First Month: Officially Over

The first month has been quite a journey.  First off, it started off really slow.  If you recall I took the first week of this off of work so that I could concentrate on becoming healthy.

The first two weeks I was trying to use someone else's plan.  This included a meal plan and workout routine. I only lost 1/2 pound those first two weeks.  That was enough for me to say, "Screw this! I am doing it my way!"  I buckled down these last two weeks and lost 8 1/2 pounds.  I really watched what I was eating and began walking every evening.


Today officially the end of my first 4 weeks (month), and today starts my 5th week.  I have updated my blog with new photos and measurements to reflect my changes since I started this journey.  The pics are embarrassing (I am heavy #1 and no makeup #2).  However, it will be nice once I hit my "transformation" to be able to look back at my before pics.

I weighed in at 195 this morning.  I am down 3 1/2 lbs from last week and a total of 9 pounds in a month.  I have 60 more lbs to go to hit my goal weight of 135.  I am dropping the weight but not the inches.  This concerns me because I consider true weight loss to be measured in inches lost.

I am going to workout this evening before going to bed.  Admittedly, I am so tired from this weekend that exercise feels like "work".  However, I know that eating less will not get me the results I am looking for.  I need the exercise to tone my body and mold it along the way.

I hope everyone else is doing good on their weight loss journey.  As always....Good Luck & Stay Healthy!!

Protein: My New Best Friend

Who has has had a best friend that they knew would stab them in the back if they weren't careful?  Well if you have I am so sorry.  However, the best friend I am going to refer to today is "Protein".

I have known Protein for years.  During my various battles with weight loss I have heard that if you eat a lot of it you can increase your weight loss.

Well, here is the "skinny" on my good 'ol friend:

Amino Acids are the building blocks of Protein.  Since our bodies cannot make essential amino acids, we must rely on the food we eat to supply this.  Then, our body goes through the process of breaking down the protein into non-essential amino acids.

Now, why do you need to know this?  Because when our body has to break down the protein it takes longer for our body to digest it thus making us feel fuller longer.  Also, the slower digestion process means that the protein is not going to spike our blood sugar.

Protein has the same number of calories per gram as carbohydrates.  1 gram = 4 calories
If you think of fat...which we all hate... there are 9 calories in 1 gram (more than 2x's that of protein!)  Also, think of saturated fats as artery cloggers.

You should try to get 8 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of fat (i.e. a 200 lb person should get 80 grams of protein) per day.  Otherwise, our body will start to break down its own tissue.

Some good sources of protein are: Tofu, Soybean products, Beans, Nuts, Eggs, Fish, Peanut Butter, Lean Meats, Fish, Poultry, and Dairy

Now, remember I told you that my new best friend is Protein?  And, I also mentioned that some best friends become back stabbers if you don't keep an eye on them (yeah, I am sure you know one or two)?  Well, here is why I have to keep an eye on my ol' friend, Protein.

If you consume too much protein then it could put a strain on certain organs in the body like the kidneys and liver.  Too much protein also promotes the loss of calcium in the bones via your urine which can cause osteoporosis.  In addition, any extra protein that is left over (because our body can't store it) is stored as fat if we can't use it as energy.

Sources: The book I am reading 2-Week Total Body Turnaround & Help With Cooking .Com

Digestive System

So I've noticed a change in the ummm...errrr...ummm... (potty time).  Ever since increasing my water in-take I noticed that I go tinkle quite a bit.  Now, some of you are going "Duh" right now.  But for someone like me who has the "gotta go..gotta go...gotta go right now" syndrome this can definitely get in the way of progress.

I have to make sure that I don't drink a lot before going on walks and if I drink a lot at dinner I am up at midnight running to the bathroom.

So today, as I went on my fifth-day-in-a-row walk, I realized that I need to make sure I keep the water on me.  I did my 1/2 hour walk and decided to be a "hero" and run all the way up the steps (now I counted 12 steps in one SMALL portion of this looooonnnnggg upward part of the hiking trail).  So there were a ton more .  Then, as if that wasn't enough I walked all the way down and RAN up them again.

Now I can't sit here and say that I was able to run up all of them, but I sure did try.  My calves were burning and my lungs were about to explode.

When I got to the top of the staircase landing the second time I had to sit down.  At this point I was dizzy and on the verge of throwing up.  I sat there trying to get my heart rate down but I could feel my heart just pounding against my chest.  I am not sure if I just over did it or if I was dehydrated.  I had only drank about 32 oz of water before setting out on this walk.  Either way, I decided even if I have to carry a role of toilet paper with me and make a venture into the woods, I had better load up on my fluids when doing this kind of thing.  Otherwise, someone may be rushing me to the hospital.

The other "bathroom" lesson that I learned this week was that eating healthy will really help keep the bowls moving.  I was staying so constipated before (I know...more than you need to know) but these walks have really helped keep me regular.

I guess the reason I am writing this is because we are all friends on here.  I read a really sad story about a girl who lost a ton of weight (without really doing anything). Come to find out she had a disease that caused her stomach muscles to stop working.  She was in her 20's and slowly dying.

Since I care about my own well-being and that of my readers, I thought I would share two good articles for keeping your digestive system "happy and healthy".  I hope this helps someone out there.

Food Sensitivities: 10 Best & Worst Foods for Your Tummy
http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/digestive/tips/gut_check_10_best_and_worst_foods_for_your_tummy.aspx

UltraWellness Lesson 4: Gut & Digestive Health

by Dr Mark Hyman
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/04/28/ultrawellness-lesson-4-gut-digestive-health/

Friends: What a wonderful world of support!

Losing weight is hard enough, but doing it alone is almost unbearable.  

I am glad that I have my friends on the Calorie Count website.  It is nice to login and see that someone has left you a very encouraging message, or someone tells you that you have inspired them.

We all need someone who will encourage our growth.  What I have learned from the CC website is that your support does not have to come from your spouse, best friend of 20+ years, your Mom, your Dad....  The best support is either someone who is on the journey with you OR someone who has been in your shoes but found a way to win the battle.

Although I want to be an inspiration to someone else, I must first inspire myself.  No one will believe you if you don't even believe in yourself.


Today's journey was fun.  I dragged my son and his best friend along with me today.  They were on roller blades while I made the journey on foot.  It was nice watching them laugh and have fun.  It took my mind to a different place.  I was actually surprised at how fast my walk went today by having them around.

After dinner, I sat down and read some CC posts.  I am so proud of all of my friends and the progress they are making. I posted a few encouraging comments and then reflected on how good each of them made ME feel.

I thought about my walk and seeing my son with his best friend.  I reflected on the various journeys that everyone on CC is on.  Then, I had the realization of how big this world really is and all the many ways that God can bless our lives.

Thank you and good luck to everyone who is on this journey with me.  May you keep inspiring others.

Walking: The Voices in My Head

So there was a voice in my head today that was fighting me and trying to get in the way of my progress.

I came home and the minute I walked in the door Voice A (the bad voice- the one who wants to create doubt, distraction, devastation) said to me, "You don't need to workout today.  You have worked hard the past two days and you need rest."  However, Voice B (the loving, caring, drill Sargent) says to me, "But you love working out.  It makes you feel good and you can see the results are starting to show."
Then, Voice A being the instigator it is, says to me, "But you are hungry.  How about sitting down and enjoying some of those yummy groceries you just bought..."

This is the point where I almost caved in.  Voice A in my head was right.  I was hungry.  However, the other voice- the more dedicated, committed, and devoted voice- was reminding me that if I gave in at this very moment it would mean that I would speak the rest of the night snacking.  I knew good and well that these last few days were amazing.  The long walks I had been going on actually helped to curb my appetite.  I would eat my dinner and be satisfied.  I would not have the raids every 5 minutes to the kitchen to see what else I could shove in my mouth.

So it was then that I realized Voice B would win this debate.  I put on my sketchers, changed into my "comfy" clothes and out the door I went.

Voice A kept reminding me that we only committed to a 30 minute walk.  I am blessed to have a public walking trail in my back yard and had originally set out to walk to where it ended and back.  That would be roughly 30 minutes.

Once I got to the end Voice B started in again.  You can go farther.. take the longer/tougher route back...  So I listened and proceeded with great hesitation.  I knew the "other route" home was a little longer and I would have a large hike up a hill (about 1/4 to 1/2 mile).  I knew my calves would be screaming.  However, I had made it this far and was up for the challenge.

Me..wore out..at the top of the hill!

The "long" way home. Reached top of hill.

I began to push myself.  I pictured an invisible rope and that I was pulling myself up this hill.  My calves were hurting, the sweat was pouring down my face, and my breath was short.  Every time Voice A began to say "take a break...cool down...rest" I began to push harder.  I actually started counting to 100 over and over again (about 5x's total) just to drown out that nagging voice.  I was going to conquer this hill WITHOUT stopping....and I made it.

The rest of the walk was down hill for the most part.  In total, I walked for 48 minutes.  While this may not seem like a lot to some, when you are just starting out and carrying a 200lb load this is a great accomplishment.  I am extremely proud of myself for not giving in.

I share this because we all have doubts that plague our minds.  A voice that tries to distract us and steer us off course.  I can't say that I will never give in to that voice.  However, today is proof that you can chose to ignore it.  I want to be skinny and healthy again.  To me, that is more important than sitting on my fat rump and stuffing my face full of junk.

All Things Water

So I have come to the realization that my body was in desperate need of H2O.  I struggled all last week with fits of hunger, but since increasing my water intake this week I find that it is extremely easy to tame that wild beast (aka stomach).

Looking back at my food journal I noticed that I was drinking maybe 32 oz of water a day. That is about 1/2 of what the recommendation is ( eight 8 oz glasses per day).  So, how was I able to hit my daily target plus some?  I started carrying a cup around with me that has a straw in it.  I have found that water is super easy to drink with a straw.  For some reason drinking out of a bottle is starting to give me gag reflexes.

Since I am on the water train this evening, I thought I would share some cool facts I that I found about the benefits of drinking water:

1. It balances out your body's fluids. If you are not taking in enough fluids then your body begins to run low. This causes Your brain to signal your kidneys to reserve more water.  While this means less trips to the restroom, it also means that your body is retaining fluids.

2. (This is one that I realized this week) It can help control your calories.  

3. It can Energize your muscles.  

4. It helps skin look good.

5. It helps your kidneys.

6. It helps maintain normal bowl function.

Source: 

WebMD

Also, one important thing you should know:

If you drink water from a plastic bottle, never leave it sitting in the sun and don't use them to heat water in.  Plastic bottles Contain chemicals that can leech into our bodies. This may create greater cancer risks. Bottles that get heated by the sun or get warmed up otherwise may leak more of these chemicals. If at all possible, try to drink you water from a glass container or pitcher.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

So this is the question that I furiously plugged into my web browser.... I have to admit, I was really pissed off this morning.  After two weeks of eating less and working out more, I was only down  1/2 lb.  Are you kidding me???  It had me feeling like I was going to be 200+ lbs forever, and I was like "to hell you say..."

So I came across this article on About.com (click here to read it) and it gave me ten valid reasons that I may not be losing the weight like I'd want to.

#1: You're not exercising enough- According to this I need to be doing at least 30 minutes of medium-high intensity.  Hmmm.... true....  yesterday even my Biggest Loser game suggested increasing my intensity and increasing how long I work out.  After a quick review I realized I had it on light intensity, and I was only working out for 20 to 24 minutes a night.

The Changes I Am Making:  I am going to walk at least 3.0 mph for a minimum of 30 minutes per night for 7 days.  In addition, I am going to strength train every-other-day using 3 lb weights.  No Biggest Loser workout for this week. I want to see what my results look like on Sunday.

#2: You're not getting enough sleep-  The recommended amount of "sleep" hours is 8.  Several studies have shown this.  However, I rarely get this.  I tend to "suffocate" at night and wake up because I have either stopped breathing or feel like I'm sucking in my pillow.  I can't tell you how often I wake up because of this.  I also toss and turn all night due.  I even sleep with a face mask to block out the light in the room, but that doesn't even help.

The Changes I Am Making:  I am going back to sleeping in the guest room.  I can stretch out and there is less light interference.  My husband enjoys having the bed to himself anyway (he says my snoring keeps him up, lol).

#3: You're too stressed out- Stress can add weight due to the body producing more cortisol.  I don't feel all that stressed (other than Mr. Monthly causing me to be more on edge than normal).  I have already left my previous employer to reduce a HUGE bulk of stress.  However, I may be stressed and not even realize it.

The Changes I Am Making:  Instead of sitting on my bum when I get home and watching t.v. until the cows come home, I am going to change clothes right away and hit the walking trail for at least 1/2 hour.  Then, I will come home and make dinner.  I will get my t.v. time in while eating dinner (we almost never eat dinner together as a family) and then I will sit down with my trusty computer and hash out everything on my blog. :D  Lucky you!  LOL

#4: You're eating too much- This suggests keeping a food journal and monitoring your calorie intake.  I am already doing this via Calorie Count.  My calories are set at 1500.  However, I do find myself going over a majority of the time.  :(

The Changes I Am Making:  I reviewed my recommended calories by using the Weight Loss Calculator on Fitwatch.com (click here if you want to try it out yourself).

The site gave me 5 options:

Option #	Calories Per Day	Target Date for 68.5lbs
#1	1531 calories	December 12, 2013
#2	1726 calories	October 15, 2014
#3	1625 calories	April 2, 2014
#4	1523 calories	December 5, 2013
#5	1422 calories	September 17, 2013

So it looks like 1500 is okay if I want to hit by goal by end of next year (hey, I didn't put it on overnight and shouldn't expect to lose it that way either).  I just need to make sure I don't go OVER.

#5: You're not consistent with your exercise and healthy eating- Duh!  I have realized this.  The site recommends changing up my exercise routines aren't hit or miss.  I couldn't agree more.

The Changes I Am Making:  See my response to #1 & I have to stick to this!!!  Please hold me accountable. PLEASE!

#6: You Blow it on the weekends-  Well... yesterday (Sunday) was a perfect example of that.  I went on a complete "snack/junk food" binge.  YUCK!  The food didn't even taste that good.

 I quote the site when I say, "To lose one pound of fat in one week, you would need to cut 500 calories with diet and exercise for 7 days. If you only follow that for 5 days, then eat way over your limit for two more days, you're taking two steps forward and one step back." 

It gives 3 tips which I am going to incorporate (see below):

The Changes I Am Making:  (From the site's suggestions) #1- I am not going to eat whatever I want when I want it on the weekends. #2-I will not use food to reward myself.  Instead, I will reward myself with a bubble bath or a good book (or my favorite... a good chic flick!) #3-I will not be lazy on the weekends.  I love to hike so I will plan a trip to a state park.  If it's raining I will find an exhibit to go see. North Carolina has a lot of free stuff to do.

#7: You haven't given yourself enough time to see results- That is why I got in a fight with the scale this morning and banished it to the dark corner in the back of my cabinet.  It will not see light except for my Sunday weigh-ins.

The Changes I Am Making:  I am going to enjoy my journey and focus less on the scale and/or measurements.  Instead, I will only use these to show progress over a longer period of time (not short term). I will explore new healthy recipes to try and read some motivational weight-loss books to keep me inspired.

#8: You have a medical condition- There are several conditions that can affect weight loss.  However, I don't think this is the case for me.  I can tell you that every visit to the doctor usually ends with them recommending that I try to lose weight.  When I had issues with my gull bladder and thought I had gull stones I followed their advice and lost almost 25 lbs.  But, when I started feeling better I just gained it all back.

The Changes I Am Making:  Review past medical records- Didn't the doc say I needed more Iron, Fish Oil, Vitamin D, eat better for my gull bladder????  The list goes on.  Now is the time to actually do what they told me to.  No more playing around.  Otherwise, I may not have another 32 years ahead of me.

#9: You've hit a plateau-  Since I am only two weeks in I don't think this is the case either.  Or, maybe I have a beginner's plateau. :)  But, what I do like are the suggestions the site makes to keep me from hitting one.  So their ideas will go in my "changes I'm making" section.

The Changes I Am Making:  #1- Change my workout every 4-6 weeks; I have several fitness videos and games that I can incorporate with my daily walks to keep things new and challenging. #2- Make sure I am giving my body fuel (I think I am going to refer to fuel instead of food- sounds better)  #3- Be sure that I don't exercise to the point I am stressing my body out and it stops burning as many calories.

#10: You don't need to lose weight: Again, this really isn't my issue... I have 68.5 lbs to go to get back to my 135 lb frame.  Although, if I am fit and slender and healthy I really don't care what weight I am at.  135 lbs is just a target since healthy doesn't really have a number.

The Changes I Am Making:  Remind myself of all the reasons I need to lose weight (medical, endurance, etc.)


So before I finish my day's post I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

Hiking Trips

8/18/12: Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
Cary, NC

My handsome son (larger) and his best friend (smaller)

My father-in-law walking the trail.

My father-in-law walking the large set of stairs.

Me feeling accomplished for getting to the top.