Run Run Run

Run: 35 minutes 3.0 miles
Total (with cool down): 40 minutes 3.30miles


Feels good.

Healthy Wishes,
Alex

Week 1 Weigh In

It is the moment of truth. My goal is 2 lbs a week. Starting weight was 180.7. After week one, I weigh.............

I LOST 4.6 LBS! I am so proud of myself. I did not start some crazy diet or start exercising like a mad woman. I simply made a few, very attainable, goals for the week & I lost more than my goal! I ate Cafe Rio & had brownies and ice cream one day. It was all about moderation & balance. I feel because I did not go 'cold turkey' on anything (besides Diet Coke), I was satisfied eating smaller amounts. I also listened to my body. When my body was full, I stopped. Easy Schmeezy!

So, onto week 2. New week, new goals. I think I did pretty good last week so I will add on to those goals:

Drink 4.5 liters of H20 Daily (I added a half a liter to last weeks goal).

No eating after 6:30pm. (I did great with this & I feel a difference!)

Allowed 2 Diet Cokes this week! (I didn't drink any last week & feel the craving)

Do 35 minutes of cardio excercise, minimum, each day but Sunday (I added 5 minutes to last weeks goal).

Do 15 minutes of weight (non cardio) 3x this week.

Eat breakfast daily but not just oatmeal (I did good last week but need to switch it up so I don't get bored).

Eat under 1500 calories daily.

Write down EVERYTHING you eat (I didn't do so well at this last week but it does help).

Only eat sweets 2x this week (I did good on portion sizes last week but need to kick this sugar addiction).

Taking it week by week is so much better than setting goals for the year. I am able to switch it up, give in to a few cravings, learn how to listen to my body & make a lifestyle change. So, wish me luck! I feel motivated and amped for the week so here we go!

Healthy Wishes,

Alex

It's not you. It's me.

Sunday morning... I just at my 180 calories of Oatmeal & had a coffee in which I decided to 'treat' myself by adding cream & sugar (I normally drink it black), watching the Food Network Channel thinking about....food. What will I make for lunch & dinner? Should I go marinate something right now? Should I go to the grocery store? Food this, food that.

No wonder our country is in an obesity epidemic; our busy lives our controlled by food. Think about it: On a daily basis, our schedules our all about food. Eating or planning breakfast, lunch breaks at work, snacks through out the day, planning, making & cleaning up dinner. Do you eat out? Do you stay in & cook?

Special events in your life? Graduations, birthdays, weddings, funerals... food, food, food.

Comfort? Ever turn to a big bowl of ice cream when you had a bad day?

Rewards: You had a good day & ate healthy so you reward yourself with a big ol' brownie or Diet Coke?

Diets: Everyone has tried at least one diet out there, right? I bet most have tried a detox. Diet pills, diet shots, diet drinks.

Holidays: Valentines Day=Sugar Cookies. Easter=Cadbury Eggs. 4th of July= BBQs. Halloween=Candy. Thanksgiving= Duh. The ENTIRE month of December, no matter what you celebrate=Family Dinners, huge buckets of flavored popcorn, red & green M&Ms, Peppermint Bark, ect, ect, ect, ect....

Food is everywhere!!!! Could you imagine if we lived in the days where you had to hunt for all you food or gather all your greens? Could you imagine eating so damn much?

As I make create a healthier lifestyle, I think it is imperative I analyze my relationship with food. It is important to listen to your body. Our bodies are so amazing! They tell us what we need & want, when to go & when to stop. We just need to listen.

I have created bad habits so I need to re-train myself to listen to my instinctive ques.

Here is to a new relationship with nutrition & me controlling my world.

Old eating habits: It's not you, it's me.

Healthy Wishes,

Alex

Here is a recap on day 2 & 3

Day 2
I am going to drink 4 Liters of H20 a day. CHECK!
I am not going to drink any soda! Zip. Nada. CHECK!
I will not eat after 6:30PM. (Late night eating is REALLY hard for me to avoid) CHECK!
I will write down everything I eat & do my best to count the calories. (under 1500) CHECK!
I will eat breakfast everyday. CHECK!
I will do 30 minutes (minimum) of exercise a day. CHECK!

Recap on Day 3. {Didn't go so well}
I am going to drink 4 Liters of H20 a day. CHECK!
I am not going to drink any soda! Zip. Nada. CHECK!
I will not eat after 6:30PM. Kinda CHECK! Ok, it was 7:30PM tonight.
I will write down everything I eat & do my best to count the calories. (under 1500) ummmm...
I will eat breakfast everyday. CHECK!
I will do 30 minutes (minimum) of exercise a day. no check. :(

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I had a hard time getting up & going, thus being late to work & not packing food or gym clothes. My diet was not the best. Oatmeal for breakfast. I went out to lunch with co-workers & got a BBQ Chicken Pizza. Veggie burger, peas & a small side of pasta for dinner. But here is the kicker... I made sugar cookies with my daughter tonight & did eat a cookie (or two) and a little bit of the batter. I am not gonna lie, if I wasn't being so conscious about my food intake, I would have ate way more cookies. So, I still feel I have improved but I have so far to go. I was super proud of myself for not getting a Diet Coke at lunch & I have been drinking so much water! Because I was late to work, I had to stay late, which meant I did not have time to stop at the gym before I got my daughter. I definitely felt way more accomplished the past 2 days that I put in a little workoutn so I want to remember this feeling so I can avoid it. Just 30 minutes of cardio a day sure does make a difference. So, cheers to a new day tomorrow. 2 more days till I set new goals & (eek) weigh in. -Night

Day One

Recap on Day 1:

I am going to drink 4 Liters of H20 a day. CHECK!

I am not going to drink any soda! Zip. Nada. CHECK!

I will not eat after 6:30PM. (Late night eating is REALLY hard for me to avoid) CHECK!

I will write down everything I eat & do my best to count the calories. (under 1500) CHECK!

I will eat breakfast everyday. CHECK!

I will do 30 minutes (minimum) of exercise a day. CHECK!

I ate:

Oatmeal, yogurt & peaches, taco meat w/ corn & black beans, tuna fish, V8 juice and a Brazilian dinner consisting of chicken, rice, black beans, fruit and a half a roll. And last but not least, a half a piece of chocolate cake. I ate every 3 hours & nothing after 6:30pm! Today was a huge success!

Observations:

#1:I like not restricting myself. It makes it SO much easier. I added sugar to my coffee this morning but I measured out 2 teaspoons exactly (30 calories). I had a half a piece of chocolate cake after dinner and didn't feel guilty. I still ate a half a roll & I measured out 1 tablespoon of mayo with my tuna. I never felt hungry or too full. Being aware of what I am eating & making conscious decisions is making me feel better & helping me to stick to my plan. I will continue to make even better choices & will learn more about nutrition and my body but I am taking baby steps into a healthy lifestyle.

#2: I thought not eating late would be so much harder! But what I have learned about myself today is that my late night cravings are not because I am hungry but simply, they are comfort foods that I use when I relax. Who doesn't like to eat frozen Junior Mints in the tub? ;) Being aware of what I was consuming & why has really opened up my eyes to how much 'useless' food I have been eating.

#3: I love running in the Cinema room at Gold's Gym! I ran 2.71 miles in 34.17 minutes. I tried to keep a steady pass, as I want to take it slow. I didn't even think I would go that far.

Day 1 was great! I am going to have challenges & this is going to take awhile but it took more than one day to put the weight on... it will take more than one day to take it off.

Healthy Wishes,

Alex

Less Words, More Actions

I came across this and loved the last two lines: LESS WORDS, MORE ACTIONS. On the post below, I wrote what I wanted-what my goals are. That is the easy part. Anyone could say what they want. The hard part is planning how to achieve these goals and sticking to the plan.

It is day 3 into 2012 & I have yet to make a plan on how I will achieve these goals. Here is where my problem is: I think planning for 365 days overwhelms me. I am going to try something different. I am going to do a week at a time. Planning 7 days is alot easier than planning 365.

I have 5 days left in my first week & here is my plan to losing my first 2 lbs:

I am going to drink 4 Liters of H20 a day.
I am not going to drink any soda! Zip. Nada.
I will not eat after 6:30PM. (Late night eating is REALLY hard for me to avoid)
I will write down everything I eat & do my best to count the calories. (under 1500)
I will eat breakfast everyday.
I will do 30 minutes (minimum) of exercise a day.

I want to make a life style change. I do not want a quick fix, as I know it will bite me in my ass. We will see how these next 5 days go & we will go from there. 2 pounds a week to get to my goal in 6 months?? I got this!

Healthy Wishes,

Alex

Bring it on 2012

Happy New Years!! Last night, I rung in the new year with good friends, a few drinks & salty, high calorie snacks! Today I celebrated New Year's Day by drinking Diet Coke all day, eating enough chips & salsa to last all year & ended the evening with my fav, frozen Junior Mints. Ahhhh... the life. (mind you I spent the day in leggings with a stretchy waistband & over sized hoodie sweater) Today was relaxing...non stressful.

But at the end of the day, I know I am not comfortable in my skin. I think beauty comes in all shapes & sizes. I do not have a 'skinny' body. I will never be a size 0, 1 or 2 & I don't want to be. I want to be MY healthy. I want to be confident & comfortable. I am not going to set crazy goals that will only lead failure, which will only lead to more pounds & more mirrors to avoid.

So, after years of setting unattainable goals, I am ready to take the 'Turtle' route. Slowly but surely, I will get there.

So, 2012, be patient. Kick my ass yet let me learn as I go. Get me out of bed early & help me sleep at night. Help me to be confident now but push me to reach my goals. 2012... I'm bringing sexy back.

Here are my 2012 'Bringing Sexy Back' Goals:
Starting Weight: (eeeeeek) 180.7
Goal Weight: 135 (I want 130, I think 140 is a definite goal so I will meet in the middle)
*Lbs to lose per week: 2 lbs.
*Goal Weight Date: June 1, 2012 (6 months)
Starting Pant Size: 12 (okay...I am pushing 14)
Goal pant size: 6
*size 10 by: February 20, 2012
*size 8 by: April 16, 2012
*size 6 by: June 1, 2012
Starting shirt size: Large-X Large
Goal shirt size: Small
*size L by: February 20, 2012
*size M by: April 16, 2012
*size S by: June 1, 2o12

How am I going to do this you may ask? Not a crazy diet. I am not giving up Diet Coke 100%. I am still going to have an occasional late night treat. But I am going to WATCH MY CALORIE INTAKE (1200-1500 calories per day), I am going to EXERCISE DAILY (yes, I said daily). I am going to do yoga, pilates, run, jog, weight lifts. Mix it up. On the the days that I don't have time or maybe just don't feel like it, I might walk for 20 minutes. I just want to MOVE! :) I am going to eat a BALANCED diet. Protein, fruits, veggies, an occasional grain & starch, a treat here or there & even a good ol' drink! I am going to drink TONS OF WATER! Less Diet Coke and Coffee and water water water!!! And this blog will be my adventure & my accountability.

So follow me, criticize me, give me pointers. Eat with me, exercise with me, laugh with me & cry with me. WITNESS MY FITNESS!

Healthy Wishes,

Alex

PS. I would like to be able to do at least ONE pull up. Yes, just one. That would make me happy.