Week 1 completed!

Week 1 of my 10 week challenge went better than expected. I was pretty anxious that regardless of the changes I was making, I would still be frustrated with the progress. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the scales did indeed budge...in a small weight loss...small...but better than the weight gain I had been experiencing! So I'll definitely take it!

Here are the changes I made last week:

1. I started doing a more challenging elliptical routine - longer duration and more resistance.

2. Eating a handful of almonds daily for a quick filling snack

3. Changed my lunch granola cereal to a whole wheat shredded wheat

4. Started drinking more water!

5. Ate more veggies

6. More conscious of sodium and sugars

Other things I've decided: Weigh-ins will be Sunday morning instead of Monday morning. I like to enjoy my Sunday lunch with the family instead of wondering how much it's going to affect the scales in the morning. Eating in moderation is still important, but I don't want to have to think of calories and sodium intake for this one meal.

I am a little concerned about my energy level this week. Today I was dragging...when I finally dragged myself to the kitchen to make supper, I decided to have a quick snack of cheese and low fat Triscuits. I just had a few and it helped my energy level immensely! It made me wonder if I need to line up some healthy snacks in-between meals in order to keep my energy level up. I may play with that a bit this week. Regardless of how much I exercise, I have really really struggled with my energy level.

Anyway, just wanted to update!

System Failure

Blah. So, long story short - I've been working out since the end of March on a consistent basis (short of 2 weeks when we were on vacation) and not only have I NOT lost any weight...I've actually gained weight! WHAT??? Though some of the weight gain may be muscle, I know not all of it is. The reason I know that is because I'm hard pressed to find the new muscle tone. I still feel as soft and pudgy as I did when I started...even more so actually! Ugh. To top it all off, my motivation level has dramatically dropped...especially since I feel like I'm working hard with no visible or felt success (instead I see visible weight gain!) And not only do I have no motivation, I also have NO energy. I feel sluggish and tired all.the.time.

So, though I'm tempted to just throw up my hands and quit...I'm also challenged to find a way to make it work. Last summer I felt like I was at my best and healthiest weight. I felt great, had energy and best of all - I could keep up with the boys. That is where I want to be again. Sure I want to lose weight, but I really want to feel fit and healthy. I want to feel good in my clothes. I want to feel energetic. I want to feel strong.

So now what? Obviously, what I've been doing is NOT EVEN CLOSE to working (even though it's pretty much the same plan that worked when I lost weight last spring.) So I need to regroup and try something different. I do not want to starve myself, nor do I want to do a fad diet. I have been trying hard to watch what I eat, but I guess I need to adjust even the healthy food I've been eating lately.

So, what I want to do is come up with a healthy eating plan. I also need to figure out how to tweak my exercise routine to make it work. This is a work in progress.

I also want to set up a challenge for myself (I'm hoping this is realistic.) I would like to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks...1 lb a week. This is a little intimidating since I've gained weight over the last 12 weeks of trying to lose weight...but I'm hoping the changes I'll be making will help jump start the weight loss and road to feeling fit.

Here is the timeline I'm thinking...

10 Week Challenge Dates:

Week 1: June 21-27

Week 2: June 28-July 4

Week 3: July 5-11

Week 4: July 12-18

Week 5: July 19-25

Week 6: July 26-August 1

Week 7: August 2-8

Week 8: August 9-15

Week 9: August 16-22

Week 10: August 23-29

I am really hoping to be more consistent at blogging about this challenge. Hopefully on a weekly basis?

More to come!