Weekly Weigh In

This week was great. I am excited to be losing again.
Weight: 144.4 lbs.
Difference: -.8 lbs.
Total Lbs. Lost: 33.6 lbs.
Difference since starting the blog: -1.2
Total Percentage Lost: 18.8%
Pounds til Party: 10.9 lbs.

Writing down in my food journal has been really helpful. There are 22 more weeks in 2009. If I lost .8 lbs. every week until then I would lose 17.6 lbs.! If I only lost .5 lbs. per week I would lose 11 lbs. And reach my goal! It's okay if it takes me awhile. I just need to focus on losing each week, no matter how much it is, because it adds up!! : )

Day #1 and Day #2 of the Notebook Challenge

We're in the middle of day 2 so that day's not complete. I noticed I didn't get many vegetables on Monday so I am trying to do better today. I can usually guess fairly close to how many calories something has, but I need to be better at looking things up. (It's harder when it's something homemade like my chicken noodle soup and that tomato spinach stuff) . I know the calories to things I eat all the time, like my cereals and fruits. I think I'll try to use caloriecounter.com more often so I can really keep track better. Does anyone know a good online calorie counter? Or a good book to buy? I haven't looked into it much.

I also started to write down the water I drink. Even though my calorie count is not exact or complete, I think it's a good start! I'm feeling great and motivated!

Handy Dandy Notebook Challenge

# 5 on THE LIST is my Handy Dandy Notebook. Keeping track of what I eat is essential to my weight loss. The problem is I have been slacking on keeping track and I can see the difference. Studies have shown that keeping a food diary can DOUBLE weight loss. How cool is that? All you need is a small notebook and a pen. It's the cheapest way to lose weight. I found this article online that answers the question "Why is the Pen Mightier Than the Pounds?"

But why do the diaries work? Experts agree that the ultimate value lies in the
formation of a "foundation of personal accountability." Almost everyone agrees
that accountability is the most important ingredient behind any successful
lifestyle change, including weight loss.
Dr. Patrick O'Neil, director of the
Weight Management Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, agrees.
"Most of us don't really know how much we eat and drink; we have very charitable
memories," he says. (For the full article click here.)

I first really started using food journals when I joined Weight Watchers in 2007. They call them "trackers" where you record everything you put in your mouth, and also make you keep track of your milk servings, fruit and vegetable servings, healthy oil, water, whole grain, and lean protein. One of the first things I learned with tracking my food was that I was eating WAY too much for my body. My portion sizes were huge and I would stuff myself, thinking it was normal to feel that way. It also helped me to track my fruits and vegetables to make sure I was not just cutting calories but eating healthy.

Losing weight is actually very simple. At least the concept is. We are all living proof that's it's hard to stay on track - but think about it. If you eat less calories than you use, you WILL lose weight. This is where the food journal comes in. Write down all the calories you eat so you can eat less calories than you burn. But how do you know how many calories your body needs, or how many calories to eat to lose weight?

I found this great calculator: Click here for Women's Calorie Calculator
and here for Men's Calorie Calculator.
They will ask you your current weight, what you would like to weigh, your age, and height. Then it will calculate all kinds of cool results. See mine below:

You need 1992.2 calories per day to maintain your current weight without
exercise. You need 1941.1 calories per day to reach your goal weight slowly
and maintain that weight without exercise. If you reduce your
current caloric intake to 1492.2 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise. If you increase your current caloric intake to 2492.2 calories per day, you will gain one pound per week.

Exercise and Calorie Needs
If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2207.8 calories per day and still maintain your current weight. If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2477.4 calories per day to maintain your current weight. If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you
will be able to reach your goal weight with 2150.6 calories per day.
If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight
with 2412.5 calories per day.

Please remember that these calorie counts are an
average, you may need to adjust your calorie needs up or down slightly to get the results you want. Your results are calculated to help you understand how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, or the number of calories you need to lose weight slowly, over several months' time.

My biggest challenge is keeping track on weekends. I am REALLY bad at keeping track on weekends and it's noticeable because that's when I eat bad and gain weight. So Brandon and I challenged each other to keep track for one full week. Monday 7/20-Monday 7/27. That would include this holiday weekend. I am excited and know that if I keep track I can lose weight!

Weekly Weigh In

Sorry I'm so late with this! Man...
Here we go. I haven't lost those yucky 7 lbs. fully yet, but I did lose this week so that's good.

Weight: 145.2 lbs.
Difference: -.4 lbs.
Total Lbs. Lost: 32.8
Difference since starting the blog: -.4
Total Percentage Lost: 18.4%
Pounds til Party: 11.7 lbs.

I am glad that I lost, even if it was only a little, and am feeling really motivated again. I know how to lose weight. I've done it before and I just need to dig in my heels and DO IT! See the next post for my new challenge with Brandon!

Weekly Weigh In

Weight: 145.6 lbs.

Difference: -4.4 lbs.

Total Lbs. Lost: 32.4

Difference since starting the blog: 0.00 Same as when I started...

Total Percentage Lost: 18.2%

Pounds til Party: 12.1 lbs.

So this week was much better than last. As I said before, it's quite easy to gain 7 lbs and really hard to lose it! I am hoping to have those yucky 7 lbs all lost by next week! It feels good to be back on track.

I think the main reason I got off track was stress and anxiety. So, as silly as it sounds, I have really tried to recognize when I start to feel stressed or anxious, then take a deep breath, think about what I really want, and let it go. I learned I just need to stop worrying about things that haven't happened or are out of my control! :)

Off to a party and Bee's baseball game tonight! I am determined to allow myself some treats, but not overdue it. I've worked to hard to lose those 4.4 lbs!

My Favorite Workout DVD

I prefer going to the gym and working out for about an hour at a time. But sometimes, that's just not reasonable. So I have a backup-The Biggest Loser Workout DVD Vol. 1. I LOVE this workout DVD for several reasons:

1. There are 5 different sections to choose from: Warm Up, Low-Intensity Cardio, High Intensity Cardio, Strength and Sculpt, Boot Camp, and Cool Down.

2. Each section (minus the warm up and cool down) are only 20 minutes long.

3. The workouts are challenging, and there are varying levels. I started at the low-intensity cardio and now do the high intensity. I have only braved Boot Camp a couple of times and it is TOUGH. And some days I just want to take it easier and do the low-intensity.

4. I like the trainer Bob Harper. I think he is just full of positive energy and he never makes me feel stupid by screaming and saying "Faster you big slob! Get those legs up!" ; ) I don't respond to the "Jillian Michaels" way. He makes me feel like I can do it and is fun!

5. These exercises use muscles that I wouldn't normally use in just running or doing the elliptical at the gym.

6. The people doing the exercises were on the Biggest Loser, and this was taped before the finale, so they are not tiny skinny people. They sweat and are out of breath too. That's comforting! I don't feel stupid that I can't do something.

7. They have testimonials from the Biggest Loser contestants and whenever I'm feeling in need of some motviation I watch them again.

I like having a DVD workout that I can use when I just don't want to go to the gym, only have 20 minutes, and just want to get moving. This one tops the list in my book.
I'd love to hear about your favorite workout DVD!

More from the LIST #1

#1 on my list is Brandon a.k.a. Support:
Things are much easier with support and losing weight is no exception! Brandon, my boyfriend, is the best kind of support. He encourages me to eat good, helps me realize what happens when I get off track even though I just want to be depressed, goes to the gym with me sometimes, shows me how to use the weight machines, helps me resist food temptations and is a great example! He has lost weight consistently for months. He makes me want to be better. I love you hon! I am also grateful for the support I get from everyone who reads this blog and leaves comments! Thanks guys ; )

Weekly Weigh In - THE UGLY

There's always the good, the bad, and the ugly. This week has been quite UGLY. I am so hesitant to even write this post. Because it is really ugly. But that's what I promised myself when I started this blog. To post the good the bad AND the ugly. *sigh* Here it goes.

Weight: 150.00 lbs.

Difference: +7 lbs.

Total Lbs. Lost: 28 lbs.

Difference since starting the blog: + 4.6

Total Percentage Lost: 15.73%

Pounds til Party: 16.5

This morning I weighed in at 148 lbs. which is better. Last week was a really hard week emotionally. A lot of things were going on that made me really depressed. When I'm depressed I EAT. I didn't even go out to eat, I just ate a LOT of food. Wow. I still can't believe it. I wish it was as easy to lose 7 lbs. as it is to gain it!

So my hope in posting this is to help someone see that they're not alone. Sometimes we screw up, and gain 7 lbs. But- we have to keep going. I'm only human, right? So I'm going to stop being hard on myself and feeling down. I CAN DO THIS!