.65 miles) from my house, around the lake and back. If you log onto the website, you have actually view a map with your path marked on it! I thought that was pretty neat! The RunKeeper app also syncs up with Lose It! if you have upgraded your Lose It! account, which I thought was pretty cool too (though I haven't upgraded my account). For now I'll just manually enter my exercise data into Lose It!.
I did also go for my massage yesterday, being that I have made it past the 10 pound mark. I had a 30 minute massage and it was delightful and relaxing! I wish that I could have a full body massage every day! Maybe I could somehow con my husband into doing that for me... Not likely! My next reward is at 25 pounds... Maybe I can reach that by the end of February, if I'm really diligent. Here goes!
When I weighed myself at the start of last week, I was down another 2.7 pounds, which brought me to a total loss of 11.4 pounds since I started. That's a pretty good loss considering I was only trying to lose 1.5 pounds a week. I did weigh myself today, though I didn't record it on Lose It! because I had gained 0.2 pounds, making me 255.9 pounds. Gaining, however slightly, was frustrating, but I should have expected it considering how the past two weeks have gone.
Last week I didn't exercise as much as I should have. I didn't complete my goal of doing my exercise DVD three days last week. I didn't even do it once. I only rode my stationary bike twice, which again didn't meet my goal of three times a week. I did, however, go for a walk three days last week, which has to count for something. This week wasn't much better. I did manage to do the workout DVD twice (it's a lot harder than I remember it being), but it takes a toll on my knees which is upsetting. Again, I only rode my bike twice, but I did go for three walks.
The food I've been eating, mostly this last week, has been awful, but sooooo delicious and hard to resist! I went out a few times this week and made some poor food choices. On Thursday I went to dinner with my sister at Denny's. My favourite foods there are the Moon's Over My Hammy and Smothered Cheese Fries. Between the two, they are 1,650 calories! They have ridiculously high calories on their own, but I ordered both of them together! What was I thinking?! Last night I went to a movie (I saw "Warm Bodies," which was fantastic by-the-way) and while at the theatre I ate a small, buttered popcorn, a large chocolate bar and a large frozen yogurt... Why on Earth did I find it necessary to eat all three?! I don't know why I couldn't have been satisfied with just one of those items.
Today was difficult for eating as well and I went hugely over my calorie budget for the day. As I'm sure you know, today was the Super Bowl and we all know that the Super Bowl is great time to get together with friends and family and munch out. This year was no exception. We spent the evening at my Auntie's house and I had resolved to eat healthy while there. Now, my Aunt and her hubby usually have a huge spread of various different foods, but today, much to my dismay, she did not. There was nary a healthy item in sight! Usually she would have veggies and dip, cheese and crackers... Not today. Today there was chili (which isn't totally unhealthy, if I actually liked to eat chili...), cheese biscuits, French fries and chocolate brownies. What is a girl to do when trying to eat right? Especially when everything looks and smells absolutely delicious (and my Aunt's hubby kept putting more food on my plate...). So, I ate far more than I intended and I'm regretting it now.
I suppose there isn't anything I can do about the mistakes I've made in the past, but I can move forward and try to make better choices in the future. I resolve to do better this week. To actually work out the way I've planned and to make better food choices and stay under my allotted daily calories. You can do anything you set your mind to and being healthy is no different. I knew that this was going to be a hard journey, and most days it feels like it's entirely an uphill battle, but I know I can do it. I just need to pick myself up and dust myself off and keep on going! In the past I would have come to a day like today and because I didn't eat perfectly, it would have been game over. I would have given up and gone right back to my bad habits. Not this time. I am determined to lose this weight, come hell or high water!
On a positive note, I have been getting outside for some walks. It's really nice to get outside and get some fresh air. I've never been much of an outdoorsy person, but being a stay-at-home mom doesn't give me the opportunity to get out often, mostly during the day because we only have one vehicle. The last two weeks haven't been overly cold, with the exception of a couple of days, so I figured I'd kill a couple birds with one stone - exercise, fresh air and getting out of the house for a bit. There is a small lake close by my home, so I've been bundling myself and my two kids up and going for a walk around it.
After a couple of walks, I got curious about how far I had been walking. I found an smart phone app and website called RunKeeper (runkeeper.com) which uses GPS tracking to keep tabs on how far you've gone. It also shows you how long you've been doing your activity (you can use it for walking, running, biking...) and the average time per kilometre/mile. I really enjoy it! I now know that it's about 2.65 kilometres (1.65 miles) from my house, around the lake and back. If you log onto the website, you have actually view a map with your path marked on it! I thought that was pretty neat! The RunKeeper app also syncs up with Lose It! if you have upgraded your Lose It! account, which I thought was pretty cool too (though I haven't upgraded my account). For now I'll just manually enter my exercise data into Lose It!.
I did also go for my massage yesterday, being that I have made it past the 10 pound mark. I had a 30 minute massage and it was delightful and relaxing! I wish that I could have a full body massage every day! Maybe I could somehow con my husband into doing that for me... Not likely! My next reward is at 25 pounds... Maybe I can reach that by the end of February, if I'm really diligent. Here goes!
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