5K Training

About a month or so ago I decided to register for a 5k. This is something I've wanted to do for 2 years now, but never actually lost enough weight to participate in one, or never just registered for one. So I did and am giving myself 12 weeks to train.

Yesterday was walk for 20 min, but I played tennis instead, and Sunday spend 60 min walking the dog. Today I am on day 2, which is "cross-training." I went to the gym, spend 30 min on the bike, and about 15 min on the treadmill, so 45 min of exercise. I still have to walk the dog, and play softball so I thought the 45 min was efficient. I have not been to the gym to workout in MONTHS. But over the weekend I made myself a weekly schedule, and put it down so when I drop my son off for school I go right to the gym. And I did it without questioning myself.

Tonight I will post my weekly schedule, which will also include my weekly meal plan. Ta-ta off to do homework!

Overcoming obstacles...

I know I haven't posted in a couple weeks. I've still been doing things, but again its slowed down....What is my deal??? I start something, 2 weeks into it or so and I stop...I know one of the reasons. Weekend visits to visit my Dad. I'm not going to use it as a complete excuse. I have the will power to choose the foods I eat, to exercise, and a lot of the time I don't. I'm not consistent, which is key if I want to get past the 220's. I got down to 217lbs 2 years ago, and have not been down there since. I can't tell you the last time I weighed under 200lbs. Maybe 2006? And I was probably right around 200 then or just under. It is really time to take control. To stop giving in to my temptations and eating crap. I just need to focus....AND JUST DO IT.

As of right now, I am 225.2 lbs. My measurements have stayed the same since the last time I measured. These next 4 days are going to be the ultimate test for me! I am again headed down to visit my Dad, & attend a baby shower. I am going to be tempted with cake, dining out, comfort food, and lack of exercise.

My goals. 1) no cake. 2) Smart choices = more veggies, nothing drenched in dressing, as natural as possible. 3) Taking advantage of the hotel gym Sat, and working out in my Dads basement Thurs & Fri. Sunday can be a free day, but SMART CHOICES. Same with drinks.

I am going to write these down in my journal. And carry the damn thing with me to keep track of everything. CONSISTENCE IS KEY. What I have done since January is completely failed, but a learning opportunity, overcoming obstacles, and figuring myself out. I am still learning what works for me and what doesn't, and what does work is exercising, not eating dinner late, and smart choices. No free days.

Here I go, onto my next 90 day challenge! More to come on this challenge when I return.

OH BTW, I am officially registered for a 5k after this 90 day challenge. No excuses!

Weekly Goals {May 30-June 5th}

Last weeks Goals

• No Fast Food
• No eating after 7pm
• No TV after dinner
• In bed by 10pm
• Start Math homework Monday

I would love to say that I was able to achieve all of these goals, however sometimes that just isn't the case. 

I did eat fast food Tuesday. Of course it was the last day of the week, but we were starving, I still needed to grocery shop, and with a starving 3 year old I just said what the heck....BUT typically this is what I would order, and it really makes me sick thinking about it.. Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Jr Bacon Cheeseburger, Large Fry, and Large Dr Pepper. The calorie/fat count I'm sure exceeds my daily caloric limit...NO WONDER I'M FAT. So instead of getting the large, I opted for a small. No jr bacon, no fry, side salad instead with fat free dressing, and of course the ice tea was out, and there was no other option for me. I did get a coke, but drank half. And also has Wesley eat apple slices instead of the fries. This child was SUPER bummed out and asked about the french fries the entire time. But he got over it and actually ate his dinner. I'm sure he will feel better too not eating the junk. I don't plan on eating out this week because I want to save my money for other things such as closet organizers, and paint, and other misc things. 

Anyways I'm ranting.....My other goals..I ate after 7pm a few times. 2 of them were 8pm dinners, and the other times it was popcorn at the movies, and dessert. Will try much harder this week to not do that. TV we watched  1 time. In bed by 10pm, I don't think I have done that at all because I spend an hour or more reading. Math homework..well I was out of town until yesterday, so I will start that today.

This weeks Goals

• No Fast Food
• No Eating after 7pm
• Start Math Homework
• Exercise 60 min, 5 days this week
• In bed by 11pm
• No TV after dinner, instead walk to the park, spend time outside, etc
• Meal plan Sat/Sunday
• Eat breakfast 8am, workout at 9am

I extended my bedtime. I think if I'm in bed at 10 but read for an hour then I get tired faster and then get a better nights sleep. I also added exercising 5 days a week to get a couple extra workouts in. Also meal planning again. 

Time to get my day moving. Its already 11am and I have not gotten my workouts in yet. I have a lot of things I need to get done. See you next week!

Weigh in {May 30}

The moment of truth

Last Week: 230lbs

This Week: 225.8lbs

Total Lost: 4.2 lbs

I am very proud of myself for this week. I didn't workout 6 days, however I did get 3 or 4 workouts in, on top of being outside a lot, not really watching television and reading instead, and eating a lot better. 

I did not keep track of calories, however I do know what I was putting in my body, and feel that I ate 75% better than I usually would. 

Also I will measure myself next week, I think bi-weekly measuring is what I want to do instead of weekly measuring. 

Hoping for another 2lbs next week. 

Weigh in {May 23}

I'm starting over

Since March I have gained 8lbs. SHAME ON ME.

I started back in my old habits. Eating out, drinking soda, not exercising.

Now I am 230lbs.

Will update photos/measurements soon.

Weekly Goals {May 23-29th}

One of the ways I feel that might help me stick with my workout programs, not give up is to set weekly goals. Everyday is a struggle itself telling myself not to go eat fast food because its quick and easy, and not to eat after a certain time while watching tv..It is HARD. I know how to eat healthy, I have learned a lot about food during insanity, and during all the other programs I've started and failed to finish. But I don't want to quit, because 2012 was my year to change everything from school to getting healthy, to decluttering to spending more time with son and husband outside, to wanting more children, etc.

For this week my 2 biggest struggles are
1) Eating fast food (wendys or taco bell or pizza places)
2) Eating after 7pm

I play softball and eat something before the game, but not enough so I'm starving when the game is over as is my son (who eats dinner before). I bring snacks to the game to help cravings and also never bring money to the game so I can teach myself not to grab something to eat after the game. We live right down the road from Wendy's. That is the weakness as we drive by there almost daily, and after softball games. My son is 3 but always asks for french fries which means we have eaten there way too much.

For this week I am setting 2 goals.
1) No fast food. As much as I want it after softball, or because I am too lazy to cook, I need to tell myself no, that we need the money for other things, and to plan my dinner ahead so I know what I'm cooking.
2) No eating after 7pm. I always want dessert. Okay, not always but a lot, and last night I struggled with myself while watching True Blood to just have a little bit, which turned into a little with chocolate, caramel, and strawberry sauce on top. I am putting a sign on both freezers and the fridge that the kitchen is closed after 7pm except for water.

Also if I feel I want a dessert, eat the weight watchers bars before 7pm, or have a big glass or water and wait 30 min to decide if I really need it.
I also want to get a good nights sleep, and be in bed by 10pm every night this week.
Instead of TV after dinner, I'm going to play with my son, read stories, clean, anything until bedtime, but to help give me more energy, and to avoid late night eating, I need to keep busy, no TV after dinner, that goes for Wesley also. Only exception is if we do a movie on Friday or Saturday night, that is it!

Okay so I really have more than 2 goals

• No fast food
• No eating after 7pm
• No TV after dinner
• In bed by 10pm
• Start Math homework on monday

A lot of these goals will also help me in the next couple weeks when my classes start. I will have to learn to manage my time, while also eating healthy, exercising, spending time with my family, etc. 

See you in a week!

Watermelon Protein Smoothie

Watermelon is basically water. I love it, but I'm always on the hunt to try something new.  Today I whipped up a few ingredients. I wanted a snack before softball, but I wanted to make sure to get protein in as well, and I'm a smoothie type of gal so here is what I came up with!


3 cups watermelon, chopped (seeds removed) 138 cal
1/2 cup fat free frozen yogurt (or frozen greek yogurt) - 90 cal
1 packet true lemonade or 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed - 5 cal
1 tsp truvia sweetener or stevia (natural)
1 scoop vanilla designer whey protein powder (or equivalent) - 100 cal
1-1/2 cups ice (more or less depending how you like it)

The lemon gives it more flavor, and the truvia helps boost the sweetness a tad.

Blend and enjoy! There is very little fat, lots of protein, and under 350 calories!! Great snack or meal alternative.

Hungry Girl/Insanity Meal Plan

 I'm behind on my meal planning. The last couple weeks I had a plan sort of, but had a lot of other things going on so now its time to get back on track. This will be my last meal plan until Easter. I will be out of town, and will probably only have a half of a meal plan when I get back!

I have most meals planned but I'm just going to give you my dinner meals since Breakfast and Lunch always seem to vary. I am still doing insanity (sort of), and I enjoyed the meals but I really enjoy hungry girl even more so the majority of my dinners are her recipes.

Which comes to another thing I'm going to try to do. I have 2 of her cookbooks, and want to eventually make every single recipe out of them. Thats over 500 recipes just for those 2 books!! But she is what is going to help me lose weight this year because her food is delish, and I don't have to sacrifice taste/bland food for weight loss. Also I'm not on a DIET, I want to be able to eat healthy forever so this is a lifestyle change for me!

The cookbook this week for dinner is 300 under 300. And also a recipe from the Biggest Loser Simple Swap book. Recipes included.

Mon: BBQ chicken quesadilla w/caesar salad
Tues: Chicken pot pockets w/acorn squash & apples, & roasted root vegetables
Wed: grill - fish, potato salad, waldorf salad (omitting chicken), veggies & holy moly guacamole
Thurs: Shrimp stirfry w/brown rice
Fri: Homemade pizza w/side salad
Sat: Grill
Sun: Leftovers or Grill

Hungry Girl Recipes

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla or page 210 in 300 book
Chicken Pot Pockets or page 176
Holy Moly Guacamole
Waldorf Salad

Biggest Loser Recipe:
Roasted Root Vegetables: Page 64 on the biggest loser simple swaps book

Other Recipe:

Squash & Apples

Week 9 Weigh-In [Mar 19]

I haven't blogged since the 8th!! OOps. I skipped last weeks weigh in. Okay so a few things have happened since then. I weighed in on Monday the 12th, and gained .2 lbs. Not that I had a bad week, I just wasn't in the zone where I had been.

Last week I only exercised twice =( boo.. had poor nutrition a couple nights (weakest time for me), but otherwise was on track. Drank shakeology everyday but Sunday (break day).

Starting Weight: 242.0
Weight last week: 225.6
Weight this week: 222.0 (my scale is not accurate. It changes everytime you step on the scale. I need a new one)
Total: 20lbs lost

3.6lbs lost give or take a lb or 2. Lost 4" all over as well.

Berry Cherry Limeaide Shakeology

Another yummy recipe to make the greenberry shakeology taste good.

Berry Cherry Limeaide

1 scoop greenberry shakeology
1 cup cherries (pitted of course :) unless you want me forget like I did LOL)
1 cup almond milk (original)
1/8 cup lime juice, or juice from 1 lime
1/2 packet sugar free berry limeaide blast
1/4 cup water
1 cup ice

279 calories, 4g fat, 19g protein, 49 carbs, 7g fiber
Blend and enjoy!

*All of these shakeology recipes I have made up myself*

Day 8 - Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance

Week 2 yay! Almost threw up..I think it was the protein pancake I ate over an hour before I did this. Not sure it was sitting right in my belly. Didn't really like it that much.

Day 6 - Insanity Cardio Circuit

Hooray for day 6. I took my break on saturday, and now am finishing on Sunday. I plan on doing next week m-sat and break on sunday.

This is the same as day 2, but I finished all the way through. I would call that an improvement!

Day 5 Insanity Pure Cardio

Hooray I was FINALLY able to edit this video after several attempts. Day 5 pure cardio. I hope that by the end of the 60 days I can keep up more than I could on day 1. I don't expect to be a beast quite yet, because I do have quite a bit of weight/inches to lose, but I know I will be stronger than I was on day 1.

Week 7 Weigh-In [Mar 5]

This is my 7th week of making a healthy change in my life. Time flew by!
Last week I started a new program, insanity. I completed week 1, was 90% on my food, and worked out 6 days. You'd think I would lose weight....WRONG.

Starting Weight 1/17/12 - 242lbs
Before Detox: 226.4
Last week: 223.6lbs
This week: 225.4lbs

Average 2lbs lost per week, which is my goal!

I know I worked out. I know I ate well (except for 1 meal). I thought maybe confusing my body would be a good thing and thought maybe I would lose 1 or 2 lbs.. I did a detox 3 days prior to starting insanity. Was on a very strict calorie diet, and thought I might gain all my weight back. But I hope week 2 shows a really good number.

I'm hoping my heart rate monitor will be here by Wed or Thurs. This will really help me stay in my fat burning zone, and I can track my calories burned accurately. I am also keep track of my calories consumed more accurately this week as well.

Even though this week didn't have the results I was hoping for, I will check in again next week with my weight and measurements. I won't give up. I will continue 1 day at a time.

Orange Dream Shakeology Recipe

Videos 5 & 6 are coming, I just needed a break from blogging.

In the meantime, here is a new recipe I came up with. If you are in love with shakeology, (and this is my first day of the greenberry!) here is one to try.


Orange Dream Shakeology :) Yumm

1/2 cup 1% milk
1 scoop or packet of greenberry shakeology
1 cup water
1 tsp peanut butter
1 cutie clementine
1/2 packet sugar free hawaiian punch orange ocean singles to go
ice (more or less depending on how you like it)

271 calories, 37 carbs, 5g fat, 22g protein (might differ slightly based on milk & peanut butter)

If you try it let me know what you think!

*Photo is not mine*

Day 4 - Insanity Cardio Recovery

Shaun T's way of "recovering" includes exercises that burn the thighs and really make you feel the stretch. It was a nice little break from insanity but still made me sweat.

I followed the workout with a the Shakeology 30 min workout, which worked all areas of the body. I was planning on going swimming this evening, but I may just go tomorrow instead. I don't have a set schedule for swimming really.

Whole Wheat Pasta w/Veggies & Feta Cheese

I've been following the insanity nutrition guide this week, and one of my favorite meals so far has been the Whole Wheat Pasta w/veggies & feta cheese. Its super easy to make (i prepped it in advance) and its YUMMY.

3 ingredients is all you need. Pasta, frozen or fresh veggies and feta cheese. Eating healthy is expensive...but pasta is one of those things you can nearly get for free with coupons and to stock up when you find a great deal.

Whole wheat pasta is preferred. I'm not a nutritionist but I do know that Whole Wheat is preferred over White because it hasn't been stripped of its nutrients.

Serves 1

3/4 cup whole wheat pasta (I used penne but any works & measure uncooked)

1 cup mixed veggies, steamed

1/3 cup feta cheese (reduced fat is best)

for extra flavor try adding some hot sauce, pepper, chili powder, garlic

 avoid adding salt

300 calories

If you want to make a 400 calorie meal, add 2-3 oz chicken breast

Day 3 - Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance

Today I completed the entire video. Very proud of myself. I did modify the pushup exercises. I can't quite keep up with Shaun T but all in due time. Rec swimming this even with my son, and will probably do the full hour of Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies.

My nutrition is still right on track. I haven't cheated, and I feel good. I don't feel hungry either and I am really enjoying the 5 meals. Also eating 30 min before I workout gives me energy to get through the workout.  So far so good!

Day 2 - Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Instead I did 20 min of Sweatin to the Oldies, and Just Dance. I hope tomorrow I can finish the entire

video.

Week 1 - Insanity Meal Plan

I spend a good portion of Sunday evening preparing the meals for the week. I have a better plan for next week to figure my menu out on Sat, and then go to the grocery store Sun AM. I might also consider shopping twice per week or only prepping 2 or 3 days worth at a time just some the food stays fresh. Here is what I'm eating for the week.

I am following the insanity nutrition book this week, and only consuming 1500 calories up to 1800 max if I have a super long workout day. Because I am not in shape, I know I will not be able to workout as hard as other people who are in shape can. Also the insanity meal plan has you eating 5 meals per day to keep your metabolism burning. I hope by doing this it helps my cravings. Also I am not giving myself a free day for the 1st month because it will make me want to cheat more so sticking to a strict meal plan is good for me.

All recipes can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18583476/Insanity-Nutrition-Guide

If you have any questions please leave a comment! I love hearing from all of you.

Mon:
Meal #1 - Fruit & Cottage Cheese
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Shake
Meal #3 - Whole Wheat Pasta w/veggies & feta cheese
Meal #4 - Cold Cut Platter
Meal #5 - Dinner Omelet

Tues:
Meal #1 - Proatmeal
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Shake
Meal #3 - Grilled Chicken Salad
Meal #4 - Protein Pizza Muffin
Meal #5 - Brown Rice Bowl

Wed:
Meal #1 - Fruit & Cottage Cheese
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Smoothie
Meal #3 - Whole Wheat Pasta w/veggies & feta cheese
Meal #4 - Cold Cut Platter
Meal #5 - Dinner Omelet

Thurs:
Meal #1 - Proatmeal
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Shake
Meal #3 - Grilled Chicken Salad
Meal #4 - Protein Pizza Muffin
Meal #5 - Steak w/broccoli

Fri:
Meal #1 - Fruit & Cottage Cheese
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Smoothie
Meal #3 - Whole Wheat Pasta w/veggies & feta cheese
Meal #4 - Cold Cut Platter
Meal #5 - Dinner Omelet

Sat:
Meal #1 - Egg White Breakfast wrap
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Shake
Meal #3 - Roast Beef Sandwich
Meal #4 - Orange w/almonds
Meal #5 - Chicken Stirfry

Sun:
Meal #1 - Bagel & Lox
Meal #2 - Vanilla Berry Shake
Meal #3 - Roast Beef Sandwich
Meal #4 - Orange w/almonds
Meal #5 - Turkey Burger

Enjoy!!

Day 1 - Insanity Fit Test

Hopefully in 2 weeks when I do the fit test again I will be a bit stronger.

Stats:
35-40 Switch Kicks
27 Power Jacks
65 Power knees
15 Power Jumps
6 Globe Jumps
5 Suicide Jumps
15 Push up Jacks
17.5 Low plank obliques

Fruit Flush Detox Results

Day 3 - Fruit Flush Detox

Day 3 went much smoothier than day 1 or 2. Later today I will be posting my insanity fit test video and my meal plan for the week as well as my before photos & measurements.

Day 2 - Fruit Flush Detox

Day 1 - Fruit Flush Detox

Here is the video on today's detox. Also if you are interested in doing this detox yourself here is the website where I found the information.

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/10281092/detail.html

I was very happy dinner came because I was really hungry. I hope tomorrow goes better as I will get to eat fruit all day!

Healthy 2012, starting over AGAIN

Please follow along my journey. I am setting a goal to blog atleast 4-5 times per week as well as make daily vlogs of my weight loss. I'm starting a detox, and monday I'm starting the beachbody program insanity. I will take before shots this weekend and post them on the blog.