Monday, March 28, 2011
Progress
Well, after only 5 days I lost nearly 3 pounds! Awesome, huh? Then I ate nearly an entire pizza, and a big burger with fries, and a giant burrito this weekend and I am back to my weight from day 2. BUT... (there is some positive in that) I now know that I can do this! I just have to stick with it! Last week was with very little working out (just a little each day) so if I up my workouts a little, and try not to blow it over the weekend, I can definitely do this!! :)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Weight Loss Plan
Ok... I don't have any "official" plan here, but I am trying to do several things to slowly make a change in my habits. I am not doing a "super fast" plan where I am going to drop a ton of weight in a hurry, but rather, trying to change some bad habits and become more aware of my health and try to make better decisions. I thought I'd share some of the things I am doing.
1. Drinking a ton of water. This sounds easy, but there were times yesterday when the thought of water made me feel sick. Drinking the "suggested" amount of water each day can really help you to lose weight! (8 cups a day is suggested) Our bodies store up water, which makes you weigh more, but if you start providing your body with enough water each day, it will let go of the stored water and just trust you to provide it with what it needs! Kind of cool. It is hard the first couple of days because you're constantly going to the bathroom, but that will stop soon and you'll get back into a "regular" schedule.
2. Counting calories. I don't want to get too overwhelmed with this one, but I'm watching it for now just to become more aware of what I'm eating. According to my research, I should have 1200-1400 calories a day if I want to lose some weight. I had a burger from Chili's last night that was a meat patty, swiss cheese and avocados on a wheat bun and it was 1520 calories.* Yeah. I picked that because I thought it might be a slightly healthier pick than some of the other things that sounded good. Now, ultimately, I want to be able to eat whatever I feel like, in moderation, and keep the fat off by working out and being more active, but it is nice to be more aware of what I am eating. I went to the store and loaded up on low calorie snacks to eat throughout the day, which leads to my next point...
3. Small snacks throughout the day. I have breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack (maybe 2) and dinner. Eating snacks throughout the day helps boost your metabolism and helps burn more calories! I have sliced cheddar cheese and wheat crackers, baby dill pickles, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, olives, fruit, applesauce, pretzels, etc. I know there are a lot of different kinds of "100 calorie packs" at the store with different snacks, too.
4. Exercising. This is the tough one for me. I absolutely hate working out. I love playing sports, games, competitions, you name it. But I absolutely despise walking on a treadmill or lifting weights or whatever. It is so boring to me. Not to mention, I have so much trouble with my knees and back that a lot of workouts become very painful for me and make me sore for days (not the good kind of sore). So, as you can see, working out has always been the place where my "weight loss" hits the wall. I started doing some research on exercises that were low impact on the back and knees and found several things. I still have to go to the workout room to use the stationary bike which is pretty boring, but I guess I can make it work, and that is very low impact on my knees. I also got an exercise ball. I couldn't imagine many things to do with that ball that would be helpful but I have found tons of things! It is TOUGH but so far I haven't had any pain in my knees or back as a result of those exercises.
5. Keep moving. This one kind of goes along with the last one, in a way. According to this website I burn approximately 1620 calories in a day just by sitting, breathing, doing normal things. There are some EASY things you can do to burn a few extra calories throughout the day. For example, standing burns more calories than sitting. Walk a little more, clean the house, stand up and stretch occasionally. EASY THINGS. I am the worst about sitting down in front of the tv or computer and just camping out there until I have to get up and do something. The worst. I'm trying to change that by getting up every few minutes (if I must watch a tv show or be on the computer, lol) and playing with the dog, or walking around for a little bit or just doing something. I'm sure Matt would say that just cleaning the apartment every day would suffice. :)
6. My Fitness Pal. I'm using this website to keep a food and exercise log, keep track of my weight and calories consumed and burned yada yada. There is also an app for your iphone (or itouch in my case) you can use. It seemed like way too much work to keep track of all of that at first, but I think I'm going to try it! I've done it so far today and it has been pretty neat. Check it out if you want!
So that is what I'm doing now. I don't expect major results overnight, but hopefully these new habits will result in a healthier me! :)
*Chili's provides nutritional information for all of their menu items on their website. Check it out - I bet it will surprise you!
1. Drinking a ton of water. This sounds easy, but there were times yesterday when the thought of water made me feel sick. Drinking the "suggested" amount of water each day can really help you to lose weight! (8 cups a day is suggested) Our bodies store up water, which makes you weigh more, but if you start providing your body with enough water each day, it will let go of the stored water and just trust you to provide it with what it needs! Kind of cool. It is hard the first couple of days because you're constantly going to the bathroom, but that will stop soon and you'll get back into a "regular" schedule.
2. Counting calories. I don't want to get too overwhelmed with this one, but I'm watching it for now just to become more aware of what I'm eating. According to my research, I should have 1200-1400 calories a day if I want to lose some weight. I had a burger from Chili's last night that was a meat patty, swiss cheese and avocados on a wheat bun and it was 1520 calories.* Yeah. I picked that because I thought it might be a slightly healthier pick than some of the other things that sounded good. Now, ultimately, I want to be able to eat whatever I feel like, in moderation, and keep the fat off by working out and being more active, but it is nice to be more aware of what I am eating. I went to the store and loaded up on low calorie snacks to eat throughout the day, which leads to my next point...
3. Small snacks throughout the day. I have breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack (maybe 2) and dinner. Eating snacks throughout the day helps boost your metabolism and helps burn more calories! I have sliced cheddar cheese and wheat crackers, baby dill pickles, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, olives, fruit, applesauce, pretzels, etc. I know there are a lot of different kinds of "100 calorie packs" at the store with different snacks, too.
4. Exercising. This is the tough one for me. I absolutely hate working out. I love playing sports, games, competitions, you name it. But I absolutely despise walking on a treadmill or lifting weights or whatever. It is so boring to me. Not to mention, I have so much trouble with my knees and back that a lot of workouts become very painful for me and make me sore for days (not the good kind of sore). So, as you can see, working out has always been the place where my "weight loss" hits the wall. I started doing some research on exercises that were low impact on the back and knees and found several things. I still have to go to the workout room to use the stationary bike which is pretty boring, but I guess I can make it work, and that is very low impact on my knees. I also got an exercise ball. I couldn't imagine many things to do with that ball that would be helpful but I have found tons of things! It is TOUGH but so far I haven't had any pain in my knees or back as a result of those exercises.
5. Keep moving. This one kind of goes along with the last one, in a way. According to this website I burn approximately 1620 calories in a day just by sitting, breathing, doing normal things. There are some EASY things you can do to burn a few extra calories throughout the day. For example, standing burns more calories than sitting. Walk a little more, clean the house, stand up and stretch occasionally. EASY THINGS. I am the worst about sitting down in front of the tv or computer and just camping out there until I have to get up and do something. The worst. I'm trying to change that by getting up every few minutes (if I must watch a tv show or be on the computer, lol) and playing with the dog, or walking around for a little bit or just doing something. I'm sure Matt would say that just cleaning the apartment every day would suffice. :)
6. My Fitness Pal. I'm using this website to keep a food and exercise log, keep track of my weight and calories consumed and burned yada yada. There is also an app for your iphone (or itouch in my case) you can use. It seemed like way too much work to keep track of all of that at first, but I think I'm going to try it! I've done it so far today and it has been pretty neat. Check it out if you want!
So that is what I'm doing now. I don't expect major results overnight, but hopefully these new habits will result in a healthier me! :)
*Chili's provides nutritional information for all of their menu items on their website. Check it out - I bet it will surprise you!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Motivation
THIS is my motivation...
When I came across this picture after our trip to the lake I had to do a double take. Is that really me? Yep... that is me. A me that weighs 20lbs too much!
This is not the first time I have realized that I need to get into shape and lose some weight. In fact, I've been saying this for quite some time now. A few years, actually. It's time to actually do something about it! So... I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to document this journey, but I decided to make it public so people know and won't let me give up this time!
I may give an update every couple of days, or maybe just on a week to week basis. We'll see. Consider this my official announcement that I AM GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BE IN BETTER SHAPE! Words of encouragment I'm sure will always be appreciated. ;-)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wannabe Lap Dog
Ginny REALLY wanted to sit up in the chair with Matt...
There was definitely not enough room for her, but she tried anyway!
But she couldn't quite get it figured out. :)
Such a silly dog.... ;-)
There was definitely not enough room for her, but she tried anyway!
But she couldn't quite get it figured out. :)
Such a silly dog.... ;-)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Day "Camping"
Today we went out to a park/campsite on Lake Travis in Austin. We packed some sandwiches and drinks and headed out there around lunch and unloaded at one of the campsites. We had never taken Ginny "out" like that before, so we were both a little unsure of how she would behave. She was GREAT! I think she had a blast! Here are several pictures we took today...
When we first got there we just set up our chairs and relaxed and had sandwiches and root beer! (A cute old man suggested I try this certain kind of root beer when I was at the store, and I just couldn't resist his charm. :))
Ginny was so calm and just walked around checking things out! We had a long leash extension that we tied to the picnic table so she could walk around some.
She was very alert to all the noises and bugs, but never took off after any of them!
She even got a new bone!
After lunch, Matt decided to take a nap...
...but Ginny didn't like that idea very much, so she woke him up.
We all decided to take a short hike on the trail down to the lake.
We took her down to the water and she wasn't sure at first...
...but then she decided that she LOVED it!
She never got in real deep, but she got in up to her belly. She kept biting at the water and sticking her whole nose under when the waves would come up. She just ran back and forth as far as that long leash would allow! She absolutely loved it!
When we first got there we just set up our chairs and relaxed and had sandwiches and root beer! (A cute old man suggested I try this certain kind of root beer when I was at the store, and I just couldn't resist his charm. :))
Ginny was so calm and just walked around checking things out! We had a long leash extension that we tied to the picnic table so she could walk around some.
She was very alert to all the noises and bugs, but never took off after any of them!
She even got a new bone!
After lunch, Matt decided to take a nap...
...but Ginny didn't like that idea very much, so she woke him up.
We all decided to take a short hike on the trail down to the lake.
We took her down to the water and she wasn't sure at first...
...but then she decided that she LOVED it!
She never got in real deep, but she got in up to her belly. She kept biting at the water and sticking her whole nose under when the waves would come up. She just ran back and forth as far as that long leash would allow! She absolutely loved it!
We went back to the campsite to let her dry off some (we weren't planning on her going for a swim, so we weren't prepared with towels!) We were all pretty tired so we headed back home as soon as she was dry. We had a really good time and were pleased with how well behaved she was! Hopefully we can do it a few more times throughout the summer!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pictures
Someone got a couple of pictures of Matt from the UACL event at church a couple of weeks ago so I thought I'd share one! I haven't gotten a video yet of his other songs, but I'll get on that... I'll see if I can convince him to do one tonight. :)
This past week I worked up at Austin Grad with Matt filling in for the receptionist there while she was out with some family issues. Ginny wasn't happy with me because that meant she had to stay in the crate for a lot longer on those days. This was before I left the first day.
We had breakfast burritos the other night and Ginny REALLY wanted Matt to share... :)
Just taking it easy.... ;-)
In Ginny's obedience classes, they stuff her full of treats. We looked up some healthier alternatives for dog snacks so she wouldn't get too fat (the vet already says she is a little overweight!) and we found that a lot of dogs like carrots. She wouldn't touch them for a few days, but now she loves them. This was the first time I gave her some and she was NOT interested!!
I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but I just found it on my phone. She doesn't get to do this very much anymore. We are hoping to get new furniture in the next few months so we've been trying to break this habit. She has done really well with it and rarely tries to get up on the couch anymore unless you call her up.
This past week I worked up at Austin Grad with Matt filling in for the receptionist there while she was out with some family issues. Ginny wasn't happy with me because that meant she had to stay in the crate for a lot longer on those days. This was before I left the first day.
We had breakfast burritos the other night and Ginny REALLY wanted Matt to share... :)
Just taking it easy.... ;-)
In Ginny's obedience classes, they stuff her full of treats. We looked up some healthier alternatives for dog snacks so she wouldn't get too fat (the vet already says she is a little overweight!) and we found that a lot of dogs like carrots. She wouldn't touch them for a few days, but now she loves them. This was the first time I gave her some and she was NOT interested!!
I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but I just found it on my phone. She doesn't get to do this very much anymore. We are hoping to get new furniture in the next few months so we've been trying to break this habit. She has done really well with it and rarely tries to get up on the couch anymore unless you call her up.
That's about it for now! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Jonathan's Birthday
This cute little guy turned 1 on Friday! We went to Waco on Saturday for his birthday party. Josh actually decorated the cake and looked a little irritated when Jonathan didn't even want to touch it. ;-) Carly started sticking fruit loops on the cake and he would grab those and eat them, but wasn't too interested in the cake, haha!
He is such a sweet boy and has the SWEETEST little grin! I can't believe he is already a year old! Now, we have Judah's birthday next month (3), Elijah's birthday in May (7), Brad and Nova's little boy in July and a niece coming sometime (hopefully sooner than later). We are loving it. :)
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