Frantic Friday

Well, from the time I woke up today until now, I have been on the run. I woke at 7 this morning--no alarms on Friday's. Instead of exercising first thing, I did some chores and then showered the kids. I exercised after that for 35 minutes. I brought my speed back up to where I had been walking before I got sick and that felt great!!

I was allowed 1800 calories today and I was successful. For breakfast I had Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal(160). I had a small cupcake for a snack(200). For lunch I had tuna and wheat crackers(300). I had 10 pretzels for snack in the afternoon(110). For dinner, the girls and I went to McDonalds while Adam and Steve went to dinner and a hockey game. I had a hamburger and fries(980) and a diet coke. It was a nice treat. My total for today is 1750.

I am supposed to have a high calorie day tomorrow(2800). I am not sure if I will get that high, so I may switch the day for Sunday's allowance which is 1750. I think I will see how it goes tomorrow and then figure out if I should let it be my indulgence day. If I go over 2000 calories, I will do that. If not, I will have to make a decision. I am also not sure if I am going to be able to exercise due to a busy morning schedule. I will try, but if not, I will most certainly exercise on Sunday.

Sorry to babble, but sometimes writing it out makes it more real for me. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!

A trying Thursday

I had to talk myself through the whole day so I wouldn't eat everything not nailed down. I don't keep snacks at work, I pack my bag everyday so I have control over the calorie intake. But today I wanted to run to the 7-11 and buy chips. I didn't but I needed to have pretzel bites when I came home from work. I ate a lot of them so I had to juggle dinner calories. So here is how my calorie intake went today.....For breakfast I ate plain oatmeal(100). I had an oatmeal raisin granola bar(90) around 10 because I was so hungry. For lunch I had tuna on wheat bread and some cheese-its(total 605). I had some candy(130) a little while later. When I got home from work, I had pretzels with mustard(350)-- a lot of them!!!. For dinner, I had a chicken thigh, a cup of homemade creamed spinach and a piece of potato(200). I am sipping on a cup of hot chocolate now(80). So I made it through the day and managed to keep it under my allowance of 1600. I ate a total of 1565 but I did eat the pretzels and some cheese its which are a bit salty. Hopefully I won't retain water when I weigh in on Saturday.

I tried a new kind of exercise today. On our cable, we can use the on-demand feature for exercise programs. This morning I used a cardio dance program today that was 20 minutes long. Then I did a 7 minute ab routine. Tonight I walked for 40 minutes, but not at my fastest. I did walk fast, but I am still a bit tired and sick so I couldn't really go full force. In my mind though, at least I walked.

I just hope that I can get it together tomorrow and stay away from the salt...sometimes it is easier to stick to the plan when I am at home taking care of the kids because they keep me busy.

Just another day

Even though I complain that I am really busy sometimes, I think I would rather be busy than bored. I had a boring day at work. There wasn't a lot to do so I caught up on some e-mails and checked in with some teachers. It was work, but the morning dragged. The afternoon went faster.

Today was a 2000 calorie day so I treated myself to a bagel with veggie cream cheese(490) for breakfast. For snack I had some chocolate(200). For lunch I had an individual pizza(410) and I tasted a bit of some ravioli(50). I also had 2 pieces of caramel candy(100). For dinner I ate pork with gravy, green beans and a potato with butter spray(661). That is a total of 1911. I am going to make myself a cup of hot chocolate in a few minutes and that will take me to 1991 calories for the day.

I exercised for 65 minutes today. I am surprised that I was able to considering I still have some breathing problems due to congestion and my sore throat but I like exercising so I didn't want to give it up today. So it wasn't an exciting day, but it was successful for me.

Trying Tuesday

I stayed on track today with my 1600 calories. I had plain oatmeal with cinnamon for breakfast(103). While I was making cupcakes for a class party, I snuck one(240) for a quick snack. Lunch was a salad with dressing(286) and a slice of plain pizza(300). I had some low fat tortilla chips and hot chocolate for a snack(280). For dinner I had 7 mini egg rolls with Dijon mustard(325). My total for today is 1534. I am going to have 2 cups of popcorn(60) for dessert. That means I will have stayed within my allowance for the day at 1594. I felt like a lot today, but I just ate often because swallowing a lot at one time is a bit tough. So smaller meals for me today was what worked.

Since my throat and ear still hurt and I am pretty wiped out, I was only able to exercise for 35 minutes today. At least a did get to do some cardio and that made me feel a bit more energized for a while.

So overall, a tiring day, but still successful. Now I am officially wiped out between being sick and having my period so I will go to bed very soon.

Confession

I hate to admit it, but I went over my allotment after dinner last night. I was allowed 1600 and I wound up at 1750 because I had some pretzels. That isn't that bad, but since I didn't exercise the last 2 days I feel guilty. I was hungry and I decided that the pretzels were the least "harmful" treat of the ones I wanted. The salt craving must have something to do with my period coming.

So, I switched yesterday's amount with today's and now today I will have 1600. I am going to exercise soon so that will help me get back on track. I feel slightly better today, but still in some serious throat pain. I just don't want to give up the exercise again. I will aim for 30 minutes and see if I can go more. I am going to watch one of my favorite shows--Rachel Ray--so that will hopefully keep me on the treadmill a bit longer.

Plain old Monday

Well, no exercise today because I am still really under the weather. I visited the doctor today and I found out I have strep throat. That explains all the fever, aches and pains. At least now I have some medication to make me better. I get to take the day off of work tomorrow too so I can rest.

As for the calorie intake today I was allowed 1600. For breakfast I had oatmeal(160). For lunch I had 2 slices of pizza and 2 cookies(900). For dinner I am going to have Ramen Noodle Soup (380). That laves 160 calories. I don't know if I am going to be able to eat anything else because I really can't swallow well, but I may try to have a cup of hot chocolate(80) for dessert. Either way, I am under my calorie allowance for the day. I think that is fine considering I didn't exercise today. I am going to exercise tomorrow morning for at least 30 minutes. I am just so wiped out from being sick that I can't even imagine exercising now.

I hope to have another successful day tomorrow with a bit of exercise added in to the mix.

A successful day

Well, even though I didn't exercise, I did stay within my calories allowed for the day. I was allowed 1700 and I ate 1670.

For breakfast I had oatmeal and hot chocolate(240). For lunch I had pizza and 2 oatmeal cookies (850). I had a few chips with the kids for snack(200). For dinner I had Ramen noodles(380). I am going to have a cup of decaf tea but that isn't any calories added to the day.

I am going to attempt to exercise tomorrow morning because I really do miss it when I have to skip a day. I am going to walk at least 30 minutes if my body will allow it.

Here is the tentative schedule for the week--I say tentative because I don't know what is planned at work this week so I haven't figured out if I have to be out of the office for lunch any day. I don't think I do so I am going to plan for Saturday as my high calorie day.

Monday: 1600
Tuesday: 1750
Wednesday: 2000
Thursday: 1600
Friday: 1800
Saturday: 2800 and rest
Sunday: 1750

I intend to walk for 45 minutes on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and at least 30 minutes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday with a break on Saturday because I am going to be busy. If I get a chance I will exercise, but I am not going to count on it.

I hope this is a good plan. Sometimes I question if I am zig-zagging enough, but so far it seems to be working so I must be doing something right!!

Here's to a great week!

Saturday Surprises

Well, I stayed within my allotment yesterday. I was allowed 2500 calories for Thanksgiving number 2, but I didn't eat that much. My throat is killing me and by last night I had a fever so I think I may have only eaten about 1800 calories. I wish I could have eaten more, but I couldn't swallow anything. That was surprise number two.

After I exercised for 40 minutes yesterday, I weighed myself. I am not sure why, but I did. I am expecting my period this week and I decided I wanted to weigh myself again before it started. Well, here comes the surprise...I lost another pound. Now I am up to 26 pounds lost. my goal is to lose 30 pounds by Christmas and I think I will get there.

I am not going to exercise today because I feel achy all over. I am not even sure if I will eat what I am supposed to because my throat hurts. All I want is soup and tea---that will help keep the calories low I guess. I will try to exercise tomorrow.

I am thankful for...

SUCCESS!!! This Thanksgiving I am thankful for all of my family. I have also achieved a milestone of 25 pounds lost.

I altered my calories allowed yesterday from 2400 to 2500. I decrease today to 1650 and Sunday to 1700. My total allowed for the week is 13608 and I am still at 13500 with all of these changes. So if I go over my allotment a few calories I am still safe---although I always say that and it never happens.

I am pretty confident that I stayed within the allotment for yesterday. I also did 35 minutes of walking yesterday.

Today I had half a piece of French toast with syrup(200) for breakfast. I took Adam out to lunch while the girls had a play date. I ate half of a grilled chicken sandwich with mayonnaise, a piece of lettuce and tomato. I also had fries. I had a diet coke, which is very unusual for me and it was a nice treat. The total was 700. Dinner is going to be leftover turkey and salad along with some sweet potatoes(450). I am going to allow myself to have some popcorn tonight for snack. That is about 100 calories, so I will definitely be within the allowance---at 1550. I may have a hot chocolate for 80, but that will still only be 1630. I am trying to keep it lower than 1650 today if I can. I will also be exercising for 45 minutes before dinner tonight. I am not motivated for that today, but I know I need to do it. My next weigh in will be next Friday because I think we are going out for pizza and I don't want that to affect the weekly weigh in.

Hope everyone is staying warm on this blustery day.

Wild Wednesday

I am writing before we go to a hockey game with the kids because I am already tired and not sure if I will want to post when we get home. I couldn't exercise this morning because I had irritated my skin and it hurt when I walked. I did manage to walk for about 20 minutes this afternoon, which isn't great, but at least I moved quickly for a few minutes. I will be better tomorrow so that I can walk for my 30 minutes.

Breakfast was hot chocolate(80) and oatmeal(160). Lunch was a bagel with cream cheese(400). My afternoon snack was a yogurt(110). Dinner was a hot dog(170) with mustard and sauerkraut(40). I also had some cheddar chips(300). I had a couple of bite size chocolates for 100 calories. I have left myself some calories so that I can have a soft pretzel(300) at the hockey game.

Tomorrow is a big calorie day, but I will be busy in the morning so I can save most of the calories for Thanksgiving dinner.

A Day of Celebration

I had allotted 1800 calories today and that may have been more if I had remembered that I was going out to dinner. Breakfast was oatmeal(160) and later in the morning I had a lo carb treat(110). Lunch was about 2/3 a can of Italian vegetable soup(180). I had some pretzels with mustard (275) for snack. Emily picked Friendly's for dinner, which is not one of my favorites, but since it was her birthday, we went. I had a chicken, vegetable fajita quesadilla. I have no idea how many calories that was...but after calculating the individual pieces, I think it may have been about 925. I had a few pieces of chocolate for 150 calories.

I have calculated that I ate all of my calories for the day, and I hope I am accurate. When I go to places that I can't look up the whole meal on Calorie King I get a bit worried, but I think I did it accurately today. I got to exercise for 30 minutes today. I have managed to create an irritation on my inner leg so I may not be able to walk tomorrow. Also, due to a visit I have to make to the hospital on Thursday, I am not going to be able to do Pilates, I will only be able to walk I think.

Manic Monday

What a busy day. I ran around all over the place again today. I did get to exercise 2 times today for a total of 60 minutes of cardio. For breakfast I had a bagel with cream cheese on one half and butter on the other(470). For lunch I had peanut butter on Wheat Thins and some chips(550). For dinner I had half of a turkey sandwich and mashed potatoes with sour cream(550). I had a hot chocolate with marshmallows for dessert(100). When I make hot chocolate I just use the powder and water so that I can have it more often because it is lower in calories--less taste but at least it is a chocolate flavor.

I went over my calories by 20 which isn't terribly bad, but I am slightly unhappy about that. I want to weigh in Thursday morning this week because I know I have a big calorie day allowed on Thursday. Overall, I think I did alright today and I am proud of myself for exercising tonight even though it was a bit late until I got to eat dinner.

A soggy Sunday

Well, the weather isn't really motivating for anything, but I exercised anyway. I walked for 40 minutes today. I enjoy the weekend exercising because there is less of a time restraint. I think for now I am going to increase the walking to 40 minutes if I can fit it in. If I am pressed for time, I will do at least 30 minutes. I am going to exercise at night with the hubby also so that way I can try to do pilates in the morning sometimes. Right now I feel that the walking is providing the best results so I want to keep with it. I know though that it is important to do strength training. I think it might be time to buy a few videos that incorporate both.

Yesterday was a successful 2500 calorie day. I didn't count, but I know the amount I ate for dinner was about 1000 and lunch and breakfast combined was 850(exactly). So that leaves 650 worth of chips and a glass of wine that I had. I think I fell within the range.

Today I am allowed 1800 and I am doing well so far. Breakfast was a bite of this and a bite of that for about 400 calories (that can get me in trouble if I don't watch what I am nibbling from the kids, but now I really pay attention to that) and half of a frozen individual pizza with some pretzels for lunch(200). Dinner is going to be turkey leftovers (200) and a cup of mashed potatoes(237). I am also going to have a side salad with dressing(170). I am going to have a snack in a few minutes of pretzels and mustard(200) with some hot chocolate(100). That leaves me with 293 calories for after dinner. I am sure I will find something to use them on.

Here is this week's plan:

Monday: 1650; walk--1 hour total
Tuesday: 1800; walk--30 mintes
Wednesday: 1700; walk 35 minutes
Thursday: 2400; walk & pilates
Friday: 1700; walk-45 minutes
Saturday: 2300; walk and pilates
Sunday 1750; walk -45 minutes

Frantic Friday

I feel like I have traversed the Earth the last couple of days. In between being very busy with errands and appointments, I have managed to stay on my plan. I did switch around a bit though. I ate a bit too much on Thursday because I was craving some pretzels. Thursday I ate 2000, today I am supposed to eat 1700 instead of 1800 and tomorrow I am going to keep my 2700 allotted because I am still within the range, actually under. Now I have a total amount of 13,600 for the week allotted and I am allowed 13,664. This is the first time that I even got close to that amount-usually I am about 400 calories under. I try to keep it under and I am not sure why. That is the amount I am allowed with significant loss and it seems to be working so I may increase my calories another day a week. I will consider that when I make this week's plan.

I have been walking everyday and tomorrow I am going to take the day off. I tried a new Pilates workout this week and was unsuccessful because I had restraints due to the foot problems I have been experiencing. The walking isn't affecting it as badly now though. I walked 35 minutes today and yesterday. I might take tomorrow as a day of rest since I have walked everyday since Monday, but we will see if I want to talk anyway. I would really like to walk as many days a week as possible and I don't mind not taking a day off. I am going to try to walk and do pilates tomorrow(I will most likely exercise because I enjoy it) or Sunday and then again on Thursday and Friday since there is no schedule those days. I might go to the library one day this week to check out some new pilates videos. I am really enjoying them but some poses are just too hard for my foot.

I also weighed in yesterday morning. I weighed in on Tuesday to sneak a peek and I had not gained any weight. When I weighed in on Thursday, I had lost a pound and a half I have lost a total of 23.5 pounds. If I can reach the goal of 30 pounds by Thanksgiving that would be ideal. I would like to lose 5 more pounds by Christmas. I think that is a reasonable amount, 5 pounds a month.

A boring but successful day

Today was pretty boring so I got hungry during the day. I drank my water and that helped. I already drank 8.5 glasses of water today and I will probably drink about 2 more. When I am bored I drink more water and I guess that can be good.

My allotment for today was 1700 calories. I stayed within the limits. I had oatmeal for breakfast and a hot chocolate(90). For lunch I had a grilled chicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce, and tomato(330) and I also got a small order of fries from Wendy's(332). I had an apple(60) also to quench the sweet tooth I had after the salty fries. For dinner I had a small turkey croquette with gravy, mashed potatoes and some cucumbers with a small amount of salad dressing for a total of 610 calories. I have 30 calories left and I may eat some carrots later for snack since they are a minimal amount. Otherwise I meat eat a cup of popcorn since that is 35 calories--only putting me over by 5, which I think is still fine.

I tried to exercise with a new Pilates workout this morning, but it was too hard on my foot so I had to quit after about 30 minutes. Instead, I walked the treadmill for 25 minutes this evening. My foot hurts a bit because of the rainy weather that is upon us.

I am definitely going to weigh in tomorrow to see the results. I am going to walk again in the morning but I won't be able to walk at night due to prior commitments. I have an extremely busy Friday as well, but I am going to get up early and exercise instead of waiting until mid morning to walk like I usually do.

Not such good food

Well, even though I stayed within my calories for the day, I didn't each so healthy. I had a bagel and veggie cream cheese for breakfast and a honey bran muffin with raisins around 11:30. For lunch I had a Lean Cuisine worth 260 calories. I had a snack after work that was a mix of sweet and salt--popcorn and chocolate. Dinner was salmon, creamed spinach, and a baked potato with sour cream. Dinner was early tonight so I can exercise again tonight. I walked for 35 minutes this morning and I thought I was done with that for dinner. Steve called and asked if I wanted to exercise tonight. I think he wanted to exercise but didn't want to do it by himself. I figure keeping him company was good for me so I might as well use the treadmill again. I think I will do pilates in the morning tomorrow since I will have walked twice today.

I will probably weigh in tomorrow if I feel less bloated. The cold cuts I ate on Sunday really made me retain water and I have been peeing a lot. So I hope that I have gotten rid of my water weight. I would really like to see if I have maintained my loss since I was away.

I will let you know.......

The counting begins again

After about 10 days off I got back to the routine today. I did exercise for about 35 minutes, but pilates wasn't added to that. I just had to much to do and to get the kids off to school while getting unpacked and re-organized from vacation was too much to do extra exercise.

I had a 1700 calorie day today and I stuck to it. I had oatmeal for breakfast(160). I snuck in some chocolate for snack(170). I had an individual pizza for lunch with pepperoni(610). I had a hot chocolate for snack(85). For dinner I had turkey with gravy(270), brussel sprouts(200)--I will have to share that recipe someday when I have more energy and salad with dressing(190).
So I have used all but 20 calories today. Tomorrow I will have a 2000 calorie day and I may treat myself to a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast--I have been craving one of those but they total about 450 I think so I save them for high calorie days.

I would say I had a successful day back on the plan. I think I overestimated the salad and the brussell sprouts since I had to do that on my own, but better to overestimate than to under count the calories.

Back to reality

Well, here we are back in New Jersey and I am sitting down to figure out what my calorie plan is for the week. I have a pretty easy week coming up(in relation to work), so that makes it a bit easier. I intend to weigh in either tomorrow or Tuesday to see how I did while we were away. I actually got up to exercise this morning but only got in about 20 minutes of cardio since I had a busy morning. I will return to the usual tomorrow. So here is the plan....

Monday: 1700 and cardio/pilates
Tuesday: 2000 and cardio
Wednesday: 1700 and cardio
Thursday: 1600 and pilates
Friday: 1800 and cardio
Saturday: 2700 and cardio
Sunday: 1800 and cardio/pilates

I feel successful

Well, I am tired,but have been trying to keep up with the plan. I am estimating that i uaed between abot 17OO to 2OOO cals a day while walking between 6and 1O miles a day.

I just exercised and wieghed in at my parent's gym. With clothes i was the same as when i left so i am hopeful that i have lost weight. we will see.

i am using steve's pda so capitals and spelling are difficult - please forgive me.

An early start

When I weighed in this morning, I was a pound up. I knew that even before I stepped on the scale because my fingers felt a bit bloated. Two things happened that explains this. I ate pizza last night, which always leaves me bloated the next day so it isn't a problem. The other thing that happened is that yesterday my period returned. I have not had a such a long period since I was a teenager. I have cramps again this morning and I feel bloated in my stomach. I am hoping that this disappears by the time I have to fly because flying with a bloated belly would be yucky.

I went a bit over my calories yesterday, but not by much. I hope that while I am in Disney I will be able to keep off any larger than normal amount of calories with all of the walking we do. We have even mapped out where the fruit stand is in every park so that we can have some healthy snacks.

Well, off to take some Advil for the cramps and wake up the rest of the family. Hope you have a fun, healthy, successful week!