My Weight-Loss Journey

8/6/12
Okay.... here I go world...

I took this week off (vacation days used....check!) to get back on track both physically and mentally.   To be honest, I am tired of feeling like crap (and looking like it too).

This purpose of creating this blog is to hold myself accountable.  I hope this inspires someone and that a few of you will inspire me.  Otherwise, I hope this will be come my journal of success (because I refuse to let this be a failure).

So off I go!

The week leading up to this I created a meal plan, music playlist, and cut a whole bunch of tips and recipes out of some fitness magazines I had been holding on to since 2008 (I knew I would put them to good use one day).

My official weigh in was yesterday.  I was at 204 lbs (I am at 203.5 lbs as of this morning!).  I was still down from the 216 lbs I weighed in at 3 years ago.  However, this was up from the 189 lbs I had weighed in at back in November 2010.

My goal is to consume less than 1500 calories per day.  To help me keep track of this I have created an account on www.caloriecount.com (if you want to join me my username is joebrandyaustin).  This website also allows me to document my food log, journal, etc. from my computer, iPad, and Android Phone.  I needed to find a website that was versatile so that I could access my food log no matter what device I am using.


I have to admit I was really hungry yesterday, and I wanted to give in to my cravings.  However, I held myself accountable.  It got to a point where I put a piece of chewing gum in my mouth just to psych myself out (I had to chew on something!).

Although I did not exercise yesterday, I was able to stick to my meal plan.  Below is what it looked like (copied straight from my caloriecount page).

Everything I ate yesterday was good except for breakfast.  I need to make a mental note not to eat that combination again. LOL.

I will update my progress later today.  Hopefully I can stick to my meal plan today as well.  It is 1:54 pm and so far I have stayed on track with my breakfast and lunch.  :)  Thanks for reading.....until next post....chow!

8/8/12
Well....Day 3 went a lot better.  My cravings have calmed down.  I spent the day cleaning my house (7+ hours).  It was a deep cleaning.  I scrubbed floors, cleaned out closets, etc.  Still more cleaning to do tomorrow.

I am proud of myself for sticking to my calories 3 days in a row ( I went over 100 calories yesterday but still a lot less than what I would normally eat).  I had an amazing dinner.  Check out my recipe section to see what I ate today and get the recipe yourself.  It was yummy!

I need to incorporate more workouts.  I didn't workout today since I spent so much time cleaning house.

Status

Lost 0.5 lbs, 68.5 lbs to go!

Your target weight is expected to be reached on 12/01/13

8/9/12
As I sit here with my breakfast ( blueberry waffle, yellow cling peaches and yogurt)  I realize how much better I feel this morning.  It is day four and I am down a pound.  My stomach I not queasy and I don't feel bloated.  This is the exact opposite of the way I feel after eating all the crap food.


Later.....

Today was great! I had a good breakfast and lunch.  For dinner, I went out to a "good-bye" dinner for one of my employees.  We went to Red Robin (her favorite place).  With my head held high I sat at the table with my phone and googled what to eat healthy at Red Robin.  There was no surprise when I saw a very slim selection.  I opted for the ENSENADA CHICKEN PLATTER.  It has 440 calories (I opted to not eat any dressing with my salad).  I didn't care for it  The chicken was luke warm and had a bland taste.  Even though the platter came with two thin sliced chicken breast I only ate one (yuck!).  Honestly, it tasted like something that came out of a really cheap frozen entree at your local grocery store.

I did more house work which helped me shed some calories.  Oh, and did I mention that today is day 4 and I have already lost a pound!  :D

8/10/12

So as more time passes I am hoping that my posts grow longer.  After all, I created this as a journal, right?  Actually that is partially true.  I also created this to help inspire others or have tools available for those who also want to become healthy.

So this morning I took my puppy (12 weeks old) for his first set of shots and check up.  As it turns out he has an ear infection.  He also round worms and a possible allergy.  The sound of "round worms" terrified me.  I have two other dogs so my first thought was, "Is this contagious?"  Apparently it is contagious to both dogs and humans!  However, he has been de-wormed and is now happily on Heartguard.  The good news is if the other dogs are on worm medicine they should be fine.

Back to food....So this morning I had an "ah-ha" moment as I call them.  I realized that I needed to be eat food that will make me feel full (even if it doesn't taste so well).  Also, I needed to load up on more low-calorie foods (I know some of you are saying duh!).  I knew this as well, but I didn't want to think about it.  So this week I tried listening to what my body was telling me about the food I was eating.    What was making me hungrier and what left me feeling full.

I realized that eating fruits without real substance with them did this.  For example, my breakfast on Day 1 left me hungry all day.  I had cantaloupe, cottage cheese, and a little bit of a bran muffin.  This morning I had a dual egg burrito.  That really satisfied me up until lunch.  I have also found that Boca Burgers with a salad really hit the spot for lunch.

After lunch, I began surfing the web for a good weight loss app.  I really like the Calorie Count website, but I am not crazy about the mobile app integration.  I was trying to find one that gave me the best of both worlds.  I think in the end, I am sticking with Calorie Count for now.  However, I did run across some other great apps for Android designed to help you lose weight or stay healthy.  Here's the link to the article I found; http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/best-free-apps-help-you-lose-weight

Well, I am done for the day.  It is 10:30 at night and no more snacking! LOL.  I was over by 133 calories, but I am good with that.  I know that I made good choices for the most part (Skinny Cow candy bars got to me today). :)  I think what I am getting the most out of using Calorie Count is the Nutritional piece.  I wante to download the Fooducate app from the Android market because it goes hand in hand with this site (gives you food grades and alternative choices).

The last set of blood work that I got (about a year ago) stated I had a lot of vitamin deficiencies.  Since I have been logging everything (good or bad) I have noticed why.  Apparently I don't eat enough nutritious food.  Since this is not only about losing weight but also getting healthy, it appears that I need to re-evaluate what I am putting in my body.  I am even taking a multivitamin but I am still showing low in iron and calcium.  I think this explains why I am so tired all the time.  However, I will say that since I've been eating better my energy levels have definitely improved.

I am thankful to Calorie Count and all of the supporting memebers.  Everyone is so inspirational!

8/13/12
So today was a pretty good.  I ended up being way below my calorie goal.  I also managed to exercise for 20 minutes.  Now, I know that 20 minutes is not a lot of time but at least it is something.  I am trying to build up my endurance.


I really love my Biggest Loser game on my XBox.  It kicks my butt and makes me feel like I have a personal trainer.  What is cool is that if you have the Kinect you can talk to the game to let it know how you are doing  (even if you need a water break).  I have 2 of the Biggest Loser games on my Wii and nothing compares to the XBox version.

I also play Wipe Out (which wipes me out, lol) and a few other fitness games.  However, this is by-far my favorite.

I have to admit that when I got on the scale and saw that I only lost 1.5 lbs in a week I was completely discouraged (my husband even threatened to hide the scale from me because I have to check it daily).  I guess I was hoping to see a larger weight-loss.  But, everyone has reminded me today that 1.5 lbs is a healthy weight-loss for a week.  I will be happy when the scale says I have dropped below the 200's again.  This time I WILL NOT get back in the 200 range.  I want my 135 so bad!!! LOL!

This evening I sat down to see if I could find a better blogger template.  However, I stuck with this one.  I guess it will do for now.  Like I mentioned earlier, I really want to add more stuff to this blog.  So check back regularly to see what's new.

8/14/12

Ugh! I am so frustrated! How do I go up 2.5 lbs in one day (which puts me at a 1/2 lb gain since I started last Monday??!!!?? I have been staying around my calorie zone. It is days like this where you just want to beat yourself up and scream. Mr. Scale you are officially banned to the closet until next week! My husband tried to warn me about you!!

On a brighter note, the exercising is getting easier.   I about died on day 1 and 2 of my workouts.  Today, however, I was able to last a lot longer and it didn't hurt nearly as much.  I am feeling muscles that I have never felt before.  I guess I let them get too weak with all of my bum-sitting.

I also have to admit that I had a few more snacks since last night's post (14 tortilla chips with 2 tbsp of re-fried beans- immediately followed by a pudding cup).  However, I was able to stay within my calorie range even with that.

8/15/12
I was happy to see that I was under my calories thus far (even w/ a 700 calorie breakfast).  I didn't snack as much today but did cave in and have TWO rice crispy treats.  Hey, a girl needs her sweets every now and then.

8/16/12

Wow-e!! The workouts are getting easier. At first, I thought I was going to die.  I would workout for maybe 10 minutes and then turn off the program (Biggest Loser on XBox).  Now, I finish my twenty minutes in no time and think, "Is that all?"

When I got on the scales this morning I was 201.5.  I cannot wait to get below 200.  I have plenty more pounds to go, but at least I am going in the right direction.

I review how many calories people are eating on Calorie Count (www.caloriecount.about.com) and I noticed quite a few over 1500.  I wanted to know how many calories I needed to eat to lose my 65 lbs in a year.  I found this cool calculator which actually breaks it down by week.  Check it out here.

8/17/12

So today was HUNGRY day.  I wanted to eat all day.  I think it's due to the high salt content, lack of water, and eating sweets (which only make you hungrier).








8/18/12

Ah.... today felt so good.  I went in to work on my day off to catch up on a few things.  Still didn't get everything accomplished.  When I got home I could hear the bed calling my name.  I was so tired!

I went in the bedroom and changed out of my work clothes and threw on something I could go hiking in.  I gathered up my son, dog, and father-in-law and out the door we went.  I was NOT going to let laziness get me!!!

We went for a 1/2 hour walk at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary, NC.  I was so happy to be outdoors.  Then, as soon as I got home I did a 20 minute workout on my Biggest Loser XBox game.  This time I was focusing on my core muscles.

I am so excited that I can workout harder and longer than I could a week ago.  I can feel my endurance increasing.  I just can't wait for the days when I will be doing 5k runs!

Just so everyone knows, this blog is baby steps for me.  I know most days are pretty boring and only have my food journal.  I just want to thank you for taking the time to read this stuff.  If I can use it to help me hit my goal and touch just one person along the way it will be sooooo worth it!