Taking a Little Trip

Tomorrow morning, we are heading out to the hill country to picnic and hopefully see A LOT of gorgeous wildflowers. I look forward to this time every year. Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, and so many more beautiful wildflowers are such a sight to see. It's amazing because when you see an entire field of bluebonnets, it looks like water! So pretty. I actually need to go and prepare our lunch for tomorrow. I bought individual mini loaves of artisan multi-grain bread for turkey sandwiches and I am going to make a pasta pesto salad. I think along with fruit and wine we will have a lovely lunch in the hill country. Oh, and our pup is going too, so can't forget the Scooby snacks! Ooh and I need to make iced tea to take along. I was going to make cookies, but I'm kind of glad I didn't have time because who needs the extra calories? Not I!

I am so thankful that we get to get away and spend some time together.

This Week's Weigh-In

Today was my weigh-in day and ......drumroll, please.......

I lost 5.4 pounds this week!

I am so happy and excited about this loss. I have been extremely focused this week and have been making every effort to meet my calorie deficit. I had a deficit every day--even though sometimes it wasn't my goal deficit. I burned MORE calories then I consumed and it actually worked!

I am so pumped to work hard this week and continue to make progress. My current goal is to lose 5% of my body weight which is 15 pounds and I am 1/3 of the way there!

I have been thinking about the behavioral changes that I have started to implement in the last week that has contributed to my success this week.

* Planning meals for the week ahead of time and shopping for those meals (I did this on a Saturday). This week I mostly cooked from the "Getting Thin and Loving Food" Cookbook by Kathleen Daelmanns. Awesome book, btw.
*Logging my food on the Bodybugg site. This means also measuring/weighing my food--which is becoming less of a pain actually. I am so mindful of calories now. My hubby made a grilled cheese sandwich tonight and used 2 TBSP of butter! I told him that there were 200 calories of butter on his sandwich and he called me the calorie nazi! lol
* Making sure I packed my lunches and snacks for work days
*Only eating out for lunch one day a week (as compared with usually 5 days per week--I work downtown and there are of course MANY wonderful restaurants filled to the brim with temptations) As a bonus I have saved A LOT of dough. Ka-ching!
*Never going more then 4 hours without eating something
*Working my meals so that I have enough calories for one serving of ice cream a day--so I don't feel deprived and tempted to cheat. This has worked really well for me. It's the little things.
*I did 20 minutes of elliptical on the days I worked in the office (3 days) and the 2 days I worked from home I did a 20 minute cardio workout video. Saturday, hubby and I went to the gym and did strength training for a couple of hours. Sunday was a rest day.

Today I did go to lunch with a co-worker but I ordered a cup of soup and salad with balsamic dressing on the side. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical but later I also did about 20 minutes of DDR.

This week I plan to increase my cardio M-F by at least 10 minutes and we are planning to do another session of weights on Saturday. My cardio video also has a weight component with dumbbells, but it's minor. I really felt the weight session from Saturday. Hubby and I were both so sore both Sunday and Monday! I guess that's how we know we did something good though.

Today I am thankful....
...............for progress!

California!

Image via Wikipedia

I don't think I have mentioned it in my blog, but my hubby is a musician. He's always been a musician, but currently, he is working musician. The band that he is playing with is doing very well and it looks like we will be going out to California in the spring for group of shows. Yes!!! I am SO excited. This is another motivating factor for me, because California means sun, sea, and beach appropriate clothing, ie....skin baring clothing. We are going to Northern CA and so the plan is to take an extended trip and visit Napa and San Fran. Love, love, love Northern CA. Hubby has never been so I am very excited to be able to see the sights with him.

I have been very focused this week. I realize it is only Wednesday, but I feel very good about my efforts this week. I have been very careful about my nutrition, being sure to track every morsel of food that hits my mouth and painstakingly count calories.(which I dislike, but realize I have to do it, otherwise I will eat mindlessly and rack up huge calorie numbers for the day). I had visited a nutritionist a few months ago and we figured out my calorie deficit target. I have been able to stay within my calorie target for the last three days (I consider this huge progress, for me) and I have worked out in the office gym twice. This means that I am hitting my calorie deficit. Yes!

I'm thankful.....today is Wednesday, which means I am half-way through the work week, The Office is on tomorrow, and Friday night is my pumpkin carving party!

Monday Madness

Image via Wikipedia

This morning started off nice and easy but by 10 am my workload increased to a frenetic pace and was non-stop until 7pm. However, I had several victories today. I was able to A) completely avoid my neighbor's candy jar and B) I STILL worked out before I went home for the night. YES!!!

I am so proud that I stuck with my plan today. I ate breakfast (oatmeal), the lunch I brought (turkey sandwich, snack size bag of fritos, kiwi, and had a healthy snack (yogurt, small apple, 2 tbsp peanut butter.) For dinner I had (grilled fajita chicken, 2 corn tortillas, 1/4 c. beans and 1/4 c. rice and 1/2 c. sherbet.) Plus, even though I had a rough day and was tired, I stuck with the plan and worked out anyway. I feel great.

Tonight was spent enjoying our mexican take-out and watching our DVR'd episodes of The Office, Big Bang Theory and CSI Miami. I am so excited that Jim and Pam are getting married in this week's episode. Finally!!!

Today, I am thankful....

....that as crazy as my job is sometimes, I am gainfully employed. Because a lot of people aren't right now.

Sunday Weigh-in

Image by ninahale via Flickr

Well, weigh-in day has arrived, and as I suspected, I did not lose any weight. I did, however, gain 2.8 lbs. I am not going to freak out about this because I am 98% certain this is water weight. I picked a lovely week to start my weight-loss endeavor. Anyway, hubby reminded me that I should take measurements and track more then just poundage. He's right. Here goes:

(cringe)

B: 44

W: 45 1/4

H: 58

I am all set for this week with meals planned out, snacks ready to go, and work outs scheduled for M-T-Th-Sat. Goals for this week are:

1) Cardio 4 times this week

2) Weight routine 2 times

3) 1600 cal daily

4) Track food

5) 64 oz water daily

Today I plan to do some things around the house and then get ready for book club tonight. I am taking whole-grain crackers, cheese and hummus, along with a good chardonnay. I plan to only have one glass of wine and stick with the healthier fare at the gathering. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone! We are discussing All About Lulu. Should be fun!

Today, I am thankful...

.....that I'm staying positive and not letting myself get discouraged.

Hitting the Mark

Image via Wikipedia

I spent three hours wandering around Target this afternoon. I went in for groceries, but the store wasn't that busy and it was so much fun just perusing the aisles. I cannot express how much I enjoy shopping in Target. Ahh, so many cute things. I really tried to remain focused on groceries. Necessities. So I didn't even venture over to electronics, bed and bath or accessories and I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also visited the red Kitchen Aid mixer. I am going back to get it one of these days.

We have been on a strict budget since the beginning of August. We are working on getting rid of some debt and saving money to buy a piece of land on which to build our next house. The point is that due to our budget, I have cut out nearly all unnecessary spending. And previously, I was a shopping fool. So, it turns out that ANY shopping is fun, and it doesn't necessarily matter WHAT I'm shopping for. Even grocery shopping is fun.

I picked up alot of fresh foods and healthy snacks to take to The Office. I also chose meals for the week and bought the required ingredients so we won't be tempted to eat out.

Well, tomorrow is weigh-in day. I won't lie, I'm nervous. I know I'm retaining water, so we'll see what happens. Hopefully if nothing lost I will at least have maintained. At any rate, I'm all set with food for next week and have my workout schedule set.

Wrapping up September

Image via Wikipedia

Today was a very good nutrition day. I was able to stay within my 1600 calorie limit without feeling starved. Success! Work was low-key today. Steady, but not craziness. Tomorrow is a cardio day, so I need to be sure that I pack my work out clothes for tomorrow. I am also eating out for lunch tomorrow--so the plan is to drink water, choose a healthier option and halve my portion. I can do this!


It's hard to believe that September has come and gone. September brought Autumn, and lots of other good things. Let's recap the things I loved in September....

1. Cooler temperatures
The summer has been wicked hot in Austin and it was even joyous when it got down to the low 90's. We had a mess of rain and it actually became cool, which brings me to....

2. Cuddling
It was so nice to have cool enough weather to allow for cuddling with the hubs. I even felt inspired to bake....

3. Pumpkin bread
The first batch of the season was delicious and really signals that Autumn has arrived. That is, along with the start of...

4. College Football
Hubs and myself are big college football fans, so most Saturdays in September have been spent watching our fave teams hit the grid iron. Go Texas Longhorns and Virginia Tech Hokies!!!! Late in the month brought a major weekend of...

5. Birthday celebrations
Hubs as well as a couple of good friends celebrated birthdays in September. Lots of parties and good times were had by all.

October is expected to be even better--have vacation time and our wedding anniversary coming up. 5 years!!!

Today, I am thankful...

...that I have a break coming up in a few weeks so I can recharge and refresh.

Beginnings

Image by Sergi Monsegur via Flickr

I weighed this morning first thing.

302.8

Wow. And it's not my all-time high, which if I am not mistaken was 310. I think I fell off the scale and passed out at the sight of 310. I never want to see that number again.

Since I have such a long road ahead of me, I thought this picture was appropriate. The road to a healthy weight is long. However, every pound I lose improves my well-being. I feel like I have a fresh start and I am optimistic.

My first goal is to be safely below the 300's. Ten pounds sounds like a good number to focus on.

Goal:
Lose 10 pounds
Current weight: 302.8
Goal weight: 292
Target date: 11/1/09
Reward: Shopping excursion

Plan:
Stay at 1600 calories daily
Drink 64 oz water daily
30 minutes of cardio 3x/week--Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Post daily

Today was a busy day. I had to go into The Office for a bit and ended up missing church, which I don't like. However, I have a project due at The Office tomorrow and I couldn't quite make myself go on Saturday, so it had to be done. Next it was back home to prep food to take to a friend's celebration. I took a veggie tray instead of baking. I sampled the food at the party, but did not go nuts. The best news is I now have tons of fresh veggies ready to go for snacking. Yes!

I did not get a chance to take current photos, though hubby reminded me that we took "before" photos a year ago and suggested I use those. That's a clue how long I have been working on my weight. FOREVER. Definitely longer than a year. I want new photos though, so I will work on getting those done this week to post.

I plan to post daily. In my daily posts, I want to talk about how I have done each day with my daily objectives and how the day went. I also want to express how I am feeling and really use this blog as a tool to examine why I make the choices that I do so that I can make the changes I need to make. I also want to make note of what I am thankful for. If eventually someone decides to read along with me and comment, offer support and/or feedback, then I certainly welcome that!

Today, I am thankful....

...that every day is new beginning.