Today's a New Day

Well I woke up sore....knowing that day 2 is the worst scares me a bit with the fact that we will be in Chicago tomorrow and that we will be walking a lot.  I really don't want to waste money on cabs.  I just am hoping that I am not too sore to be able to really enjoy the day with my little princess.  Today is a day of catch up and writing for me.  I have so much work to do that it is insane.  I am okay with not exercising today because I know that I am going to be walking miles tomorrow.  I just hope that I feel great all day and that we can have an amazing day with my little lady!!

Breakfast--oops!!  I skipped breakfast....

I have a few Starbursts and Wintergreen Lifesavers throughout the day though.

Lunch--side salad, Portobello mushroom sandwich, and a few homemade chips.  We went to the Burger Barge to celebrate our little lady turning five with my mom, dad, and brother.  I drank water but did indulge in a Pepsi when I got home b/c we were out of bottled water and it was there.  Bad excuse I know but I was thirsty and I hate tap water.

Supper--Leftovers/easy stuff.  :)  I am not sure that I am eating and if I do I will update.  I am going to guess that I have a few bites of this and a few bites of that and that is all that is going to happen right now.

I am going to bed early tonight in hopes of having a great start on our huge day tomorrow.  So much going on and I am really still going to attempt to keep track of everything that goes in my mouth, no matter how hard that might be.

 

What's Happening in My World Today!

So I have a big healthy day planned as a kick off towards being a better me.

Today I started the day with a kettlebell class & I can barely lift my arms above my head,  that being said, tomorrow should be interesting!

Breakfast

Starbucks iced mocha (they sell this in quarts now <3) 

Raspberries

Feeling--accomplished, awake and ready to tackle the day!

Snack--1 Keebler rainbow chip cookie 

Was this the best snack choice?  Nope!  Did it taste good?  Damn straight!

Lunch and Beyond--Let's just chalk it up to a failed day yesterday and with all of the alcohol that I indulged in last night that is exactly the only thing that you can do.  :)

My Goals

Well I guess the best way to get back on track is to follow up with my goals.

Goal 1--lose weight and be able to fit into my favorite pair of JCrew jeans!!

Goal 2--run a 5K in September (yep I am registered)

Goal 3--come up with a workout calendar of when I will hit the gym/classes (will be done tomorrow)

Goal 4--start tracking my food daily (even if I do not track my calories, writing down everything I eat starts tomorrow as well)

Goal 5--feel healthier and have more energy to play with my kids (to live longer for them!)

I want to do this the right way which is so very hard for me.  I am working hard on getting to where I need to be and making the improvements that I need to make.

The Next Step

I knew day 3 was the hardest in the past so I was definitely prepared.  Getting to the gym needs to be a priority.  Tonight is the last day of Bible school so I know it will be easier as I move on to something else.  

Shane had to work all night again which is why I couldn't work out last night.  It is so disappointing!!  

Breakfast--protein bar 180 cals

Snack--strawberries with nesquik powder 150 cals

Lunch--spinach & cheese whole wheat pita pizza 310 cals

Snack--strawberries with nesquik 150 cals

Dinner--tortilla chips & dips 400 cals 

Snack--coke & mints  & fruit leathers 300 cals

So I did fairly well on my diet but I sucked it up not having time to go to the gym!

Tomorrow I have group fitness and then I will be in the gym sometime on Saturday!  

I know I can do this.  I will check my weight on Saturday too.

Day 3...Hurdle Day?

So much to do, so little time to get it all done.

Today is running day and I have the goal of 1.55 miles!  I know that I can do this!  Wish me luck!

Now to get on with everything else we have to do.  First was to clean floors and now that this is done its time to separate laundry & finish all of the loads that need done & trust me there are a ton!  

What I'm Eating Today?

Breakfast--fiber one protein bar 130 cals

Snack--protein shake 160 cals for a total thus far of 290 cals

Lunch--smoothie shake 260 cals for a total of 550 cals

Snack--fresh mozzarella & strawberries 210 calories for a total of 760 calories

Dinner--chicken fajitas made with chicken & spinach on whole wheat tortillas...500 calories for a total of 1260 cals so far!

Snack--srrawberries with nesquik powder, monster granola bar 

We went strawberry picking today so yes these were amazing and fresh strawberries that we got to enjoy!

Well I didn't make it to the gym tonight.  Basically it was too hard with Bible school.  I have to find a way to go and work out in the mornings!

Day 2--Continuing the Journey

So Heather is teaching me a lot which is awesome.  I have read countless health and fitness blogs and books and she is helping me to be able to figure out so many things about this that I would not have thought about before.  She does not advocate a diet but instead she advocates a healthy lifestyle which is what I am a firm believer in as it is what is going to work long term.

Today's Food

Breakfast--Backed chocolate oatmeal (1 cup of rolled oats, 1 container of applesauce (all natural no sugars added), and 2 Tbs of chocolate Nesquik powder baked in the over at 450 for about 20 mins)...This tastes so much like a chocolate oatmeal cookie. The recipe makes 2 servings at approximately 200-220 calories per serving.

Snack--skipped morning snack b/c I was not hungry

Lunch--400 calories a spin on a caprese salad & leftover grilled chicken last night with a little marinade...total calories 620

It looked so pretty and so yummy that I thought a picture was necessary!

Snack-- Okay I will admit that I ate a few too many calories here but I know that I am still going to meet the goal that Heather set for me.  She set a goal of 1800 calories or less each day for me so I know that I will still be under that.  Anyways we took the kiddos to the splash park today and they got McDonald's French fries and frozen drinks.  I chose a strawberry lemonade.  It was delicious and only 200 calories.  I noticed myself feeling hungry so I ate another serving of the baked chocolate oatmeal so I am at 1040 calories total so far.

Supper--Roasted Beets with Feta, small serving tortellini with marinara sauce, light cesar salad & corn on the cob...600 calories so the total thus far is 1640!  If I choose my evening snack wisely (apple and pb anyone??) then I will be under my calories.  Now just to hit the gym!

This was another photo worthy meal & I'm super proud of my portion size of pasta because I love giant bowls of pasta.

Snack--Gummy bears....about 260 calories so I am at about 1900 calories for the day!  100 calories over, not too shabby with the McDonalds stop!  I'm happy and proud of where I was able to improve on my past mistakes!  I know I can do this and the lifestyle change is something that I can handle.

Today's Exercise
50 squats, 50 modified push ups, 50 lunges each leg, & 100 mixed crunches....didn't make it to the gym like I was hoping to so this was my at home work out!

Some Thoughts that I Typed Throughout the Day

I'm dealing with extra stress today and because of that I am feeling super vulnerable to eating bad for me foods.  I am trying really hard and so far I am accomplishing it.  I hope that my after bedtime workout helps me to be successful in this further and that I don't fail with the before bedtime snacks.

This might not have been the best week to start my transformation but I do know that if I can stick to things and make it this week that I can do it anytime.  It is Vacation Bible School at our church so that means that I have to have meals prepared quickly, easily, and early.  Then I am with kiddos all night long and then I come home and put my kids to bed and that is when I get to go to the gym.  It is hard to go to the gym later at night but I am finding that the important thing for me to do is get into the routine. 

McDonalds was hard today because let's face it, McDonald's fries are delicious!!  However I know if I let myself slide that I will be eating all crap again, be completely discouraged and disappointed in myself, and cause me to either gain weight or at the least not lose it.  These are the types of things that will never help me to be able to get to my goals. 

So I know that you all have struggled but I promise that taking Heather's advice and eating these mini meals can help you.  I had been told this time and time again but seriously did not believe that it would change things but it certainly has.  I have done all of this and honestly not be hungry at all.  I am full and satisfied and happy!

Emotionally I feel strong and overall happy.  I feel inspired to do better.  


 

Beginning My Journey

Let's face it.  I have known for some time that I should get into better shape.  I have made countless goals for myself and have ended up only becoming more discouraged and more upset when I did not meet these goals.  Weight loss is so hard for me now.

It wasn't always this way.  I used to be able to maintain ay oand/or lose weight easily but apparently something went wrong within the past five years.  I hit thirty which I have heard makes weight loss harder.  I have also ended up having three children during this time.  I don't typically or commonly gain weight but when I am pregnant I gain a lot.  This has made those three back to back pregnancies (my older daughter was just 16 months old when my son was born and he was just 2 years old when my youngest daughter was born) detrimental in my weight loss.

I also suffered from severe post partum depression and with that came poor choices and really no efforts to lose weight. I have been trying for the past few months and obviously doing something wrong so here I am attempting to try once again.

Weight loss sucks and is something that is so hard that I have no idea how I will manage it but I am going to keep trying.

Yesterday was a day of tests for me.  I tried eating smaller amounts of food more often and wasn't hungry all day long.  Also I did not snack or have a need to eat at night before bed.  This is huge because I am often good all day long but then at night I end up snacking and ruining all of the hard work that I put in during the day.  Today I start counting calories for my meals.  This is going to be a challenge in itself but something that I am completely prepared for.

Day 1 (yesterday) here is what my food and exercise looked like.

--Breakfast--protein shake
--Snack--caprese salad (a small one)
--Lunch--baked French fries with BBQ sauce (I had been craving fries for a few days and these were baked with just a touch of cooking spray on the pan and on top so there was no extra oil or anything)
--Snack--strawberries with fat free cool whip
--Dinner--grilled chicken skewer
--Snack--pretzel rod dipped in white chocolate (one pretzel rod) and one gummy worm

Exercise
tested my ability to run--1.3 miles!  (goal for Wed is 1.55 miles)--I will be running on Mon-Wed-Fri preparing for my first 5K which is on September 7th.
I did three leg machines and three arm machines at the gym as well.

I am going to be working with the amazing Heather who is living proof that hard work and healthy eating can pay off big time.  She looks amazing and I am hoping that she can really help me to snap this body back into shape.