Round 1 Results

Ok, so I am like a week late on this. Work has been a bit crazy and I haven't had a lot of time in the evenings lately to hop online.

but... drum roll please....

RESULTS:
Weight: -6.8 lbs
pants size: down about 1 size
neck: -3/4 in
chest: -1/2 in
waist: - 1 1/4 in
hips: - 2 in
r thigh: - 1/4 in
l thigh: same
r arm: - 3/4 in
l arm: same

So, I didn't quite hit my goal of down 10 lbs, but I am still pretty darn happy with the results. For 3 weeks, I am actually really impressed with the number of inches lose. I can't believe I lost 2 full inches off of my hips. It was also kind of surprising I lost 3/4 of an inch off my neck, perhaps it's a measuring inaccuracy, but I kind of doubt it.

This next round, I am going to make it a mini goal to not weigh or measure myself for the full 21 days. I think I am becoming a bit obsessive about it and it will be a good test of will power and a (hopefully) fun surprise at the end. I am also going to ramp up the upper body training a bit too, move up from the 3lb set of weights to the 5lb set. Here's to round 2! :)

Day 17 and (mini) non scale victories :)

Well, the scale has become frustrating. I am still down probably 4-5 lbs, but it keeps fluctuating. I know I just need to step away from the scale and only weigh myself once every week or two, but I just can't help it.

But! I have noticed a few other little things.

1. I have lost at least an inch off of my hips and waist. I checked it with the tape measure and it's going down. :) I have noticed my pants fit just a little bit better. I can get my old 18's on- they are very, very tight, but they can come on! And, one of my favorite light, summer-y blouses fits better. It is supposed to be loose and flow-y, but it used to be taught around my hips. I noticed when I wore it today, it was just the slightest bit more comfortable and had a bit more wiggle room.

2. I feel just a tiny bit stronger. I notice when I stand up or go up the stairs, my legs feel a bit stronger. It's almost like I have a bit extra spring in my step. Maybe I am just pushing myself a little bit harder, but the workouts seem to be just a tad easier as well. I think I can do a few more reps and do slightly better form.

3. I don't really get the debilitating sugar cravings I used to. I get slightly hungry, but I don't feel as though I'm going to die without sugary foods. It's easier to walk by the pastries at the grocery store and just drive past the fast food placed.

Getting tired of boring chicken breasts....

(Lucky) Day 13!

... and going strong. I feel like it is still going well. I have had a couple of 'treats'. We ate out at a breakfast place for a work meeting and I splurged on eggs, hash browns, and a few bites from sausage and gravy. I just counted it as my blue container, all of my carbs, and a protein. Then I ate a couple of apples and carrot sticks throughout the rest of the day with a large salad for dinner. I hope I don't retain a bunch of water from all of the salt. Maybe I will just skip the scale tomorrow and let it level out a little bit. :)

I have also been going on walks with a girl from the office. We have gone at least 3 times this week and it has been nice. We are probably taking much longer than a 15 minute break, but it all evens out in the end. I have been getting a lot of steps in- around 10,000 - which is rare for me.

I have also been drinking some apple cider vinegar 'tea' with a dab of honey and lemon. It's actually really good. It tastes a bit like a kombucha tea. It's a little tart, zing-y and leaves an oddly clean taste afterwards. There are supposed to be a bunch of great health benefits from it, but I honestly just like it.

You should check it out too- this is the one I like.
http://www.bragg.com/

One week down! (Day 7)

I can't believe it has already been one week! I feel like I have stayed on plan pretty darn well. I have noticed the last few days, I have had a really hard time getting all of the food in. I need to focus this week on getting all of my veggies in. I have really enjoyed my morning fruit and yogurt snack. I have been trying to get the carbs (fruit and starches) in earlier in the day and then by the evening, I am just not hungry enough to get in all of the protein and veggies. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I know I need to switch it up.

The workout today was actually really nice. The yoga was fairly easy and after a long week, it was much needed. I am glad I started my week on Saturday. I always feel more motivated on the weekends. I put more energy into food prep and ensuring I get the workouts done early. By the end of the week, I am just ... blah. So that worked out well.

There has been this weird issue with the last two workouts. The DVD just randomly skips and I lose several minutes. Yesterday, I easily spent 10-15 minutes pausing it, restarting the system and fast-forwarding just to get all of the moves in. That was frustrating. I did a live chat with Beach Body and they are sending me a replacement disk. They had pretty good customer service. :) So hopefully that will come by next weekend when I get to those workouts again.

Here's to week 2! :)

What I Hate About Being Fat

As I've been coming to realization of how much I need to change my habits, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what I want to be different.  It's a lot of work carrying around an extra 70-80 pounds. And honestly, I can't believe I am sharing some of this, but I don't feel like I can move forward in a positive way unless I acknowledge it. So here goes nothing.

1. Having my knees, back and joints pop constantly. Literally every time I walk, get out of bed, or sit in a position for too long, they pop.

2. Being winded. It’s embarrassing how often I am out of breath. It feels like more often than not. Even just laying in bed, I need to breathe through my mouth. I sometimes try to hide it by walking away or making background sounds (like running the dryer or faucet). I mean, seriously, who does that?

3. Feeling hungry pretty much all of the time and sugar cravings. Even after eating a large meal, 20 minutes later, I crave something sweet. It's a never-ending battle.

4. Having rolls. It’s so disgusting. My back under my bra. My arms. My hips are the worst. I am uncomfortable. All. The. Time.

5. Being uncoordinated. See #3. But not just due to poorly fit, despite the spandex, clothes. Everything jiggles around. I feel like I am always stomping. Even walking I feel self conscious about. I perpetually feel like Godzilla tumbling through narrow streets. I am terrified to go into store aisles with lots of glass.

6. Feeling a twinge of pain every time I walk by my reflection.

7. Feeling the need to cover myself up constantly while having a wardrobe full of clothes and only about 10-20% fit. I have so many sizes from fluctuating up and down over the years. And, I'm back in my biggest sizes.  I utterly hate shopping in the plus size section at the store. Even the cutest clothes feel frumpy and unflattering.

8. Acne. I am constantly breaking out it seems. I suppose it could be due to my moisturizer or makeup, but I am 99% confident it is my diet and lifestyle.

9. Chairs are my natural enemy. I always get a sinking feeling when I go to a movie theater, restaurant, or work training for the first time. I never know if the arms of the chair are going to cut into my sides for the next 2, 4 or 8 hours. Folding chairs and bar stools make me wonder if they are even able to support me. Having a chair collapse under me in a crowded room is one of my greatest fears.

10. My long-term health. This is probably the biggest one for me. I don't want to have to wonder if I am slowly killing myself by poor choices. I shouldn't have to worry about developing early-onset diabetes, a heart attack at the age of 30, or who knows what else.

Day 4

Well, I just finished the Pilates workout and my abs are on fire. I think today went really well. It was my first true test with going back to work, in my normal routine with lots of bad habits to break. I packed my little lunch bag, made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make any side stops at McDonald's or the gas station to snag a quick danish, and followed through. It was really hard for some reason. The worst part was when I was trying so hard to stay on plan and I went to the lunch room in the basement to heat my brown rice and chicken. I was sitting there, eating and I realized I was just staring at the vending machine, thinking anything in there tasted better than what I was eating. I'm going to have to hide all of my change and loose dollar bills for weak moments.

I did get a LOT of walking in today. One of the girls at work asked me if I wanted to go on a walk during a morning break and I went with her. It was so nice to get out of the office and chat- she is so nice. The weather was lovely too- it was cloudy and cool, perfect for working up just a little bit of a sweat while still going back to work. I think we were gone for a lot longer than the 15 minutes though. Oops. We walked over 2 miles! All in all, I walked over 10,000 steps today according to my Fitbit! I haven't done that in quite some time. (Sad, I know.)

I think that is part of the reason Pilates was so hard tonight. My form was probably terrible and I felt like I was just sort of going through the motions on a lot of it. But, I did it! As much as I wanted to justify just saying 'screw it' tonight, I didn't. So yay!

Organization ideas

Shout out to this fabulous blog with free printables!

http://mycrazygoodlife.com/21-day-fix-printable-toolkit/

Day 3

Day 3 is coming to an end and I feel pretty good. I have to admit, I was having a bit of a rough time yesterday afternoon. I started craving sweets and I normally would have binged on some toast and jelly or cereal. But, I powered through it and it passed in about an hour or so.

Today, I got all of my veggies in. Yay! That is quite a feat for me. I have 1 1/2 proteins left and 1/2 of a starch. I think tomorrow will be the real test when I go back to work. I prepped all of my food to take to the office with me and I got a nice new lunch bag which I am really excited about.

The pattern is so fun and it holds A LOT of stuff. And, it's made to be put in the freezer with built-in ice packs. We will see if it really keeps things cold for 10 hours. I have my doubts, but tomorrow will be the test.

The workout today was pretty intense. I think I was pretty sore from the other two days. I woke up and my legs and abs were on fire. I was afraid lower body today would be too much. I probably didn't go as deep into the lunges or squats as I should have, but I really did my best. I was sweating like crazy by the end.

Cooking for the week!

Getting ready for the week.

I made a giant batch of crockpot chicken that is cooking as I type. I have some lemon slices, paprika, garlic, and some Italian seasoning in there. I am hoping it will get me at least 5-6 servings of protein. I got a great deal when I went to Fred Meyer the other day- 4lbs for $6.99. I need to go back and stock up on some more.

 

Salad dressing! I have never made my own dressing before, it was incredibly easy! Some oil, vinegar, and seasonings. I put some spicy mustard in this one for a bit of a kick. 

 

I cleaned, chopped and measured a bunch of handy snack bags. I got grapes, apples, carrots and celery. 

 

 

How Sugar Affects Your Body

Love these little diagrams with bits of info!

Days 1 & 2

So far, so good! Yesterday went pretty well. I made my meal/snack plan the night before and stuck with it for the most part. I was short 2 veggies and 1 protein serving. It got to be late and I just wasn't hungry. I will try to get all of my veggies in today and skip on something else if I need to (maybe fruit) today.

I have been eating every 2-3 hours and it feels so weird. If I can lose weight on this diet and eat easily 4x the volume of food I was before, that is amazing. I have to admit, when I first got those containers, they looked so small. I was afraid I was going to be hungry all of the time. But when you are having 6 cups of veggies per day, it really fills you up. I'm having a hard time getting all of the water in too. I drank a little over 50 oz yesterday, but I need to drink at least a gallon (124 oz).

I did my workout early this morning and got it out of the way as well. Yesterday was the Full Body Cardio workout and it was brutal. I could probably only do about half of the workouts for the full set. I have a really hard time with pushups and crunches. Today was the Upper Body Workout and it was a bit easier - except for the pushups and planks. Those were rough. I feel pretty good. My legs are a bit achy and my abs are pretty sore. But 30 minutes is much more realistic for me than some of the P90X videos at 70+ minutes, or an hour and a half of a walking DVD.

This afternoon, I am working on building a good recipe collection and making some sample meal plans. I don't want to get burned out on salads and chicken breasts.

Carry-Along Journal

Check out the journal I made:

I got this adorable 5x8 mini binder from Amazon for $10. It came in yesterday too, the same day I got my Beach Body box. It was a good day.

On my way to the grocery store, I stopped by Office Max and asked them to take apart the binding on the booklet. (A neat idea I got off Pinterest.) They didn't even charge me! I hole-punched it and put it in my binder for easier access.

I also got some paper and sheet protectors that would fit in the binder from Amazon. I think all-in-all, it was about $15 for the binder and accessories. While I was at Office Max, I made some photo copies of the tracking sheets. (It worked out really well, the binder holds just a normal sheet of paper folded in half so I didn't need to cut them down to size or anything.)






Then, I just used a wet-erase marker to keep track of my week. Remember the good-ol' days with the overhead projectors the teachers wrote on with the marker and then would use their spit on some Kleenex to erase? One of those markers! I was afraid a dry-erase would come off too easily. (Another idea off of Pinterest!)

Then in the back, I have my measurements, workout schedule and paper to plan my meals and create shopping lists.

Now I can just stick this in my purse and have it with me all of the time. :D

It Finally Came!

Yay! Although I have to admit, I did cheat a bit. I managed to find a pdf version of the booklet online and went to the grocery store today. I printed off meal plans and shopping lists. I loaded up on fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts and whole grains.

I also went to the office supply store and made myself a nifty little binder. (Maybe I will post some pictures tomorrow!). I feel ready to get this party started tomorrow, no looking back! :)

Gettin' Healthy!

So I am back at my highest weight again. Stress, a desk job, poor eating habits and little-to-no exercise has taken its toll. I am turning the big 3-0 in about 4 months and I want to be healthier when I get there. I am tired of being uncomfortable, grumpy, and fatigued all the time.

Recently, through a program at work, I did Weight Watchers. And, I know it works for a lot of people, but it just simply did not work for me.  I tried it for about 5-6 months and I probably lost 5ish pounds and just felt like I was being punished all of the time. I can't explain it. I like the accountability of the weigh-in, but the points system itself wasn't effective for me. I sort of gave it up because I just was not seeing positive results and went into a sort of binge-eating depression. Not something I'm terribly proud of, but I've been developing some pretty terrible eating habits in the process. Latte in the morning, perhaps a chocolate croissant, cheeseburger or a burrito for lunch and pizza or some, equally awful processed food for dinner. Throw in some diet sodas and periodic snacks of candy bars or chips and it was a ticking time bomb for disaster. I know what my issue is. Sugar. It always has been and I am sure it is something I will probably always struggle with. I'm coming to terms with that.

On Saturday, I got sucked into an infomercial (I know, I know…) and, after doing some research, I took a plunge and ordered the 21 Day Fix program from BeachBody and am very excited!

I don’t like the name of the program; I’m not looking for a ‘quick fix’, but I really like the premise of the whole thing. Portion control, forcing myself to eat fruits/veggies, eating clean, short(ish) 30 minute workouts, and prepping/planning meals. And, I can do anything for 21 days. Even if I take a week ‘off’ between rounds, I am very optimistic this will be a good fit for me. Over the years, I have fluctuated a lot. I have tried a lot of programs and I know what works for me: lower carbs, more fresh foods, and planning, planning, planning. I think this will give me all of those great things.

Mini Goals:
* First 21-day round: lose 10 lbs. (I know that seems like a lot, but I know it will mostly be water weight.) By mid-June
* Second round: lose 6 lbs. By mid-July
* Lose a total of 40 lbs by my birthday
* Lose a total of 65 lbs by the end of the year

Goals:
* Lose a grand total of 75 lbs
* Wear a size 8
* Lose 10″ off my hips and waist
* Have healthy, glowing skin :)
* Have energy
* Walk/jog a mile in under 12 minutes
* Embrace a healthy diet: Eat clean and healthy 90% of the time, treats 10% of the time (right now, it’s probably the other way around…)

I have done a lot of damage to my body, I am sure, and I have a long way to go. I would like to keep this blog going as a way to hold my self accountable, share ideas, and hopefully one day inspire other people that if I can get healthy, they can too.