Today was the day

I looked at my measurements from the last 2 months and realized that I do them on the last day of the month and that is today. So here goes.

FEBRUARY
bust: 0
band(bra strap) .5 inches
waist: 1 inch
thigh: 1 inch
hips: .75 inches
arm: .5 inches
neck: .5 inch
TOTAL 4.25

Since December 21, 2007
bust: 1.75 inches
band: 1 inch
waist: 7 inches
thigh: 2 inches
hips: 2 inches
arm: 1.25 inches
neck: 1 inch
TOTAL: 16 inches

I only lost 3.5 pounds this month, but it is still a loss. My total weight loss to date is 41 pounds. That makes me very happy. I still have short and long term goals in mind. I would like to lose another 3.5 pounds by March 20 and a total of 25 pounds by June 20th(only 21.5 to go). I think both goals are attainable and I am happy with how I am progressing.

I am 35.3% of my way to my goal weight. My body looks toner and I am overall happier with myself so that is very pleasing to me.

A busy day, but productive

Today was a 1500 calorie day and I was so busy doing all kinds of errands and chores that the day flew by. I started my day with 2 slices of low fat, low sodium Swiss cheese(200) while I was preparing lunches, snacks, breakfasts and many other items for the kids and hubby. I exercised a total of 40 minutes this morning. I walked for 20 minutes on the treadmill and rode the bike for another 20 minutes. For lunch I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some chips(530). For snack I had a 100 calorie pack of chocolate chip wafers. For dinner, I had an Asian mix in a pre-packaged bag of noodles, sauce and some veggies. We added broccoli and chicken to make a complete dinner(530). The sauce was great and the dinner was filling because we also had some leftover bean salad(100). I had some popcorn tonight also(70). My total for the day was 1530. Not that bad overall, and I had a good variety of food so I don't mind that I went over by 30 calories. I hope to keep tomorrow a 1400 calorie day so that I can have a good weigh in on Saturday.

What a Wednesday!

Well, my day started with exercising to a new strength video using my on-demand portion of the cable system. I like doing new videos and if I don't like one, I never have to feel bad about having bought it since I really didn't. I did a combo strength and pilates workout. I didn't like it too much but I didn't hate it. It was only 20 minutes long, but that was all the time I had yesterday AM. I also walked for 40 minutes on the treadmill last night for my cardio.

As for the diet, I did well. Breakfast was oatmeal(120) and a banana(70). I had 2 small candy bars(200) as a pick me up in the morning. Lunch was a small salad(200) and sushi(300). Dinner was roasted pork(170) and another small salad(175). For snack after dinner I had popcorn(75). My total for the day was 1310. I am pleased with that considering I didn't feel like I had to watch myself too much with the snacking, which is my downfall.

Tuesday's Tale

I started my day with oatmeal(100). At work I had a hot chocolate(200) and some pretzel fish(100). Then I went to a lunch meeting where I had a great salad called grilled bruschetta chicken salad. I ate it with balsamic vinaigrette dressing so I think the total for the salad was 250 calories. I also had a half a cup of navy bean soup which I estimate to be 100 calories(which is probably a high estimate). When I came home I had some leftover nachos from dinner the other night which were 300. For dinner, we surprisingly went to Applebees. I had a chili-lime grilled chicken salad, which the restaurant labeled as having 250 calories. When we got home, I had a piece of chocolate cake(a tiny piece) for 200 calories. So my total for yesterday was right on target with 1500 calories. I only exercised one time--I rode the bike--because my foot hurt more than usual so I didn't want to stress it out.

Back to the grind

Well, after a not so great weekend of calorie intake, I was much more strict today. I didn't go overboard on Sunday, but I did eat a bit salty and had a piece of cake which was about 300 calories too many for the day.

Here is today's list of food:
Breakfast: oatmeal=200
snack: apple=70
Lunch: salad=150
snack: leftover chili on chips=500
Dinner: chicken stir fry=400
Dessert: 100 calorie cookie bar

Today I was allowed 1400 and I went over a bit with 1490. I am not that bothered because it is under 1500, which is what the doctor told me I should be in taking every day. So tomorrow I will try to keep it closer to 1400 instead of 1500, but I may have a bit of difficulty with that. I have to attend a lunch meeting tomorrow, but I am sure there will be a salad I can have. The tough part will be the salad dressing. I will ask for balsamic vinaigrette or a light dressing on the side.

I used a little extra lemon today--two glasses with it--so that I can cleanse my body and pee out some of the extra salt weight. I feel a difference in my ring already so I know I must have lost some of the salt weight that I took in on chili night.

I was supposed to do cardio two times today. I did a strength and cardio workout this morning. Tonight I walked on the treadmill. My body hurts a bit today because I have been working a bit harder to push my workouts to the next level. It feels good to know that even on the days when I may have a higher calorie content or if I go over my limit that I am exercising to combat that.

Goals for the Week

Monday: 1400; cardio AM and PM
Tuesday: 1500; strength AM and cardio PM
Wednesday: 1400; cardio AM and PM
Thursday: 1500; strength with cardio AM and cardio PM
Friday: 1400; (strength AM?) and cardio PM
Saturday: splurge and cardio--weigh in and measurement day
Sunday: 1500; cardio

T.G.I.S.D.

I have officially decided that there should be an abbreviation for Thank goodness it's splurge day(TGISD), in addition to TGIF. I am having a great one so far. I had a waffle for breakfast and some fries for lunch. For dinner, we are going to a chili party where everyone brings their own chili and we judge it. That is always fun--we have been doing this for about 5 years now. It is across the street so we can have a couple of drinks as well. What a great way to enjoy a splurge day--at someone else's house where I don't have to do a lot of cleaning.

I am going to exercise in a few minutes so that I can really enjoy the splurge event.

Tomorrow it is back to normal calories but I can do it this week in hopes to see some good results next Saturday. I am not sure about how much weight will be lost, but I see myself as having gained a lot of muscle this month which makes me look toner!

Checking in

I have been mostly on track with the plan yesterday and today. I have been a bit tired and crampy, but feeling better tonight.

Today I had cheerios with milk for breakfast(300). For lunch I had a frozen meal called Enchilada with rice(270). It was tasty--it had a sour cream sauce. I had some chips for snack(250). For dinner I had fries with mayo(470). Then for dessert I had some girl scout cookies(210). My total was 1500 exactly---probably only because I only had 3 cookies left so that is what I ate, otherwise I may have had more. My stomach is a bit uncomfortable from having my period so I am not certain if I am going to have my lemon water tonight. I will decide that after the kids go to bed since that is my normal time to drink it.

As for exercise, I didn't do any today. When I woke up, I felt crampy so I thought about the last time I took a rest---it was my birthday, which was 2 weeks ago. I decided that it would be a good idea to take a break. I will go back to it tomorrow morning. If I have to shovel, then that will be my exercise!

So overall a good day!

Off the path

Well, for the first time since I started this program I completely fell off the wagon. I was fine until I got home from work. Then I ate chips and a piece of pizza, neither of which were on the calorie list allotment today. So in all I ate about 2000 calories today. I was only supposed to have 1400, so I took away some from tomorrow(200). I think though I might just take it as a day off track because I can't really make my calories any lower. My splurge day can't be changed either because I have a party to go to. Oh well, I guess it happens. Tomorrow I have a special, but low calorie lunch planned so that will keep my interest and I hope I won't go off track. I know I mentioned this before, but part of my problem is that I have PMS and am getting my period any day now. That makes me crave some weird stuff.

I exercised twice today, which was my goal. This morning I rode the bike for 15 minutes and walked for another 15. Tonight I did strength training. I want to exercise twice tomorrow, but I think I may only wind up doing it once. I will try to do it twice another day this week to make up for it, but I am not hopeful about that since I am taking care of the kids alone. As long as I don't have another downfall day I will be alright because I don't plan to take off any days of exercise this week.

Another day

Well, today was just another day. I stayed pretty active, but nothing excessive. I walked on the treadmill today, but nothing else since we got pretty busy around dinner time. I am still okay with that considering I at least exercised once today. I will try to exercise twice tomorrow as planned. It is going to be a tad difficult though because hubby will be away and I am less motivated to exercise at night when he isn't around.

The diet today wasn't great, but I still stayed within limits. For breakfast, I had 2 oreos(140). For lunch I had a pepperoni and low fat/low salt swiss sandwich on wheat bread(315). I also had some Doritos(150). For snack I had a soft pretzel(160). I bought a box of them at Shoprite last week since they were on sale and pretty low in calories. For dinner, we had pizza(600). I also had some cheese crackers today(130). My total was 1505 on a day when I was alloted 1500. An overall successful day.

I have a tough week coming up for a couple of reasons. I already mentioned hubby going away and he is a big support for me, expecially at night. The second is that I am having significant PMS issues this month that don't help the desire for salt and sweet. I am hoping the salt on the soft pretzels I bought will help a bit with that if I have one for a snack after work. I just want to make it through the week within my allotment! I don't usually have such a tough time during PMS, but this month is particularly tough.

On a good note, I did weigh myself today. I am not certain why I did, but it was a moderately good thing. I have lost another pound. So that is 41 pounds in total. I try not to weigh often, but this week I needed a bit of motivation. I looked at my loss since the beginning of the month and it made me happy. So hopefully at the end of the month when I measure and weigh in again I will be even happier. I have seen significant changes in my body even if it is not in significant amount of inches. Overall I am just happier about my body, which is a motivator in itself.

Sinful Sunday

I didn't have an all out splurge day scheduled today, but I alloted 2200 since my calories were low yesterday. I haven't eaten dinner yet, but I have it planned. For breakfast, I had waffle with syrup(300)...I haven't had that in a long time and it was a nice treat. For lunch I had a pepperoni and low fat/low sodium swiss cheese sandwich with mustard on lite wheat bread(315). I also had a few baby carrots(25) and a stalk of celery(10) with some ranch dip(60). For snack, I had an oreo cookie bar(100) and some caramels because hubby was cooking with them and I couldn't resist(160). For dinner I will be having a new bean salad(130) that I made after watching it on TV. I didn't have all the ingredients to I simply imrovised. If it is yummy I will pass the recipe on. I will also be having some plain chicken breast(142). I think I will also have some salad(175). That leaves me plenty of calories left for a piece of hubby's apple pie(411). SO my total calories projected for the day is 1818. I am very happy with that--even if I sneak another caramel(30).

I exercised two times today--once a walking video and once on the bike.

Here is the plan for this week: I intend to exercise 2 times on Monday and Tuesday
Monday: 1500
Tuesday: 1400
Wednesday: 1700
Thursday: 1400
Friday: 1500
Saturday: 3000

Saturday's strange success

Today was supposed to be a 2500 calorie day for me. Instead, it wound up being a low calorie day due to a stomach problem. I was doing fine until around 3:30 when I was exercising. I ate a cookie snack bar for breakfast(100) and hubby made corn dogs for lunch. I had one and a half as well as a pickle and some olives(500). I never tried a corn dog before today and it was great! I then spent the afternoon doing various chores and cooking pancakes and French toast to freeze for the kids(saves a ton of money). As I was getting ready to exercise, I noticed that my back hurt and I felt a bit constipated. So I started walking and about 22 minutes in I had to stop. I was dizzy and felt I had to throw up. So I went upstairs, got a shower and just laid down. I managed to doze off for about 10 minutes and still felt crappy when I woke up. I went downstairs and decided to try to empty the dishwasher. After I went to the bathroom, I felt much better. I still did not feel perfect, but I did eat a piece of chicken(250) for dinner--I skipped the fruit and coleslaw for fear that I would upset my stomach.

It is now 9PM and I feel much better. I had a couple of shortbread cookies and some plain popcorn for snack(300). So my total for today was 1150. I did manage to drink all of my water. I used lemon in each glass today and I wonder if that bothered my stomach. I hate stomach issues because I usually can't figure out a reason behind them unless there is a disease behind it.

So I did not get my full exercise in, but I got some in. I hope to be back to normal tomorrow. I think I will probably allow myself an 1800 calorie day tomorrow just so I get a bit of a treat. My next splurge day isn't until Saturday so I need a higher cal day in there somewhere. I will have to figure out my plan tomorrow.

TGIF

I had set a low calorie amount for today. I didn't get to breakfast today--just had a few cookies(300). I had a very late lunch. I made a chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on an italian style roll(400) and fries with mayo (382). For dinner, I had a grilled chicken breast(3 oz)and a small salad(total=292). I had some popcorn and chocolate for dessert(240). Not a bad food day, but not a particularly great one either. My total for today was 1594 and my allowed calories for the day was 1600.

I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes this morning. Tonight I rode the bike for another 30 minutes. I felt really good exercising today.

Overall, a good day. I feel more motivated that I did the last couple of days. I looked in the mirror this morning and had a good opinion of myself. I feel good about how my body is looking. I feel more tone and I see a better shape. I really don't love looking at myself naked but I think doing that today helped me feel stronger about following the plan as compared to giving up this weekend.

What a tough day

Well, I did great in the exercise department today. I did a strength training workout this morning and walked for 40 minutes tonight. I had oatmeal(130) for breakfast, salad, popcorn, and chicken for lunch(227) and salad again for dinner(200). That totaled 497 which is great for a 1500 calorie allowance day. However, there was junk around every corner today and I had to have it. In the morning I had a rice krispie treat(150). After lunch I had some fries(382). When I got home from work I had some cheese its(130). I also had some chocolate when my kids were opening their Valentine's cards and candies from school. I think that I had 350 calories in chocolate. So my total for the day was 1614. Not a bad amount, but not the 1500 I aimed for today.

That is the second time this week that I went over my allowance. I don't know what it is about me this week. I have no motivation to stick to the diet. Yesterday I even got a compliment about how I looked from somebody who I didn't think even noticed. So that should motivate me even more. Whatever this slump is I hope it passes. I am undecided about weighing in this weekend. I think I will because I will have my period the next week and I don't want to weigh in then. If I have gained any weight it might be a motivator to get back on the straight and narrow. Like I said, I haven't been doing terribly, but I think I have slipped a bit. I think the truth of it is that I am just a bit tired of calorie counting.

An idea I had was to not calorie count at all this weekend to give myself a break. I know how to eat healthy so I wouldn't eat trash, but I would not count every item. I figure the worse that might happen is that I would simply break even. I will see how I feel after tomorrow, when I have another low calorie day.

Wonderful Wednesday

I stayed within the calorie allotment for the day, but I ate like crap. I was allowed 2000 calories today and I used every one of them. I am just going to list my food because I don't feel like writing tonight. It was all I could do to get myself to log on to blog tonight.
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
snack:m&m's
lunch: salad and coffee coolata
snack: cheese its
dinner: meatballs and fries

I allowed myself the extra half hour of sleep this morning and waited to ride the bike until this evening.

So overall, a good diet and exercise day. My stomach still hurts a bit, but has improved. Hopefully tomorrow I will be all better! I am going to try to go to bed really soon because I am completely wiped out from the illness and taking care of everything I normally do in the house and with the kids while still being sick.

Just another day

I had a good calorie day today...I was allowed 1500 and stayed close with 1513. Breakfast was oatmeal(130), lunch was salad(125) and a chicken drumstick(112), dinner was meatballs and pasta with some sprinkle cheese(626). Morning snack was fruit(50) and a few Swedish fish(60). Afternoon snack was a Yoplait Boston creme yogurt(110)---yummy!! All in all a good food day!

I also had a good exercise day today. I managed to walk 2 times for 30 minutes each.

I looked at my revised goals from yesterday and am happy with what I decided. In the long run, it comes out to about 5-7 pounds of projected weight loss each month. I am so excited by how much progress I have made already and look forward to how much more progress I will make in the future!!

A new week and some new goals

Today was a decent calorie day, but I am sick to my stomach. I am finally getting over my cold, but I have a stomach bug of some kind. For breakfast I had cereal with milk, for lunch I had some soup and a burrito, for snack I had some chips and for dinner I had salad. Today's total was right on target with 1400. I couldn't manage to exercise this morning, although I did do some cleaning for about a half hour so I was on the move for a while. Tonight I rode the recumbent bike for 35 minutes. I know I was supposed to exercise twice today, but when I don't feel well, I have to give myself a break.

I was thinking about the goals I have achieved so far and where I want to go from here. My original goal was to lose a total of 20 pounds between Jan 1 and March 20. Since that is a bit of a push, I have decided to re-evaluate my plan. A reasonable plan would be to lose another 25 pounds by June 19th--which is the day before I leave for vacation. So that would mean I would lose a total of 65 pounds from September until June 20. So my small goal for now is to lose 7 pounds by March 20. As I continue on in this diet, it gets slightly harder to lost 2 pounds a week so I have to account for the weeks when I only lose 1 pound. That is still okay, but I need to make sure I am not dissappointed. I still intend to keep up my exercise and take my measurements as well. I just thought that I need to revise my plan. It is possible that I could lost 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks, but this cold weather does not help that. I think once we are able to go outside and play with the kids, I will be able to lose more weight simply by being in motion more often.

Well, now that I have babbled on, I hope that I have made some sense. I am open to ideas and suggestions if anyone has any. Please feel free to post them in the comment area.

Not a successful day

I just spent the last 15 minutes writing a detailed description of the upcoming week and what happened today, but then the blog system failed. I don't have it in me to write it all again. Suffice it to say that my calories were supposed to be 1500 and they were just under 1800. So not a total blowout, but not something I am proud of. I had a hungry day and snacked after dinner. I had 3 oreos and some pretzels that put me over the edge. I also had a second serving of fries at dinner that didn't help.

I did exercise today but it couldn't have combatted all that I ate. Either way, tomorrow is a new day. I don't really intend to change my calories for the rest of the week because they are already pretty low. I do not intend to have a splurge on Saturday though. I am going to keep it at 2000 2 times this week instead. I am going to try my best to stick with the exercise 2 times a day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Splurge Saturday

Yummy!!! That about sums it up! I ate chips for breakfast and then had a piece of the kids' frozen pizza for lunch. For dinner I had bagels and lox---my birthday choice at my parents' house. I enjoyed every second of the cake that they bought me too. Although, I only ate a little piece because I didn't want to make my stomach upset. It is kind of grumbling at me already though.

My exercise felt tiring but great today. I did Kathy Smith's video. I did the first 30 minute section which is cardio with strength training. Then I did the core conditioning section. It is about 10 minutes long. I only did 5 because I never did that section before. I enjoyed it! Next time I am going to do the whole section. The problem with that workout is that my foot has difficulty with some of the moves. I have figured out which ones hurt it the most so I just keep marching when they happen. Unfortunately, my foot hurts tonight, but I am not sure if it is from the weather or the workout. I will do a standard workout tomorrow so that I can give my foot a rest.

Back to low calories tomorrow, but today was worth the wait!

What a nice, yet frustrating day

I got to tell 2 people who haven't seen me in a couple months that I lost 40 pounds. It was nice to hear how proud they were of me. I can't wait for them to see me. I also went shopping today. I had a bit of Kohl's money left so I tried to use it. I tried on several things and I had only success with a plain shirt. The things I tried on fit in most places except my bust. I am not going to lose any significant amount of my chest so I don't how to combat that. I tried a short sleeve shirt on and it was too tight in my arms--because of my new, firmer, more muscular arms!! So I was pleased with myself, but just frustrated with some of the clothes. I will keep trying. I will have to try Steinmart soon!!

As for my exercise, I did a Leslie Sansone walking video and then vaccuumed and cleaned the basement. So overall, about 45 minutes of exercise.

My calorie allotment was 1500 and I stayed within that amount. Breakfast was oatmeal(140). Lunch was a burrito and chips(530). My snack was more chips(170). I made beer stew for dinner(500). I had a few M&M's for dessert(160). So overall a good day, but just a bit too much salt. I may be bloated for that tomorrow, but I am going to wait to weigh myself until next week since I did already weigh in on Thursday. I am still so excited that I can tell people I lost 40 pounds since September.

My birthday gift

I made it to my birthday before weighing in---I lost my 40 pounds. I have now lost 34.5% of the weight I intend to lose. I am so happy!! So since it was my birthday and I did lose my weight, I treated myself to a coffee coolatta for breakfast. Then a friend at work bought me a Chai tea for a treat. So between the two of those treats, I used 362 calories. I had a frosen lunch for 290 calories. When I got home from work I had some chips(350). For dinner, I wasn't that careful about counting because we went out, but I didn't do too badly. I had 2 small ribs(200), 2 onion rings(150), and a large salad. I had olives(100) on the salad, onions, a couple roasted peppers, lettuce and I had my favorite blue cheese dressing(200). I am going to add another 100 calories for random toppings and parts of the salad that were very minimal but hard to account for when eating out.

So my allotment for today was 1700. I think I went over by 52 calories. This isn't such a bad thing. I intend to have a low calorie day tomorrow and then splurge day on Saturday. I feel exhausted today and have no voice, but I got some great gifts from my husband so that made up for it. He gave me a gift certificate to get my nails done--the acrylic that I have been talking about ever since Sassy talked so highly of them. I also got a new watch and a laser mouse for the laptop. How fun!!

Well, off to take my nyquil and try to sleep for a few hours while I can breathe. I think I might weigh in on Saturday since that is my usual day. I am so happy at my goal. My next goal(actually the original one) is to lose 10 more pounds by
March 20th.

What a day!

Today started with a bit of light-headedness as I stood up from my bed. I walked around for a few minutes and waited it out while I did my morning routine. I managed to walk for about 30 minutes this morning at a decent speed. This evening I also exercised for another 40 minutes. I walked faster than I have in a while and it felt good even though my nose is stuffy and my chest hurts a bit. Even if tomorrow wasn't a scheduled rest day, it would have to be since I am sick.

My calorie allotment for today was 1400. For breakfast, I had oatmeal(150). For lunch I had 3 oz of salmon(173) and a tiny bit of salad(150). I had a burrito with a bit of sour cream(280) for snack and I also had some chips(250). I do not really feel well enough to have dinner so I am going to have a cup of hot chocolate(80) and I had a bit of creamed corn(50). I was supposed to have chicken and squash also, but I just can't stomach that right now. I had a few Jolly Ranchers during the day
(75). So my total is 1165--not because I want it to be low, but because I just don't feel good.

Tomorrow is my weigh in day. I think I came close to my goal of 40 pounds lost. I will report tomorrow!!

Tuesday

Today was a successful day on the plan. I was allowed 1500 calories. For breakfast I had oatmeal(100). For lunch I had a frozen meal(260), a banana(75), and cheese crackers(100). For snack I had a burrito(260). For dinner I had baked salmon(250), green beans(40) and a baked potato with sour cream(175). I had pretzels for dessert
(130).

I have a cold now so I am really beat. I tried to exercise this morning but after 20 minutes on the bike, I couldn't go on anymore. So tonight I exercised by walking on the treadmill. I didn't walk my fastest, but I didn't walk my slowest either. I had a good 35 minute workout.

So overall a good day, but I still feel like crap. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

A tough one

So Monday's are usually a little tougher after a fun splurge on the weekend. For breakfast I had a banana(70) and a couple bites of dry cheerios.(20) For lunch I had a bean burrito(260) and some Doritos(240). For snack I had a cookie bar(100) and some pretzels(110). For dinner, I went to TGI Friday's with a friend. I ordered the cedar smoked salmon salad. I estimated--with a confident amount of accuracy--that the dinner was 435(I chose a balsamic viniagrette and about 5 ounces of salmon). I even had 2 Caramel delite Girl Scout cookies for dessert(140). Amazingly, I stayed within my allotment at 1375 calories. I know my salt intake for today was high, but I made sure to drink water with lemon tonight to try to fight that a bit.

As for exercise, I did a walking video with strength training incorporated in it.

I have the beginning of a sore throat and hope that I am not getting sick. My head hurts a bit also. I intend to exercise tomorrow morning, but we will see if I can manage tomorrow night also if I do wind up getting a cold. I hope I am not getting sick for my birthday--that would stink.

Sunday's Splurge

Today we went to a Chinese Buffet for lunch. I ate various kinds of sushi that had crab, avocado, carrots and seaweed. I also had some cheese ragoons and some eggplant in a great sauce. After running around doing various errands, we came home and played basketball out front with the kids. Then we exercised for about 35 minutes. I sweated like a fiend!! Dinner was junk--some chips and dip. I put some extra lemon in my water today to try to combat the salt intake from the chips.

So I had a great splurge day and even another nice surprise---a good weigh in today! I have officially lost 39 pounds. I have almost gotten to my 40 pound goal by my birthday. I hope to make it!! This week I lost 2.5 pounds. So maybe this 1500 calories a day theory is really going to work for a while. I am going to increase my in between days, but not this week because I have a big week of social events. Tomorrow night I am going out with a friend to TGI Friday's. I think they have low cal dishes and if they don't, I will eat a salad. Thursday I am going out to dinner and Saturday is my splurge day. So I am going to keep most of the days low to try to combat some of the junk intake that I know will happen during the week--even though I count the junk, I find it harder to lose weight when I eat things with fructose. So my goals are listed below, but I think things may change a bit as the week goes on--hopefully not that much.

Monday: 1400/cardio with strength
Tuesday: 1500/cardio 2 times
Wednesday: 1400/cardio 2 times
Thursday: 1700 rest ?
Friday: 1500 cardio with strength
Saturday: 3000/cardio
Sunday: 1500/cardio

Here's hoping that I can lose my extra pound by Thursday---that will be an early weigh in, but I have a goal so that is okay.

Saturday's success

Today was a successful day! I was alloted 1650 calories and I will have used 1607 calories when all is said and done.

For breakfast I had oatmeal(225). Well, today was not a splurge day, but we did have a high calorie lunch. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and fries(902). For dinner, in order to combat the high calorie lunch, I made a tossed salad for dinner(400). It was nice to have the light meal.

Since I had a busy morning and afternoon, I didn't get to exercise until about 5 tonight. I rode the bike for about 8 minutes to warm up. Then I walked on the treadmill for 35 minutes. I know I always complain about it, but my foot is just screaming the last few days. While I am sitting still it is just throbbing. I am trying to ignore it, but it is becoming a bit overwhelming. I hope the warmer weather that is predicted for later this week helps it.

So overall, I had a great meal and stayed within my calories. I think my dessert will be hot chocolate(80) tonight.

TGIF

I am so glad it is the weekend! I had a successful day on my plan. I was alloted 1500 and I was close with 1535. For breakfast I had cheerios with milk(280). I also had a bit of granola(30). For lunch, I had an individual frozen pizza(410) and some pretzels(100). For dinner I made a new recipe....a wine and sour cream sauce for pork chops, with onions and mushrooms(385). I also had some more bean salad(140). For dessert, I had some Girl Scout cookies(190).

I did my cardio/strength walking workout this morning. This evening I walked the treadmill for another 30 minutes. I kept in motion a lot with my household chores, so I am hoping that combats the extra 30 calories I went over.

I am going to try to wait until Sunday to weigh in, but I might sneak a peek tomorrow.