Thursdays success

It was an exercise free day for me and that felt nice.

My caloric intake was supposed to be 1700 today. I stayed within my limits. For breakfast I had cinnamin spice oatmeal(200). I treated myself to a coffee coolatta today(170). For lunch I had a greek salad with chicken(500). I had some peanut butter for a quick snack(124). For dinner I had a burrito(260) with sour cream(40) and some olives(50). For dessert I had some popcorn(120) and an ice cream sandwich(140). My total for today was 1584. I am going to keep it at that because some of the food was not all that healthy.

Today was measurement day for me. I am so pleased with my results. I wish I had taken my measurements when I started this program back in September so I could see the total results.
Here are the measurements and the losses--all areas were losses!!
bust: 1.75 inches
waist: 6 inches --couldn't believe it so I measured 3 times!!!
thigh: 1 inch
hips: 1.5 inches
arm: .75 inches
neck: .5 inches

I also measured the area where my bra strap sits but I don't know what to call that(I named it the band area)
band(basically under bust): .5 inches lost

Overall, I lost 12 inches. I am so excited by that!!! I took a good look at myself in the mirror this morning--which is not usually what I like to do while naked---and could really see the difference. I have kind of avoided looking lately so that I would be surprised. I have, of course, checked myself out in clothes, but they do cover up problem areas. I put on a pair of pants that I bought about 2 weeks ago. I had not yet worn them and they are already big enough to pull up and down without undoing the button on the fly. I was so shocked by that. I have lost a lot of inches in the waist area in the last couple of weeks. I know some of it is being toner, but I can see a big difference in that area the most.

I had talked to Sassy about the post pregnancy/c-section belly fat. It is getting better, although it is going to take a long time to try to shrink, even with all of the weight and inch loss. Part of that is the fact that I have been overweight for a long time and part of that is from having a twin pregnancy that completely distended my skin. I will keep on trucking with those 7 minute abs. which I try to do at least 3 times a week.

I also got my bloodwork results from the doctor. My triglycerides are at 260 and shouldn't be over 150. My cholesterol is pretty good--217, should be at 200 or below. I unfortunately have horrible genetics for these two numbers. Both of my parents have high cholesterol and triglycerides. My mom's can be controlled with diet but my dad's can not. He takes medicine. I eat oatmeal at least 4 times a week, fish a few times a week and turkey, chicken or pork the rest of the week. When I told the nurse what I was eating, she said I can't do much more to control it by diet. So she suggested that I start taking a fish oil supplement. So today I started that. I will get a re check on the bloodowork in 6 months. My cholesterol has always been on the higher end of average and with age things have a tendency to get higher. The nurse wasn't that worried about my numbers other than the triglycerides. I am going to do some research myself when I get a chance to see if there is anything else natural that can help. Any suggestions are welcome.

So overall, I had a successful month in the measurement department. I will weigh in this weekend to see how I did in the weight department. I feel really bloated in my fingers the last couple of days so I am a bit concerned.

Wonderful Wednesday

It was all I could do today to get out of bed to exercise. I hit snooze twice, which is not me at all. I usually just get right out of bed and start my day. I made it though....I rode the bike for 25 minutes and did some strength training for about 10 minutes after that. Tonight I walked on the treadmill for 35 minutes at a decent speed, but not as fast as I usually do. My foot has been hurting the last couple of days so I think tomorrow may have to be a day off. I had planned it as a possible rest day and I think since I haven't skipped in over 2 weeks, I am going to sleep in a little tomorrow morning.

As for my calorie intake today, I changed it to be only 1500 calories. I stayed within my allotment with a total of 1492. For breakfast, I had oatmeal(150). For lunch, I ate a small salad150) and a small amount of chicken salad(150). I also had a chocolate covered pretzel(200). For snack, I had 5m ini egg rolls(225). For dinner, I made fish cakes with cod this time, a bean salad and spinach(total=582). Dessert was a cup of popcorn(35). Overall, I did well today.

Tuesday's success

I must admit, I ate some chocolate last night after I wrote my blog. So I went over a bit--about 100 on the calories. To help combat this, I reduced today's calories by 100. So I was allotted 1500 today. For breakfast I had honey nut cheerios with milk(265). I had a cookie bar for snack(100). For lunch, I had a salad with half an avocado(300). I had a fruit cup and pretzels for snack(250). For dinner, I took the kids to Applebees since the hubby was on a business trip. I had a Weight Watcher meal that was Cajun Tilapia with rice, bean and corn salsa and steamed veggies. It totaled 310 calories. I also had a piece of bread(100) and a few of the kids fries(100). That leaves me with 75 calories left for the day, which is enough for a cup of hot chocolate--just what I need on such a yucky day.

I exercised this morning with a walk on the treadmill. I thought about exercising this evening again, but I am tired since I went to bed late. I am scheduled to exercise twice tomorrow so that is fine.

I have modified my calorie allotment for the week. I am trying to stay under 12000 total for the week. I will see if I can do it. Tomorrow is another 1500 calorie day and that is tough to have two in a row, but I am trying to have at least 3 1500 calorie days a week on advice from the doctor. I hope it works! I will let you know as the week progresses if I can keep going at the low amount for more than 3 days.

Monday, Monday

So the week begins with a low cal day. Even though I only had 1400 calories allotted today, I was so busy that it didn't matter that much. I didn't get a chance to eat more than one piece of bacon(40) for breakfast today. For lunch I ate an individual pizza and a few grapes(375 total). I had my afternoon burrito for snack(280). For dinner I had a salad with pretzels and a half an avocado(650). That leaves me at 1345 total for the day. I have been trying to figure out what I can snack on because I am almost sure that I will need a snack to get me through without failure. I may have to go over in calories, but not by much. I am thinking of having a cup of chai tea again because it is only 70 calories. That will give me a total of 1410, which is totally acceptable.

This morning I was running around doing various household chores and playing with my kids. When I got the chance, I turned on an walking video and the kids all did it with me. That was fun!!

Now on to a nice but weird event. Last night at the dinner table, out of the blue, my 6 year old daughter said to me, "Mommy, you look skinnier." I asked her what she meant and she said the same thing. When I asked him later, my husband said he did not tell her to say that. It is the second time that she has mentioned that to me since I have been losing weight. I don't use that word with the kids-"skinny"-- because it seems to have a negative connotation for me. So we use the words, getting healthier, thinner and stronger. It is so interesting to me that she sees changes in me. It makes me feel good to know that she is in tune with me. She also likes to exercise when I do. Last night she wanted to walk the treadmill while my husband rode the bike, so she did for 15 minutes. What great exercise for her!!

Successful Sunday

Today I was allowed 1500 calories and I stayed completely within my limits at 1390 total for the day. For breakfast I had regular oatmeal(100). At about 11:30 I was hungry but didn't want to eat lunch so I had some cheese crackers(200). For lunch I had a tuna sandwich on wheat with a slice of American cheese(310) and a pickle(20). For my afternoon snack with the kids I had some popcorn(70). For dinner, I made a new Asian stir fry package that we bought the last time we were at Costco. It includes noodles, Chinese veggies and a sauce. It is meant as a side dish, but if you add a protein(in my case chicken) you can make it the main dish. So we had the stir fry(600) and I made some of the mini egg rolls(90). I am definitely going to have a snack later--I think I will treat myself to a cup of chai tea because it relaxes me.

Exercising was not what I wanted to do today, but I managed to ride the bike for 30 minutes after I fed the kids lunch. It felt good, but I just had so many little things to do today that I didn't want to stop that to exercise.

Here is the plan for the upcoming week:
Monday: 1400 cardio and strength
Tuesday: 1600 cardio
Wednesday: 1750 cardio 2x
Thursday: 1500 rest
Friday: 1650 cardio and strength AM/cardio PM
Saturday: 1600 cardio
Sunday: 2500 cardio

I know last week I set an exercise schedule and was not able to stick to it, although I did exercise. So I am going to try to set a plan of exercise for the week and see what happens. I think as long as I exercise and try to get some strength training in, it is a successful week.

This week is a big one for me because I am going to check my measurements. I am almost positive that I will see some changes in the numbers because I see it when I look at myself in the mirror. I also hope to see a change in the number on the scale on Thursday.

As always, here's to a good week!

Sinful Saturday

Well, today was my splurge day and it was great. For the first time in a long time, I just ate whatever I felt like. I have to admit that on many splurge days I try to estimate what I eat and that has defeated the purpose of a splurge day. I had a roasted pepper, onion and goat cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread. How yummy!! I am so grateful that Sassy brought me to the new restaurant. The cheese fries we shared were great too! Then we spent a nice long time relaxing and being creative while we painted pottery. What a nice day!

The hubby made a plate for me and I had a bit of chicken, leeks and peas for dinner. I am not used to just eating a couple of meals, but I seemed to manage. I am full now though.

I was not intending to exercise today, but I decided to tonight because I felt so full and wanted to walk some of it off. I am going to plan a skip day in my schedule this week for sure but I am not certain which one. I will figure that out tomorrow.

What a great day!! So glad I got to spend it with Sassy!

Frustrating Friday

Work stunk today because it was so busy, but at least the day flew by and I didn't keep looking at the clock. I got my blood work done this morning and since it was a fasting script, I treated myself to a sausage, egg and cheese bagel afterwards(640). Since that was a lot of calories to use on a 1600 calorie day, I ate a lot of small snacks during the rest of the day. For lunch I had a frozen meal of stir fry in Hunan sauce(270). I also had a package of cookies with it(100). When I got home from work, I had cheese crackers(130) and 2 mini egg rolls(90). I just seem to need a snack to get through at that time of day. For dinner I had a small salad(250) to combat all the snacking. Today I also had 3 hard candies(70).

I did exercise this morning at a good pace for 30 minutes before work. Tonight I also walked for 15 minutes and rode the bike for another 15 minutes after that. I know I keep complaining about the exercise limitations that I have, but I so wish that I had more time in the morning to do a longer workout. Even if I could get 45 minutes in it would be great, but like I have said before, waking up any earlier than 5:15 just won't work for me. The doctor told me that she recommends 30 minutes of exercise a day and it doesn't have to be consecutive. I don't see how that can be as beneficial as doing cardio for 30 minutes at a time. So what I am trying to convince myself is that I am doing the cardio for 30 minutes twice a day so that must be good also, even though I would rather be able to do one long workout.

All in all, I think I had a good day on the plan.