Oh my gosh...you must all be wondering if I fell of of the blog planet!! I promise I am still here AND more importantly I am still losing weight!! I have been absent with my posts because a little thing called life has been happening these past few weeks and has made it difficult for me to find time in the day to sit down and write...but I have been seriously missing it!
So as some of you may know, yesterday was Fat Tuesday!! I don't know about you all but Mardi Gras is my most favorite time of the year (mostly because it always falls around my birthday)!! It is the time of year that you are supposed to feast upon what you desire most before the Lenten season begins!! Although I am not a religious person, I do love the Carnival season and what it means to people!! So normally on Fat Tuesday my husband and I go out with our friends and family and have really great cajun food (really fattening cajun food) and drink hurricanes and beer. So what did we do this year you ask? Well we went out with our friends and family, had really great cajun food (the not so fattening kind) and had some lo-cal beer!! So all in all we still had an amazing time but did not have to eat and drink the things that got us into this position in the first place. This was such a great lesson for me because recently I have been really leery about going out with friends and having a good time without partaking in the eating and drinking. I would literally be so afraid to eat something bad because I was positive that I would gain 2 pounds by just picking up the fork full of not so healthy food. After a lot of discussion with my husband and my trainer, they both assured me that although things in life happen and we as humans do celebrate birthdays, holidays, joys, and all of the other things we find worthy, it won't derail me or kill me to partake in the celebration as long as I am making smart choices!! I am so excited that I do not have to give up these pleasures in life!
So for all of you who have been reading this in anticipation of my new number here it is: As of yesterday I weigh 277.8 pounds!! This puts me only 1 pound shy of my first weight loss goal which was to lose 25 pounds by the end of February...it looks like I will be crushing that number! My weight loss has slowed down to about 2 pounds per week but everyday I do my best at the gym and at home to switch up my diet and exercise routine so that I can keep it up and hopefully speed it up a little more!!
Cheers to all of you who follow me and support me!
Love,
T.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
My belated first post
Teresa's been giving me grief because I haven't made any official posts on our blog, so here it goes. As most of you who know me are already aware, I have been overweight/obese most of my life. I always tried to soften those words with justifications like "I've got a big build" and "I'm pretty tall so that counts for a lot". But, in reality it doesn't count for that much. I've been on diets in the past. Many have worked very well, others not so much. Actually, that's the wrong way to say it because it's not really the diets that didn't work, it was me that didn't work the diet. Frankly, I suspect that is the case for most people who are struggling to lose weight. We think we are on a diet, and that we are doing well, but we are deluding ourselves much of the time. I have been on diets where I have eaten all the right things, but in hindsight, ate far too much of them. We sort of trick ourselves into believing things like a half-quart cereal bowl is a single serving of cereal, or that 140-calorie Nutrigrain bar is a great diet food, so it won't hurt to eat two or three. Or that ranch dressing we ate with our nice, healthy celery sticks really didn't count.
So, this time when Teresa and I decided that we simply could not go another day living the way we had been, I looked around to see what the best way to lose weight was going to be. The problem is that the marketing surrounding the weight loss industry is pretty daunting. Because everyone trying to provide info to you on how to lose weight is trying to make money on providing that info, you have to take a lot of what you see with a grain of salt. Where I finally settled on a reliable source of information was on a website that I frequent quite often called Reddit. Reddit is a community of what basically amount to discussion groups called Subreddits. One of these groups is called "Loseit" (http://www.reddit.com/r/loseit). This group is filled with several kinds of people. Some are people like me trying to lose weight. Some are people who have lost the weight they need to lose and are helping others. Some are people who have spent a lot of time looking into the science of fitness and weight loss. None of them are people that are trying to sell anything. So, I spent some time perusing this Subreddit for info, and learned a few things that I am going to use as my guardrails on this journey I am on with Teresa.
1) Weight loss is only about calories. Doesn't matter if its fat, protein, carbs, whatever. There is certainly a distinction to be made on heart health and the like, but for losing weight, any calorie is simply a calorie no matter it's source. So, while I am keeping mindful of things like fat intake and sugar and sodium, I'm not traking them so rigorously. I am watching my calories first and foremost, and trying to make healthy choices about how to fill those daily caloric needs.
2) It doesn't matter when you get your calories. Some diets say eat 5-6 small meals. Others say 3 a day plus small snacks. Others suggest a variety of other strategies for "maximizing metabolism". When it comes down to it, for weight loss purposes, it doesn't appear to matter when calories are consumed. Weight loss is a long process, and the total calories in less the total calories expended determines ultimate long-term weight loss. So if I need to skip lunch and make up for it with a bigger dinner, it's not going to grind my metabolism to a halt. Now, there are other health reasons why you shouldn't be skipping meals and not balancing out your daily intake, but for weight loss it simply doesn't matter.
3) Weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise. If you don't eat right, you can lose weight by killing yourself working out every day. I wanted to work out, but I didn't want to do it "Big Loser" style and spend all my time working out. So, I am concentrating most of my weight loss effort on my diet, and I am using exercise to improve other areas of my health such as strength, cardiovascular health, and endurance. That I'll lose additional weight because of it is icing on the cake.
4) There is no such thing as a "slow metabolism". I used to joke with people that my skinny friends could eat a cow and not gain an ounce, but if I sniff the back of a bubble-gum wrapper I gain 5 pounds. One of the scientific studies that was discussed recently on /r/loseit was a study that looked at the metabolic rates of a large sample of people. As it turns out, the number of daily calories expended by this wide variety of people each day does not vary much from person-to-person, even among people who characterized themselves as "having a slow metabolism". What comes down to it is that I have spent years justifying being fat because I have a slow metabolism, and I need to stop blaming that phantom excuse.
I'm fat because I thought nothing of coming home and eating half a bag of tortilla chips and salsa in one sitting. I'm fat because I would stop on the way home and get a Super Size Double-Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald's to take home for dinner, and would order an extra "road burger" or an extra order of fries for the ride home. I'm fat because going out for fajitas or other Mexican food includes 2-3 baskets of chips and way too much food on the plate totaling thousands of calories in a sitting. There are thousands of other reasons that I'm fat, but they aren't going to be excuses any more. Teresa and I have decided to spend more of our time on selecting and preparing better, healthier, higher quality food in much smaller quantities than we have in the past. As of this writing we are exactly one month in. When I started, I didn't weight the most I ever have, that was back in the 90's. The most I weighed recently was 449 pounds back in September 2011, when Teresa and I decided to start spending more time at the gym. When we really set our minds to start on a new course in our lives one month ago today (Jan 5th), I weighed 441 pounds. As I write this I haven't weighed in the last week, but my last weigh in was 423 pounds. Teresa says I'm cheating to count my starting weight of 449 last year as my starting point, but I don't think it is, so I'm counting down from 449. My ultimate goal is to get to 250 (that's 199 pounds to lose), then we'll see at that point whether we go any farther. Technically, by most measures I would be overweight unless I was below 215 or so, but I don't know if I even want to get that low, we'll see. At 250 at least I wouldn't be technically obese. I don't have a specific time frame for losing that 199 pounds, as I'd rather set time frames for shorter-term goals. I set out on Jan 5th to be below 400 by the end of March. If I keep progressing at the rate I have been, slow and steady, I will beat that by a few weeks.
Teresa, my love, thanks for being patient with me about not having written this yet. I will be making the time for much more frequent updates. I will also update the blog with a links section to interesting info I find on weight loss. Here's to the future, and to all of you seeing a lot less of me.
Rich
So, this time when Teresa and I decided that we simply could not go another day living the way we had been, I looked around to see what the best way to lose weight was going to be. The problem is that the marketing surrounding the weight loss industry is pretty daunting. Because everyone trying to provide info to you on how to lose weight is trying to make money on providing that info, you have to take a lot of what you see with a grain of salt. Where I finally settled on a reliable source of information was on a website that I frequent quite often called Reddit. Reddit is a community of what basically amount to discussion groups called Subreddits. One of these groups is called "Loseit" (http://www.reddit.com/r/loseit). This group is filled with several kinds of people. Some are people like me trying to lose weight. Some are people who have lost the weight they need to lose and are helping others. Some are people who have spent a lot of time looking into the science of fitness and weight loss. None of them are people that are trying to sell anything. So, I spent some time perusing this Subreddit for info, and learned a few things that I am going to use as my guardrails on this journey I am on with Teresa.
1) Weight loss is only about calories. Doesn't matter if its fat, protein, carbs, whatever. There is certainly a distinction to be made on heart health and the like, but for losing weight, any calorie is simply a calorie no matter it's source. So, while I am keeping mindful of things like fat intake and sugar and sodium, I'm not traking them so rigorously. I am watching my calories first and foremost, and trying to make healthy choices about how to fill those daily caloric needs.
2) It doesn't matter when you get your calories. Some diets say eat 5-6 small meals. Others say 3 a day plus small snacks. Others suggest a variety of other strategies for "maximizing metabolism". When it comes down to it, for weight loss purposes, it doesn't appear to matter when calories are consumed. Weight loss is a long process, and the total calories in less the total calories expended determines ultimate long-term weight loss. So if I need to skip lunch and make up for it with a bigger dinner, it's not going to grind my metabolism to a halt. Now, there are other health reasons why you shouldn't be skipping meals and not balancing out your daily intake, but for weight loss it simply doesn't matter.
3) Weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise. If you don't eat right, you can lose weight by killing yourself working out every day. I wanted to work out, but I didn't want to do it "Big Loser" style and spend all my time working out. So, I am concentrating most of my weight loss effort on my diet, and I am using exercise to improve other areas of my health such as strength, cardiovascular health, and endurance. That I'll lose additional weight because of it is icing on the cake.
4) There is no such thing as a "slow metabolism". I used to joke with people that my skinny friends could eat a cow and not gain an ounce, but if I sniff the back of a bubble-gum wrapper I gain 5 pounds. One of the scientific studies that was discussed recently on /r/loseit was a study that looked at the metabolic rates of a large sample of people. As it turns out, the number of daily calories expended by this wide variety of people each day does not vary much from person-to-person, even among people who characterized themselves as "having a slow metabolism". What comes down to it is that I have spent years justifying being fat because I have a slow metabolism, and I need to stop blaming that phantom excuse.
I'm fat because I thought nothing of coming home and eating half a bag of tortilla chips and salsa in one sitting. I'm fat because I would stop on the way home and get a Super Size Double-Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald's to take home for dinner, and would order an extra "road burger" or an extra order of fries for the ride home. I'm fat because going out for fajitas or other Mexican food includes 2-3 baskets of chips and way too much food on the plate totaling thousands of calories in a sitting. There are thousands of other reasons that I'm fat, but they aren't going to be excuses any more. Teresa and I have decided to spend more of our time on selecting and preparing better, healthier, higher quality food in much smaller quantities than we have in the past. As of this writing we are exactly one month in. When I started, I didn't weight the most I ever have, that was back in the 90's. The most I weighed recently was 449 pounds back in September 2011, when Teresa and I decided to start spending more time at the gym. When we really set our minds to start on a new course in our lives one month ago today (Jan 5th), I weighed 441 pounds. As I write this I haven't weighed in the last week, but my last weigh in was 423 pounds. Teresa says I'm cheating to count my starting weight of 449 last year as my starting point, but I don't think it is, so I'm counting down from 449. My ultimate goal is to get to 250 (that's 199 pounds to lose), then we'll see at that point whether we go any farther. Technically, by most measures I would be overweight unless I was below 215 or so, but I don't know if I even want to get that low, we'll see. At 250 at least I wouldn't be technically obese. I don't have a specific time frame for losing that 199 pounds, as I'd rather set time frames for shorter-term goals. I set out on Jan 5th to be below 400 by the end of March. If I keep progressing at the rate I have been, slow and steady, I will beat that by a few weeks.
Teresa, my love, thanks for being patient with me about not having written this yet. I will be making the time for much more frequent updates. I will also update the blog with a links section to interesting info I find on weight loss. Here's to the future, and to all of you seeing a lot less of me.
Rich
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
A Challenging Day
The alarm went off this morning at 5:00 AM. I didn't even hear it, which isn't unusual since I am not really "in charge" of the alarm, the snooze sets came and went and the next thing I hear is "I am too tired to get up and go to the gym". Much to my surprise, this was not just me talking to myself but my husband making his attempt to forego the 6:00 AM cardio workout that we do on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You see I was actually tired, but really like the early morning cardio sessions because they get me going for the day. But for some reason my urge to just sleep for one more hour took over and my husband won the battle.
When I did get up at 7:00, I knew I really needed to get to the gym or I would immediately regret my decision. For some reason, my motivation level was at a big fat 0!! I mean there are some things going on this week to cause me some stress but I know I need to learn to also use exercise as a stress releaser!! I ate a breakfast sandwich (probably not the best one I could have eaten either), took my hubby to work and started off for the gym. I dilly dallied in the locker room getting changed, took forever getting water and finally made it up to the treadmill. Once I started, I just kept going and got the workout done and didn't even slack either!! I felt really good about accomplishing my workout when I was having such a slow morning and wasn't even motivated to go.
But the challenges didn't stop there, I was struggling with food all day long. At lunch I went to sushi with my mom, although I resisted the urge to get things that were not healthy, I really didn't want to. I wanted to eat something bad. Same with dinner, I had to run to the store to buy some ingredients for the Lentil Vegetable Soup I made, and I stood and stared at a take-n-bake pizza for what seemed like an eternity. In the end, I didn't give in to the urge or temptation but the craving and challenge were ever so present.
I wanted to blog about this today because up until now I have not had these urges and all of my blogs made it seem really easy for me to stay on this diet and exercise regimen. While I have had minimal challenges with craving bad food, this adventure has definitely not been easy and today is just an example of how hard it was for me to make the right decisions. A month ago it would have been really easy for me to just give in and not go to the gym or to that pizza, but I didn't...I stuck to my plan and the reward will be great. This just tells me that I am not only getting physically stronger but I am becoming a stronger woman each and every day and I am proud of that!! As for today, it is done, I am sitting in bed and tomorrow will be better. One day at a time is the only way to live and I constantly remind myself that I am worth everything and I can do whatever I put my mind to.
And last but not least....at the end of week #4....I currently weigh 282 pounds!! Yeah that is 19 pounds!! So no matter what challenges may be in my future, I will face them head on and keep on going and keep achieving all of my weight loss goals!!
See you soon!! Goodnight for now!!
T.
When I did get up at 7:00, I knew I really needed to get to the gym or I would immediately regret my decision. For some reason, my motivation level was at a big fat 0!! I mean there are some things going on this week to cause me some stress but I know I need to learn to also use exercise as a stress releaser!! I ate a breakfast sandwich (probably not the best one I could have eaten either), took my hubby to work and started off for the gym. I dilly dallied in the locker room getting changed, took forever getting water and finally made it up to the treadmill. Once I started, I just kept going and got the workout done and didn't even slack either!! I felt really good about accomplishing my workout when I was having such a slow morning and wasn't even motivated to go.
But the challenges didn't stop there, I was struggling with food all day long. At lunch I went to sushi with my mom, although I resisted the urge to get things that were not healthy, I really didn't want to. I wanted to eat something bad. Same with dinner, I had to run to the store to buy some ingredients for the Lentil Vegetable Soup I made, and I stood and stared at a take-n-bake pizza for what seemed like an eternity. In the end, I didn't give in to the urge or temptation but the craving and challenge were ever so present.
I wanted to blog about this today because up until now I have not had these urges and all of my blogs made it seem really easy for me to stay on this diet and exercise regimen. While I have had minimal challenges with craving bad food, this adventure has definitely not been easy and today is just an example of how hard it was for me to make the right decisions. A month ago it would have been really easy for me to just give in and not go to the gym or to that pizza, but I didn't...I stuck to my plan and the reward will be great. This just tells me that I am not only getting physically stronger but I am becoming a stronger woman each and every day and I am proud of that!! As for today, it is done, I am sitting in bed and tomorrow will be better. One day at a time is the only way to live and I constantly remind myself that I am worth everything and I can do whatever I put my mind to.
And last but not least....at the end of week #4....I currently weigh 282 pounds!! Yeah that is 19 pounds!! So no matter what challenges may be in my future, I will face them head on and keep on going and keep achieving all of my weight loss goals!!
See you soon!! Goodnight for now!!
T.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Another Week Passes
Well here I am, sitting here after another week has passed. I feel that this last week has been a bit of a challenge due to some unforeseen circumstances. I missed a day at the gym and I actually got a little cranky toward the end of the day. I know that life will throw you curves and that some days it may just actually be impossible to make it to the gym, but I had not really thought about how to handle those days. Since I obviously did not handle things correctly by getting cranky and eating a few too many carbs, I needed to sit down and think about how to go about my day if the gym is not a possibility. I have decided that for me, I definitely will need to eat lighter on those days and instead of fretting about not getting to the gym I should just find things around the house in the evening that I can do instead i.e. taking the dogs for a walk, sit-ups, push-ups etc.
I find myself pushing the people close to me to get to the gym more and eat healthier. Even though they do not have to listen to me I feel that at least I am trying to help those I love and that are dear to me, although, I should probably stop that soon before they just plain get annoyed with my unsolicited advice.
So I just threw our dinner in the crockpot...it is another recipe from Skinnyms.com. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it...its only 165 calories per serving!! I plan on having some veggies or a salad with the chicken!
Lemon Basil Chicken
4-8oz chicken breasts (thawed)
4 medium carrots (sliced)
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons)
Put everything in the crockpot with the chicken on top. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
How easy is that recipe?? I am super excited to try it later when my hubby gets home!! Let me know if you like it!
I love my lifestyle change, I have tons of energy and just generally feel better both physically and mentally. I have seen a definite change in my attitude and general zest for life, I am not watching TV as much anymore (except for those shows that I just can't get away from) and I am wanting more than ever to work on things that I am passionate about. First though, I must get my freaking house in order, it's hard to even admit that I had let those little things go because I just did not have the energy to do them, but now that I do I am determined to get it all done! I have not experienced any cravings for junk food or soda at all in fact the only thing I have really been craving is water!! I am still going strong with the gym, as I said before I have only missed one day since I started this.
I know you have all been waiting for this so here it is...since my last blog post I am down to 286.2!!!! It is so amazing, that is 15 pounds in 3 weeks!! Today actually marks Day 1 of Week 4 and I have no intention of stopping now!! I am a force and I am strong!! I know I can do this and I want to lose this weight more than anyone could ever imagine!! Look for more posts soon!! Hope everyone has an amazing day!
Always,
T.
I find myself pushing the people close to me to get to the gym more and eat healthier. Even though they do not have to listen to me I feel that at least I am trying to help those I love and that are dear to me, although, I should probably stop that soon before they just plain get annoyed with my unsolicited advice.
So I just threw our dinner in the crockpot...it is another recipe from Skinnyms.com. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it...its only 165 calories per serving!! I plan on having some veggies or a salad with the chicken!
Lemon Basil Chicken
4-8oz chicken breasts (thawed)
4 medium carrots (sliced)
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons)
Put everything in the crockpot with the chicken on top. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
How easy is that recipe?? I am super excited to try it later when my hubby gets home!! Let me know if you like it!
I love my lifestyle change, I have tons of energy and just generally feel better both physically and mentally. I have seen a definite change in my attitude and general zest for life, I am not watching TV as much anymore (except for those shows that I just can't get away from) and I am wanting more than ever to work on things that I am passionate about. First though, I must get my freaking house in order, it's hard to even admit that I had let those little things go because I just did not have the energy to do them, but now that I do I am determined to get it all done! I have not experienced any cravings for junk food or soda at all in fact the only thing I have really been craving is water!! I am still going strong with the gym, as I said before I have only missed one day since I started this.
I know you have all been waiting for this so here it is...since my last blog post I am down to 286.2!!!! It is so amazing, that is 15 pounds in 3 weeks!! Today actually marks Day 1 of Week 4 and I have no intention of stopping now!! I am a force and I am strong!! I know I can do this and I want to lose this weight more than anyone could ever imagine!! Look for more posts soon!! Hope everyone has an amazing day!
Always,
T.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Week One Details, Dynamic and Diet!!!
So my intent with this blog is to definitely post more than once a week, but I have to tell you this week has been a very exhausting week with the new diet and workout regimen!! So I promise I will get better about posting more as time goes on, I'm sure this overwhelming feeling won't last long will it?
Wow...where to start to catch everyone up!!! Well I think it is best that I do a summary for this week because it will be the simplest way to look at it.
Tuesday, January 3rd, was my first day with the diet!! I have been starting my days out with some whole grain cereal for breakfast, in this case Multi-Grain Cheerios or a nutrient dense smoothie that I make in my awesome new Vitamix, you can find a lot of smoothie recipes on Skinnyms.com. It is important to note that we are not following any particular "diet" we are just vowing to eat healthy meals and make the appropriate choices, but we are tracking all of our calories which is a big pain the ASS but it is a necessary evil since I am trying to stay at 1800 calories per day. I also stopped drinking calories, so the only thing I am drinking is water. I thought this would be very difficult, but honestly I bought some Meyer lemons and put them in my water bottle and I am rather enjoying drinking water, plus the more water I drink, the more water I want. One night I had a meal from Ruby Tuesday's with my mom since my hubby was traveling. Ruby Tuesday has a great light menu, so I had a dish called Chicken Bella, which is grilled chicken with artichoke and mushroom sauce with a salad and grilled green beans. No more than 700 calories for the whole meal!!! I have done very well with the diet and have found that I have not strayed at all nor do I want to eat junk food. I have been really content with what I am eating and have even been ok with thinking about what I should be eating, which if you have read my other post, you know that this is not easy for me. The one recipe I will share for this week is a rice bowl that my husband came up with. It is really good and doesn't cost you a lot of calories!!
1 cup brown rice (cook according to directions)
1 bag asian vegetables or whatever mixed veggies you like (microwave steamer style)
1 chicken breast, grilled and cubed
Mix all of these ingredients together, and drizzle with teriyaki sauce and soy sauce to taste.
Yields: 2 servings
This is a really simple dish and only takes the amount of time it takes to cook the rice and microwave the veggies if you grill the chicken in advance and refrigerate it, then you can warm it up right before. It is filling and tastes really good and is about 550 calories!! I will definitely keep you more up to date with types of food we are eating when we get more creative!!
I also started my workout regimen on Tuesday with a strength training workout that a personal trainer put together for me. I have four different ones so that I can rotate through them. My routine has started to set in and looks a little like this:
Monday-Strength Training
Tuesday-Cardio...I am doing a Couch-to-5k workout that I found an app for on my iPhone
Wednesday-Strength Training
Thursday-Cardio
Friday-Strength Training in the morning
Friday-Yin Yoga at night
Saturday-Cardio
Sunday-Yin Yoga in the morning
So I know this looks like a crazy schedule at the gym and yes it consumes a bit of time, but I am totally committed to losing weight and I want to see results!! I won't lie, these workouts have kicked my ass, but in such a good way, I may be sore but I feel so great afterward. So I have made sure that I can take the time to dedicate to taking care of myself with this lifestyle change. I think that has been one of my biggest excuses, "I don't have enough time" and I really need to conquer this excuse so I am diving in to this workout schedule head first!!
The end of the week drew to a close and it was time for me to weigh in to see what kind of progress I made....and the results are in....my current weight is 293.1!!!! Yeah baby!! I am so excited that I had such a great first week, I know it won't go on like that forever but it was great motivation to push me into the second week!!
You might ask how I stay motivated and committed to this new lifestyle....Well I draw inspiration from different things, I have my motivators just like everyone else like, I want to look good for the summer, we are going to Vegas in June and it would be nice to have lost 50 lbs by then etc etc. The list could go on for days, but my biggest motivator is that my husband and I want to have a family, but with me being so heavy it has been really difficult to get pregnant so I am determined to get this weight off so that we can fulfill our dream of being parents!! I also want to be healthy and lower my risk factors for major health problems. I know this is so corny, but another way I stay motivated is by watching The Biggest Loser. I know it's reality TV but some of the stories from the contestants really inspire me and make me want to work harder! So when I want to quit lifting weights or walk during the jogging segments of my cardio workout, I just think of all of these things and I keep telling myself, "you can do it, you are so much stronger than you think you are Teresa...so pick yourself up and do this"!!
Well, I think that about sums up my week, so I am off for now...I hope you have enjoyed this post and keep coming back for more!! Like I said before I will definitely get better at posting more often!!
See you soon!!
T.
Wow...where to start to catch everyone up!!! Well I think it is best that I do a summary for this week because it will be the simplest way to look at it.
Tuesday, January 3rd, was my first day with the diet!! I have been starting my days out with some whole grain cereal for breakfast, in this case Multi-Grain Cheerios or a nutrient dense smoothie that I make in my awesome new Vitamix, you can find a lot of smoothie recipes on Skinnyms.com. It is important to note that we are not following any particular "diet" we are just vowing to eat healthy meals and make the appropriate choices, but we are tracking all of our calories which is a big pain the ASS but it is a necessary evil since I am trying to stay at 1800 calories per day. I also stopped drinking calories, so the only thing I am drinking is water. I thought this would be very difficult, but honestly I bought some Meyer lemons and put them in my water bottle and I am rather enjoying drinking water, plus the more water I drink, the more water I want. One night I had a meal from Ruby Tuesday's with my mom since my hubby was traveling. Ruby Tuesday has a great light menu, so I had a dish called Chicken Bella, which is grilled chicken with artichoke and mushroom sauce with a salad and grilled green beans. No more than 700 calories for the whole meal!!! I have done very well with the diet and have found that I have not strayed at all nor do I want to eat junk food. I have been really content with what I am eating and have even been ok with thinking about what I should be eating, which if you have read my other post, you know that this is not easy for me. The one recipe I will share for this week is a rice bowl that my husband came up with. It is really good and doesn't cost you a lot of calories!!
1 cup brown rice (cook according to directions)
1 bag asian vegetables or whatever mixed veggies you like (microwave steamer style)
1 chicken breast, grilled and cubed
Mix all of these ingredients together, and drizzle with teriyaki sauce and soy sauce to taste.
Yields: 2 servings
This is a really simple dish and only takes the amount of time it takes to cook the rice and microwave the veggies if you grill the chicken in advance and refrigerate it, then you can warm it up right before. It is filling and tastes really good and is about 550 calories!! I will definitely keep you more up to date with types of food we are eating when we get more creative!!
I also started my workout regimen on Tuesday with a strength training workout that a personal trainer put together for me. I have four different ones so that I can rotate through them. My routine has started to set in and looks a little like this:
Monday-Strength Training
Tuesday-Cardio...I am doing a Couch-to-5k workout that I found an app for on my iPhone
Wednesday-Strength Training
Thursday-Cardio
Friday-Strength Training in the morning
Friday-Yin Yoga at night
Saturday-Cardio
Sunday-Yin Yoga in the morning
So I know this looks like a crazy schedule at the gym and yes it consumes a bit of time, but I am totally committed to losing weight and I want to see results!! I won't lie, these workouts have kicked my ass, but in such a good way, I may be sore but I feel so great afterward. So I have made sure that I can take the time to dedicate to taking care of myself with this lifestyle change. I think that has been one of my biggest excuses, "I don't have enough time" and I really need to conquer this excuse so I am diving in to this workout schedule head first!!
The end of the week drew to a close and it was time for me to weigh in to see what kind of progress I made....and the results are in....my current weight is 293.1!!!! Yeah baby!! I am so excited that I had such a great first week, I know it won't go on like that forever but it was great motivation to push me into the second week!!
You might ask how I stay motivated and committed to this new lifestyle....Well I draw inspiration from different things, I have my motivators just like everyone else like, I want to look good for the summer, we are going to Vegas in June and it would be nice to have lost 50 lbs by then etc etc. The list could go on for days, but my biggest motivator is that my husband and I want to have a family, but with me being so heavy it has been really difficult to get pregnant so I am determined to get this weight off so that we can fulfill our dream of being parents!! I also want to be healthy and lower my risk factors for major health problems. I know this is so corny, but another way I stay motivated is by watching The Biggest Loser. I know it's reality TV but some of the stories from the contestants really inspire me and make me want to work harder! So when I want to quit lifting weights or walk during the jogging segments of my cardio workout, I just think of all of these things and I keep telling myself, "you can do it, you are so much stronger than you think you are Teresa...so pick yourself up and do this"!!
Well, I think that about sums up my week, so I am off for now...I hope you have enjoyed this post and keep coming back for more!! Like I said before I will definitely get better at posting more often!!
See you soon!!
T.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Oatmeal is one of my favorite healthy breakfast foods. Check out this great post at #lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5874708/cook-oatmeal-overnight-in-a-crock-pot-for-a-hot-breakfast-ready-when-you-wake
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Beginning of Our Weight Loss Adventures!!
A few days ago I was sitting in a luxury cabin in Steamboat Springs with my husband and family enjoying some much needed R&R over the holiday break. I was watching the movie Julie/Julia (for those of you who have not seen this movie, the general concept is a true story about a woman who sets out to make all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and create a blog about her project) and had a thought that maybe the reason that Julie was able to complete her project was because she created something that kept her accountable and kept her motivated throughout the project, in this case a blog.
It got me thinking about the new year...my husband and I have been saying for a long time that we need to lose weight (a lot of weight) and have previously tried to start diets, work out on regular basis and all that comes with living a healthy lifestyle, but at some point have made the multiple excuses that people always make to not stick to the regimen. I have always wondered why we could not just make the commitment to live healthier and stick to it. As I was pondering this question I came up with several answers, but I think the answer that matters most is motivation and accountability. I have tried things before that gave me both of these things, i.e. Weight Watchers, dieting with a friend or family member, personal training and countless others, yet it never works for me. Why do these things not work for me you ask? I think if I really had to answer that question truthfully, it would be that I don't like putting limitations in my life and I also don't like one thing to consume my life. So to avoid these things, I just put the dieting and gym regimen out of my mind so I didn't have to always think about the next thing I put in my mouth or the next time I had to get my ass on a treadmill. There was always a reason for me to just keep on eating poorly...I'm on vacation, it's the holidays, it's my birthday, it's the summer, it's the winter, spring, fall etc. But in thinking about all of this, I realized that by not thinking about it and not sticking to it I am in fact putting limitations on my life and letting my weight consume me. This is a very hard pill to swallow for a person who has previously not been willing to see this fact.
So now that the New Year of 2012 is upon us, and without trying to sound trite, my husband and I vow to make not a New Year's Resolution but a New Life Resolution because we all now that this is a lifestyle change not just a diet (and for all of you worried in Colorado Springs, no this does not mean I will be going to church). HaHa!! This brings me to my original movie reference, I told my husband that I was thinking about starting a blog to keep me motivated throughout my weight loss adventure. To my surprise, he had actually been thinking about the same thing (hmmm great minds do think alike) so there you go our blog was born. We are not of the generation of bloggers (in fact, I only had a diary that you had to actually write in when I was a kid) and have no expectations with this blog, no pipe dreams of getting book deals, it's just a way to keep us motivated, accountable and to have a little fun along the way, however, if we do inspire or motivate just one person to follow in our footsteps and make their own life change we would consider ourselves blessed!!
THE DETAILS:
If you want to follow us and our progress I will give you a little info!! Our names are Teresa & Rich and we live in Colorado. My husband is also a contributing author on this blog so he will be posting his own details and such. I am 34 and my starting weight is 301.8 pounds (omg I can't believe I am actually letting everyone in on that fact but I think it will be good for me). We will be posting recipes we try, awesome workouts we do, challenges, successes, and any other bumps and bruises along the way. We have no end date as this is a lifestyle change (I have to keep saying it to get used to it :-)) but I do have some goals I can share with you. My first weight loss goal is to lose 25 lbs by 2/29/12 so that would mean my weight would then be 276.8. My first gym goal is to do my weights circuit (set up by a trainer) 3x per week and cardio 1x per week. I also love to do Yin Yoga so I am going to try to fit that in 2x per week but if I get one class in a week I will be happy. My first food goal is to cut out all soda, extra sugar and fast food. I am also going to try to get the 64 oz of water in my body every day. As you can see my posts will be in pink (my amazing fav color) and my husband will post in either blue or black. We will try to post our "before" pics or find a way to let everyone see our progress.
We look forward to sharing our adventures with everyone!!
It got me thinking about the new year...my husband and I have been saying for a long time that we need to lose weight (a lot of weight) and have previously tried to start diets, work out on regular basis and all that comes with living a healthy lifestyle, but at some point have made the multiple excuses that people always make to not stick to the regimen. I have always wondered why we could not just make the commitment to live healthier and stick to it. As I was pondering this question I came up with several answers, but I think the answer that matters most is motivation and accountability. I have tried things before that gave me both of these things, i.e. Weight Watchers, dieting with a friend or family member, personal training and countless others, yet it never works for me. Why do these things not work for me you ask? I think if I really had to answer that question truthfully, it would be that I don't like putting limitations in my life and I also don't like one thing to consume my life. So to avoid these things, I just put the dieting and gym regimen out of my mind so I didn't have to always think about the next thing I put in my mouth or the next time I had to get my ass on a treadmill. There was always a reason for me to just keep on eating poorly...I'm on vacation, it's the holidays, it's my birthday, it's the summer, it's the winter, spring, fall etc. But in thinking about all of this, I realized that by not thinking about it and not sticking to it I am in fact putting limitations on my life and letting my weight consume me. This is a very hard pill to swallow for a person who has previously not been willing to see this fact.
So now that the New Year of 2012 is upon us, and without trying to sound trite, my husband and I vow to make not a New Year's Resolution but a New Life Resolution because we all now that this is a lifestyle change not just a diet (and for all of you worried in Colorado Springs, no this does not mean I will be going to church). HaHa!! This brings me to my original movie reference, I told my husband that I was thinking about starting a blog to keep me motivated throughout my weight loss adventure. To my surprise, he had actually been thinking about the same thing (hmmm great minds do think alike) so there you go our blog was born. We are not of the generation of bloggers (in fact, I only had a diary that you had to actually write in when I was a kid) and have no expectations with this blog, no pipe dreams of getting book deals, it's just a way to keep us motivated, accountable and to have a little fun along the way, however, if we do inspire or motivate just one person to follow in our footsteps and make their own life change we would consider ourselves blessed!!
THE DETAILS:
If you want to follow us and our progress I will give you a little info!! Our names are Teresa & Rich and we live in Colorado. My husband is also a contributing author on this blog so he will be posting his own details and such. I am 34 and my starting weight is 301.8 pounds (omg I can't believe I am actually letting everyone in on that fact but I think it will be good for me). We will be posting recipes we try, awesome workouts we do, challenges, successes, and any other bumps and bruises along the way. We have no end date as this is a lifestyle change (I have to keep saying it to get used to it :-)) but I do have some goals I can share with you. My first weight loss goal is to lose 25 lbs by 2/29/12 so that would mean my weight would then be 276.8. My first gym goal is to do my weights circuit (set up by a trainer) 3x per week and cardio 1x per week. I also love to do Yin Yoga so I am going to try to fit that in 2x per week but if I get one class in a week I will be happy. My first food goal is to cut out all soda, extra sugar and fast food. I am also going to try to get the 64 oz of water in my body every day. As you can see my posts will be in pink (my amazing fav color) and my husband will post in either blue or black. We will try to post our "before" pics or find a way to let everyone see our progress.
We look forward to sharing our adventures with everyone!!
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