Physical Fitness never hurt so good!

I've had a pretty rough week of physical fitness. I've done some running, some weight-lifting, some snowboarding.

Right now, I'm sore. My bottom hurts - from falling a lot. My hamstrings are ready to be plucked like a harp. My calf muscle is bruised from being hit by the chair lift at just hte right moment. My back is sore, my neck is sore...I feel the need to just go running....maybe tomorrow.

I got the new sneakers, the I-Pod Nano, some running tights - it's Run FatGirl Run. But let's sleep on it and see how I feel tomorrow.

:)

On Again - Off Again - On .. oh wait - where's the bandwagon?

It has been a bumpy ride as of late. I was doing well for about 2 weeks before I left for vacation. I was counting my calories - consuming around 1550 per day. I was going to the gym at lunchtime. I was headed in the right direction.

Then...

I go home for a week on vacation. I start out right (at least for a day or so). I went to the gym with my sister-in-law, snowboarded for a few hours and ski'd all the next day. Then, the comfort food hit me. S.O.S., mac'n cheese, ribs dripping in BBQ sauce, pasta...it was my belly's heaven - the rest of my body's worst nightmare. By the time I made it back to my own home - I had consumed an insane amount of no-no foods and I was in desperate need of hitting the gym.

Here I am again. I started back to eating the 1550 calorie diet. I have been in the gym everyday so far. I even have started the training for the 10-mile Broad Street Run in May (it's only 10 weeks away!). I don't even want to tell you that my body packed on 6 lbs while I was home - YIKES! Luckily for me, it was a lot of water weight from all the extra sodium and "garbage" I consumed. As much as I can do this on my own - it's difficult to do it away from the home - especially when family is involved!

I have been able to take off 3 of those lbs so far. My hope/goal/dream is to have the other 3 gone by Sunday. Then, we can start the REAL weight-loss.

I am so close to my first landmark goal of 25 lbs loss and with 1 more pound, to be in the 100's. Yet, it seems that goal dances before me, like a sarcastic tease ... nana boobooing me all the way to the scale!

BUT WAIT - my time is coming and it will be here soon!

Vacation VS. THE BIG LOSER!

The BIG LOSER has not been doing as well as planned. I came home with good intentions, but they've gotten me no-where. Today is the first day that I've actually watched everything I ate. It's also the first day I've been away from my parents' home too.

Granted, on the caffeine front, I've drank no coke/pepsi, no coffee. I drank a ton of water and orange juice. I've done a ton of activity, snowboarding and skiing, walking, etc...

I ate a nice helping of Dad's infamous S.O.S., homemade mac'n cheese and ribs, pizza, etc...Not good. But a few bad days will now be overridden by a few good days :)

I have 4 more days at my family's - I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few helpful snacks - nut mixes, yogurt, apples...I'm having asparagus, brown rice and riblets for dinner...lots of water.

I walked the mall for like an hour today with an old friend from college.

So that's where it's at so far. The scale will tell all when I return...until then...

I'm only 5 pounds from "ONE"-der-land...

I'm only 5 pounds away from "ONE"-der-land (stolen from another weight-loss blog). 5 lbs. Wow! And, I'm doing it the right way.

It's a great motivation to keep going. I don't feel the necessity to "reward" myself with some dietary treat (that will only serve to reverse the reason for the reward), but I feel happy. Just genuinely happy. That is reward in itself.

I am headed to NNY this afternoon for a week. I am a bit concerned. Granted, I've been very good about all that I've accomplished these past 2 weeks, but they were easy in the sense that I ate portioned meals out of a can or box. I measured every bowl of cereal or oatmeal. I ate canned organic soup for lunch and every dinner included a Kashi frozen meal. I plan (at the risk of offending my familial hosts) on purchasing my own meals for the week. Without really knowing what they are cooking (and I'm going to my parents house and they can cook some unbelievable rib-sticking type of meals), I can't go unprepared. I've only been at this for a few weeks seriously and I am concerned I wouldn't know a portion size from a pot-hole (much less the caloric content of whatever they are making).

Maybe the 2 lb additional weight-loss will be the added motivation I need to say "no thank you" and to pass on the homemade mac-n-cheese, scalloped potatoes or dad's infamous S.O.S. with boiled potatoes (no way I'm saying no to that - I will indulge but only after a day of skiing with the family).

Most likely I will pass on the blogging over the next 9 days while I'm out of town. If I get an opportunity, I might add an update on how I'm doing, but otherwise...

...See you in 9 days!

A BIG LOSER Contest!

My gym is hosting a BIGGEST LOSER Contest - beginning on 2/16.

I won't be making it out to the gym next week due to the fact that I will be vacationing in Northern New York the entire week.

I got weighed today "officially" by the Ass't Mgr - 209.2 lbs with shoes on!

Whoohoo! So that's where it all starts.

For the next 10 weeks, I will continue to update on my status and progress - just as I am doing now - only more for the purpose of the contest.

Ok - so the game player in me has already wanted to rear it's ugly head. I had considered "bulking" up this week on Chinese buffets, fast food and anything containing sodium - all for the purpose of puttin' on a few pounds. But alas, the righteous side of me said, "EARN IT!" So what if I can gain 5-10 in water weight in just a few days (totally possible for me). I might lose it in one week, but I've gained, or rather lost, nothing in the long run.

There's more to come...

What am I eating?

So maybe you're wondering, "hmm, I wonder what the BIG LOSER eats and still stays around 1500 calories?".

Ok - so you're probably not thinking that, but just for kicks, I'll list yesterdays menu:

FOOD
Instant, Quick, and Regular Oats Cereal, 0.5 cup, dry, yields 148
Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened), 0.25 cup, unthawed 20
Health Valley 14 Garden Vegetable Fat Free Soup, 2 cup 160
Lays Potato Chips, Classic, 1 oz 150
Skinny Cow Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich, 1 serving 140
Black Olives, 1 jumbo 7
Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake, 1 serving 340
Raisins, 1 small box (1.5 oz) 129
Girl Scout Thin Mints, 1 serving 160
Apples, fresh, 1 medium (2-3/4in. dia) (approx 3 per lb) 81
Organic Valley Stringles, 1 oz 90
Organic Probiotic Fat Free Yogurt - Strawberry, 1 serving 90

That makes for a grand total of 1515 calories! So that's how I do it. AS you can see, I don't deny myself those little pleasures (chips, GS cookies). I just count them!

My shortfall though, if you were to dig deeper, is that I need more protein and a few less carbs. I'm working on it. Today, instead of raisins, I am adding a handful of mixed nuts with cranberries. That adds another 7g of protein and reduces carbs by 16g.

In case you're wondering (again I don't expect you to), I have still been going to the gym. Tuesdays and Thursdays are strength-training days. Yesterday, I did a pretty intense strength-training circuit that is leaving me very sore today in my back and upper legs. Today, I am in for some cardio. 20-30 minutes of intense, pulse-racing, sweat-producing, lung capicity increasing, cardio. I should burn close to 300 calories!

I did notice a decrease in the scale today. It was modest, but nonetheless a decrease. I made the change in my ruler above.

Hey, thanks for reading. Maybe you'll find some encouragement in my wordy-words today!

5 days and still counting

I've been tracking my calorie intake now for 5 days. If you don't count Sunday, I've been doing very well.

• 2/5 - 1551
• 2/6 - 1795
• 2/7 - 1540
• 2/8 - 2862
• 2/9 - 1531
• 2/10 - 1500 (estimated)

Ok - so you're wondering what went wrong on Sunday - well, I'll tell you. It was breakfast - almost 1000 calories (2 eggs, 3 turkey sausage, 1 cup of hash brown potatoes and a few silver dollar sized pieces of fried bread dough). It was lunch - Applebee's Nacho Nuevos and a dessert shooter (approximately 1700 calories). Need I say more?!?!

I did notice this though - this online food diary is holding me accountable. I have been rethinking my Sunday habits and see an area that needs work!

So, if anything, 2 days of calories in 1-day has taught me - that's 1-days calories too many! It's also a good visual reminder that I cannot do that. I'm trying to go help myself see the value in being accountable "everyday" - not just during the week. It may be just one day, but one day here and one day there - it adds up!

Dear Diary...

...today, I ate 1,540 calories.

I have been tracking my diet for 3 days now.

Thursday - 1,551
Friday - 1,795
Saturday - 1,540

My goal is to stay around 1,560 calories. I'm sure trying! I'm hoping the effort will get me 1-2 lbs off the scale in a few days. I'm looking for 2 lbs a week. That should be obtainable.

I'll let you know how it goes ...

My new challenge...

So I signed up at sparkpeople.com for my own web-tracking for exercise, diet, weight, etc... I'm still very new to the site, but it's a very cool thing.

I can set weight loss goals and it tells me how many calories to consume. I go in and list out the foods and portions that I ate, it tells me how many calories I've consumed. And, it also tells me how many calories I have left to consume. There is a function where it can set-up your meal plan for the day - if you choose.

I can set-up cardio and strength-training goals. I haven't used that function yet. Can't say much more...

Anyway, this helps with one of my weaknesses, tracking what I eat and being careful about what I eat. In fact, knowing I only had a certain number of calories left for last night, I debated for like 5 minutes on whether to eat blue corn chips with my dinner or have 2 girl scout cookies. I chose the chips - like I said, I like crunchy, salty things. (I saved the GS cookies for today).

Another Big Loser...

So, the Big Loser signed up to be a BIG LOSER at the contest being hosted by my gym. I'm not sure what the rules are, but the contest begins February 16th and runs for 10 weeks.

I like competition. Maybe this will be exactly what I need to get focused. The competitor in me will rise and take over the hunger inside of me for anything salty, crunchy or chocolaty. Plus, I am thinking it will give me a new focus for those 10 weeks.

I was talking with my friend about going in at 5:30 a.m. for an hour of cardio and then hitting the gym again at lunch-time for some strength-training. It's just 10 weeks. It will be a great jump-start for training for the Broad Street Run in May (10-miler). I'll be healthier and hopefully A BIG LOSER!

I'll also put a strong (and I mean STRONG) emphasis on my diet. It's time to make a change. I'm going to become a counter of calories and a journaler of everything I eat. Starting now.

I went over to sparkpeople.com and registered for my own tracking site. I can track my weight loss goals, exercise (calories burned) and the amount of calories I consume on a daily basis. It also helps you set-up the number of calories your need to eat in order to get to your desired weight. I will see if this will help me track my calories (intake) better.

It's February - ALREADY!

It seems that the past month has basically just flown by...I started out sick...went on a 2-week spiritual fast...and now, I'm back in the game!

I have been working out strongly over the past week and a half. I lost 20+ lbs during my time of fasting. I gained 10 of those back, but now I'm losing again. I lost a lb. in the past 2 days.

As it stands now, I have lost 18 official lbs since I started tracking. I have been very diligent about getting my butt in the gym and ensuring that the time spent is well-spent. My gym buddies can vouch for that.

I haven't drank any coffee, coke or diet coke in almost a month now. I'm sleeping around 8-9 hours a night. I go to the gym 4 times a week. I've been watching what I'm eating - most of the time...

Here's the deal - just being honest. I usually will fail. At some point, I'll give in to a craving for some fries or a coke or some chips. And, it's not that I give in just once, it will become a week-long obsession. That's my downfall. I need more consistency in my diet.

So, I'll be brutally honest and say, HELP!


I'm not a big eater. I'm just a bad eater. I eat well most of the time, but it's the some of the time that is hurting me.

I think I'll start a food diary just to hold myself accountable. Maybe that is what's necessary. Keeping track of what I eat and when. Then maybe, just maybe, I can see some sort of trend or pattern that I can work with. I like analyzing numbers, maybe this is a way to analyze my own eating patterns.

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to throw them my way - they will be WELCOMED!