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!