weight loss week 6

We got a real curve ball thrown at us last week; a MAJOR life change. And no i am NOT pregnant!! :) In spite of this and some slip-ups here and there, I still lost 2 lbs! I am so excited that I am on my way to 20lbs. However, workouts were non-existent. I know it probably would have helped reduce my stress level but i just didn't have it in me last week, not with all that is going on. I am just happy that I am keeping up by slowly losing and at least i didn't gain any, which could have easily happened considering the circumstances. I am still really struggling with figuring out that food does not fix things. Although I am obviously doing better by the results I am seeing, I still seem to immediately want to turn to food when things go awry...and this last week was definitely proof of that. Of course, it's hard to find any suitable way to deal with stress when you have 3 small kids to take care of. I normally have a hard time getting in my workout time, and then when life hands you a heap of crap to deal with...well things just get even more complicated. Let's just say, working out wasn't even on the back burner last week, i think it got pushed off the stove and fell onto the floor. I am not giving up on working out, but now I really need to start over and just even take a walk a few days this week. My mom always told me that life is 1 step forward and 2 steps back. She is one wise woman.

weight loss week 5

I went down another 2 lbs this week which puts me almost at 15lbs!! I am enjoying many of my old clothes fitting me again. Really, I can't wait until i can go on a little shopping spree, maybe when i hit the 25lbs mark. Then I will need new clothes for sure. I have actually been wearing a pair of Josh's jeans since mine are too saggy. I really like men's jeans, at least this pair. They are slim fit and really squeeze my hips in!!

I have to admit I have been straying a little from my diet. I don't think it's a big deal, per se, but if i want to keep losing weight at a good rate, i have to get back on track. Plus, i just feel a whole lot better when i eat well all day and every day. I haven't done anything extreme by any means, the worst was probably Super Bowl Sunday when i had a few snacks (but skipped the dinner). So at least I didn't go completely overboard or anything. But now with the holidays and football season out of the way and with spring looming just around the corner, I am ready to step it up a notch.

Working out has been a real challenge lately. Yesterday, I had an eye doctor appointment after Josh got home from work and it just totally threw off our whole schedule! We usually eat dinner really early, then workout, take showers, clean up the house, play with the kids, help ethan with homework, do baths/showers with the kids as necessary, bedtime snack and playtime/downtime and then put them to bed. We did not get to eat early as we like to, since i had my appointment, plus i had to stop at the store after my appointment which already took long enough. By the time we ate, cleaned up the mess, helped e with homework and got the kids settled i was way too tired and it was too late for me to work out. And starting tomorrow, Josh has a Wednesday evening class at UW-Waukesha from 6pm-9pm, so Wednesdays are totally out for workouts all together! This spring and summer are already gearing up to be VERY busy with all the kids birthday within a month of each other, our Florida trip, Josh's class, lots of annual appointments with dentists/doctors, Ethan's baseball, 2 weddings, showers (baby and wedding) WHEW! Adjustments will definitely need to be made to accomodate our workouts. Well, at least we can look forward to getting outside and running or just playing out with the kids for exercise Hurry up spring!!!!

We are really bored with our dinners still. We have run out of steam on the chicken and vegetable curry dishes and we NEED to find some new recipes and flavors. I really believe keeping healthy eating interesting and fun is super important to the success of eating well. I have been looking in some food magazines but i just don't see anything that looks good and healthy. I have found some interesting soup recipes and Josh really wants to try an Italian wedding soup so maybe we'll go that route for awhile! Another reason i can't wait for spring...so we can start using the grill again!! Need change NOW! :)

Weight Loss Week 4

In the mess of last week of me being sick AGAIN with a nasty respiratory virus and the kids getting over their ear infections i somehow managed to lose 2 lbs! Yay! Eating was fine, not as strict as I was the first 2 or 3 weeks but workouts sucked since a person can't run much when her lungs are on fire.

I have been getting back to running this week and then dealing with hacking up a lung afterwards :) Not much to report for week 4. Except we did make the "tilapia" tacos minus the tilapia. Since we had so many chicken breasts we substituted that for the fish. But it wasn't as good as i thought it would be. In fact, I don't think i would even make it again. The avocado was over ripe and it didn't go well with the black beans. It was like too much mushy stuff or something.

Hopefully I will get back on track with working out this week, as I did have two pretty good runs already.

Catching Up

I had another bummer week as far as workouts are concerned. I came down with some weird cough thing a couple of days ago and had the achy fatigue thing going on again! So last night i forced myself to just walk moderately on the treadmill for about 25 minutes and do some stretching. So much for kicking up the workout this week, that just did not happen. Oh well, i guess i have to make exceptions when they are necessary. I think i have a mild cold and i am feeling much better today. Also, my energy seems to be coming back so tonight's workout should at least be a jog/run.

Recipe Success

Well, we were in a pretty boring rut as far as lunches and dinners are concerned, and then i scored a Sendik's magazine from my mom's house today that has some really wonderful recipes in it. Tilapia Tacos with black beans and avocado and Turkey Lettuce wraps with peanut sauce and chili garlic sauce are just the tip of the iceberg! I also scanned over some great asparagus recipes, which i have been wanting to get into lately. I love asparagus, but it has to be cooked to perfection or it can be really nasty. I am really looking forward to trying these new recipes and I will post the results.

3 Foods You Must Learn to Love

Egg Whites

One of my main staples are egg whites. I love them cooked and topped with a spicy salsa. I eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I know some people gag at the thought of eating an egg white, but they are low calorie, high protein and a true "super food". Light, yet filling at the same time. And topped with anything you want, they make the perfect meal.

Mushrooms

There are so many wonderful varieties of mushrooms out there, from regular old white mushrooms, to portobellas and they are another one of my top foods. They are chocked full of vitamins and water so you feel full yet they are so light you don't ever feel stuffed or tired. Many people use them as a substitute for meat. I can't wait to get the grill fired up this spring so we can start grilling them, yum!

Fish

And NOT fried! A great fish is essential for eating healthy. I personally love tilapia fillets. It doesn't taste "fishy", it isn't very expensive and there are so many thing to do with fish. Anything you can do with chicken from salads to tacos!

Keeping the Motivation Going By Watching tv??

I am addicted to watching weight loss shows. Surprisingly, not "The Biggest Loser". There is a show on A&E called "Heavy" that follows 2 morbidly obese people as they are sent to a treatment facility for one month to pair up with nutrition experts, a trainer, doctors etc.. to learn how to workout and eat healthy. It is amazing! But the real inspiration is watching the trainers work with these people. It's rare that you see people who care so much about the happiness of other's. And the trainers not only help the client's workout, but also act as therapists, mentors, and friends. It gets me close to tears every time. Definitely worth watching, I guarantee you'll feel motivated after seeing this show.

Weight Loss Week 3

This week's weight loss total...1 lb! :( I blame it on the pms, haha! Somewhat disappointing after losing so much in the first 2 weeks but i know it has to even out at some point. Oh well, at least i didn't gain or maintain, i still lost a pound.

Running was awesome last night, my stamina is WAY up. I ran hard and it felt good. The dizziness told me it was time to stop running, lol! Maybe i pushed it a little too hard. But i still didn't do anything to really push it to the next level. Maybe i will try to do the OnDemand stuff this week since i obviously couldn't do it last??

It's a winner!
I've been thinking hard on new dinner ideas as we have been in a rut. One of our favorite meals that Josh makes are his cilantro lime chicken tacos; they are awesome. So to make it healthy, he made it into more of a salad. Instead of using a shell, he put shredded lettuce as a base and topped it with the yummy chicken, finely diced onion and tomato and then we added salsa and taco sauce at the end as a "dressing" It was SO good and i highly recommend this one. We took out the calories of the taco shells, sour cream, and shredded cheese. I also had planned a small side of black beans and corn which we forgot to do so maybe we can do that tonight as a main dish.

Week 4 goals
I NEED to add something to my workout this week!
Bring my weight loss up to 2-3 lbs this week.
Start a recipe log of our new healthy recipes. That way i won't get lost trying to think of stuff.

A Week of Ups and Downs

Wow, this week was a major challenge. Definitely a week full of ups and downs and a major test of how i am REALLY doing with this whole healthy eating thing! First I want to start with the "downs", that way i can end on a high note, lol (maybe :/) Well, there's nothing like having 2 kids ages 2 and under with double ear infections to put a little damper on one's exercise efforts! Talk about "hell week"! I did get in a really good run including some light "boxing" on Monday. Tuesday, going with my "amp it up every week" mantra, I did about 20 minutes of OnDemand workout stuff that was really intense. Aaaannnd then it went downhill from there. I was up all night Tuesday night... and Wednesday... and Thursday with sick babies. Not that I am complaining or like this is some new thing to me. I anticipate it, but it still sucks when things are going good and I am in a good routine. But it happens; it's life. I've learned how to roll with it. I still did really good with my eating, but then I started to feel a little under-the-weather myself. I knew this week was pms week and i was already nervous about weight gain/water retention, etc... But by Friday I was chilled and achy all over and super nauseous. I actually did try to run and I got about 20 minutes of really pathetic jog/walking in until i realized i needed to rest. All weekend I felt like awful with body aches, chills, and feeling like i was gonna barf.

However, I still have to give myself a little encouragement because i really stayed on my game with my eating. On Saturday night we ordered Chinese, and I got some steamed chicken and veggies with garlic sauce on the side. Not awesome, but good enough to satisfy a little craving. And SO much better than the usual General Tso's chicken with rice and egg rolls! Today, even with the Packer game, i only had a little snack and very small dinner and not even a drop of alcohol. I think i am starting to realize how much i shrunk my stomach! My appetite is about 1/3 what is was 2 weeks ago.

On another positive note, I have really begun to see the results of my daily workouts. My legs are amazingly stronger than when i began and my stamina for running is WAY up. I know i could easily do a good hour of working out with 30min of running and 30 min of other random cardio activities and stretching, but time management stands in my way on that one. Working out is just a small speck on the timeline of my evening which also includes dinner, watching kids so josh can run also, homework, bath time, play time, snack time, bedtime routines and activities, etc...

I am SO glad this week is over and i usually dread Sundays. But i welcomed it today, as this coming week has to be better than last! But for 14 days at this, I am damn proud of what i have accomplished. I foresee buying a new pair of jeans in another week or two as a reward! :)

Lesson Learned!

You know those people that say you can eat like crap and lose weight at the same time? Only if you just eat small portions of it? I used to be one of those people. But I have had a very important realization about this subject. Sure, I think a person treat him or her self to a burger or ice cream once in awhile, but the truth of the matter is, you are what you eat. I have never felt better in my life than right now. Now that I am putting the right food in my body, I feel so energetic and renewed. Sure, I could eat a happy meal every day and still lose weight if i only eat that and something healthy later, but i am going to feel like crap after I eat that meal. I will be lethargic and I will have a stomach ache. I know from many past happy meals! :) Happy meal doesn't make you feel so happy. Maybe it should be called Makes-you-feel-good-while-you're-eating-it-and-really-crappy-for-the-rest-of-the-day Meal!!? Plus, with all the junk in that food, a person's body doesn't want to process it (or know how to properly) so it sits in your intestines for days. Gross! I look at it this way; I've had 30 years to eat whatever I want and enjoy all the yummy junk food in the world. Now it's time for me to be healthy and feel good! So when I am tempted to pick up something bad and eat it, i just think...ok, i've had this before, I know it tastes good but what is it going to do for me??? Until this becomes pure habit, I need to rationalize and reason with myself about these things! ;) I feel so free in knowing that I control what i put in my body and the food is no longer controlling me. That is a huge goal for me and I am so thrilled to be achieving it.

Ampin' it up!

This morning I checked out some of my options on the OnDemand exercise channel. I've been interested in kick boxing and they happen to have a kick boxing option. It was INTENSE! Maybe not for your average in shape person but it is for me. I did about 10min of that and then i checked out a dance workout option. That was really fun! I suck at learning choreography, but it was really fun to try and do something different. I think I will go between the two this week.