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!

Super Quick Update

Had a quick seconds between lunch and getting the kids down for their nap, so I thought I’d post a quick blog.

Week 1 went pretty good! I didn’t get to exercise as much as I wanted, but it has been an unusually busy month already…I can already tell that finding time to exercise is going to be a challenge over the next few weeks.

We have been eating much healthier – and though the cravings still hit really hard, I am trying to fight them off. So far I’ve lost about 4lbs. Yeehaww!!!

Hopefully I’ll have more time to post later, but for now I just wanted to get a quick update on!

A new year and a new start!

The last few months have been somewhat challenging in terms of maintaining an exercise schedule and eating healthy. I have lacked motivation...and time hasn't been easy to come by either. But I'm ready to start anew!

Here's the damage of my lack of motivation the last few months:

I have put some weight back on. I'll know the extent of it tomorrow
when I do my official weigh-in.

I can't fit into any of my clothes. I dread going to my closet everyday because it's no fun bypassing 99% of the clothes I can't wear because they're a bit too tight.

My energy level is at an all time LOW.

My motivation level is at an all time LOW.

My body (internally and externally) just feels ICK.

The thing is, I DO want to be healthy, I really really do. I feel SO much better when I eat right and exercise. I just wish it wasn't so challenging to maintain a healthier lifestyle (don't we all!)

Setting goals has helped quite a bit in the past, so I'd like to continue implementing goals - long-term and short-term. Here is an overview of what I'm looking at for the next few months:

Healthy Eating:

I do plan on dieting for the next few months. However, I hope to change my eating habits in such a way that I don't have to diet once I get to my goal weight, just maintain. I hope to do this by retraining my body to eat and crave healthy foods and eat in MODERATION (this is a big stumbling block for me.) I am all for having treats here and there...I just need to learn to portion it out correctly.

Some of my food goals are:

Eating more fresh foods

Less snacking

Less sweets

Find more natural foods and eat less processed foods

DRINK MORE WATER (another hard one for me)

The first few weeks I'll be back to my altered South Beach diet plan. I will follow the South Beach rules for snacks, sweets and suppers. Breakfast will probably be a slice or two of toast and Lunch will be granola or something that has a good source of fiber in it.

Exercise:

Time has been one of the biggest enemies to my exercise regimen. I've had quite a few videos to edit the last few months and I do most of my editing during the boys nap time and after they go to bed. This is also when I would do my exercise routine. I struggle to accomplish both. So what I would like to try is getting up earlier...this may be the biggest challenge of all!

For the first month, I want to build back up on the elliptical.

20 minutes 4/5 times a week.

I would also like to do strength training - abs, arms and legs.

So that's the overview! I'll be posting more tomorrow!

Monday!

It all begins again on Monday!

Much much much more to come!

Week 1 Goals

Week 1 Goals:

- Portion control

- Healthy snacks

- More water

- 20 min. elliptical workout 4-5 times this week

- crunches 4-5 times this week

Square One...again

Ugh.

I don’t even know where to begin…but I feel like I’m pretty much back at square one again. Why is it so hard to stay faithful but so easy to fall away? I suppose that’s an age old question not only asked of healthy living, but asked of many other life experiences. So, I acknowledge I let myself fall back to square one…and as much as I’m disappointed with myself, I’m going to try to move past the disappointment as quickly as possible and just get on with trying again.

I feel like my best results have come from preparation, organization and planning. So, I’m taking the remainder of this week and mapping out a workable plan and goals. I will post more details as I figure them out!

More soon!