Quick Question

I am looking at purchasing an ipod or something similar and am looking for good workout songs suggestions.  I don't do anything that's not "clean" but I definitely don't mind a good beat.  I have a good list started but I want hear what you all have to add!

New Trainer

My trainer, Ingrid, is so understanding and compassionate- yet I think in the two sessions that I have left with her she is going to kick my rear!  Today was just a beginning session- measurements, questions, and cardio "test".  She showed me which machines to use and work on until next Thursday when I will go in again.  Anyway, that's all I have for today!

Breakfast- peanut butter and bananas on whole heat tortilla

Lunch- 2 turkey burgers with cheese and brown rice (leftovers), fruit, s-f pudding

Snack1 SB snack bar

Snack 2- Fiber One bar

Snack 3- banana

dinner- SB sub sandwich (brand new- and it was GOOD)

water- about 60 ounces

No Workout Wednesday

So the workout this morning didn't happen.  I was extremely tired this morning.  We had a really bad storm last night and my power went out about 11:15 and didn't come back on until 4:15 this morning.  I didn't quite feel up to getting up this morning.  Tomorrow evening at 6 is when I am meeting my new trainer so I may share a bit tomorrow night about how that went!  

Breakfast- peanut butter and banana tortilla, sb cereal bar

Lunch- SB chicken and walnut salad kit (YUM) with s-f jello, fruit, tomato soup (small bowl)

Snack- SB snack bar

Snack 2- string cheese

Snack 3 (about 5)- SB meal bar

Dinner (8ish)- 2 turkey burgers (with cheese and no bun), brown rice with ICBINB and 2 % cheese (about 1/4 ounce)

Beverages- over 70 ounces

Weigh In Tuesday

I lost another 1.8 pounds which takes me to 11.2 pounds total since January 1. I'm pretty excited about that= slow and steady right? Anyway, I don't really have any thoughts on this but after I share my food log I'm going to include a few of the 100 tips for weight loss. I will include the link in case you want to read them all before I get to it.

Breakfast- Kashi cereal and skim milk
Lunch- SB turkey wraps, jello, fruit (apples, bananas, and grapes)
Snack- 10 raw carrots
snack 2- SB snack bar
Snack 3- SB granola clusters
Dinner- Campbells Chunky Sirloin Burger and veggie soup, 2 slices of bread- 1 with I can't believe it's not butter and 1 with peanut butter
Beverages- 60 plus ounces of water, 8 oz. Cherry coke zero

100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever

I Can Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now. What Should I Do?
1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions—unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner

Motivational Monday

I don't really have a quote for today- I found one I want to share but I'm waiting on getting permission from the person who first posted it (although it's not her quote). Just leaving you with some thought-provoking questions. Why am I on this journey? Is it for me or for someone else? What am I trying to accomplish? What are my goals? When do I want to see those goals accomplished? What am I willing to sacrifice to reach these goals? Or, how much of a priority are my goals?

I joined a new gym today. I like the Y but it's very small and doesn't have the motivation for me. I ended up joining a larger gym and paid for three hours of a trainer (all I have to say is that I am in the wrong line of work) so that I can at least get the basics. If I wanted to get the trainer for 6 months I could pay close to 250 for the next three months. I just don't have that and as much as I would love for that to happen the next three months at 88 are already going to be tight (but doable). After that it goes down to 39 but then I also signed up for 3 years. The good thing is that this is a 24/7 gym so I can go when I am able. I meet with the trainer for the first time on Thursday evening at 6 but the lady who did my sign up told me to go ahead and come tomorrow and she'll get me started on a couple of machines.

I also won a free month of meeting with dietician BUT I'm going to check that out because I'm not signing anything! Anyway, just some thoughts I'm leaving with you- weigh in is tomorrow!

ETA:
Breakfast- cherry vanilla lite yogurt, peanut butter and banana on a whole wheat tortilla
Lunch: leftover pot roast and brown rice, fruit, s-f pudding
Snack: SB snack bar
2nd Snack- SB meal bar (this was about 5)
dinner (about 8)- 1/2 cup of oatmeal with cinnamon, 1/2 of peanut butter and s-f jelly on whole wheat bread, s-f pudding
Water: as of 9:20- 60 ounces plus of water

A New Week

Well, according to the scale at church-which I think was figured didn't weigh right- I have lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks. Not great but acceptable. I know last time I lost the weight quickly and obviously it didn't stay off which isn't good. I'm thinking if I go slow and steady this time it will stay off better this time. I don't know-just thinking. I'm trying also to decide about gyms. I like the atmosphere at the Y but the cost and the size (which leads to a lack of available machines) are a deterrant. I can go cheaper at two other gyms and then they are building one right down the road. All 3 of the other are 24/7 gyms. I think what I am going to have to do is make wise use of my time while staying after school. Maybe staying on Fridays to get EVERYTHING ready for the next week so I don't have to come in as early. I need to do some thinking and deciding. If you belong to a national gym please let me know what you think of it.

Also, yesterday here in Knoxville they had the Healthy Living Expo. Lots of door prizes (maybe I'll even win one of the gym memberships) and free stuff. I left with a ton of free tip sheets, thoughts, and ideas that I will be sharing gradually. I also found a website today that had 100 tips so I think I will be sharing them a few at a time! I'll start that tomorrow or Tuesday. Actually I think I'll make that part of Weigh-in Tuesday so that it doesn't interfere with Motivational Monday! Have a great week and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

ETA:
Breakfast- SBLiving Cereal Bar, Peanut butter and bananas on whole wheat low carb tortilla
Snack- SB Living Granola clusters
Lunch- as of 3:30 I haven't eaten yet- I know, I know but I am feeling a bit blah and need to clean up the kitchen before eating
Snack- banana
Dinner- pot roast au jus (Hormel), brown rice
Snack- s-f double chocolate pudding
Beverages- as of 3:30 I have had 30 ounces of water; plus 10 more ounces for 40 ounces; and another 10 for 50 ounces

A Website for you!

I found a website today through the Biggest Loser Couples website while signing up for the daily drawing for the giveaway. I just thought this was very interesting ad I encourage you to go check it out!

Weight Loss for Healthy Eaters

Workout Wednesday

Well, I did it- I actually got up and worked out this morning. I used the BL cardio dvd again and it didn't seem quite so bad today. In fact, I believe I'm going to go get a little bit heavier weights (right now I have 2 lb) to use with it. I'm not quite ready to move to level 2 or anything though! I'm going to review the BL Power Sculpt DVD. I did this one day last week and it's a good one for those non-cardio days. Not a lot of jumping around in it because it focuses on sculpting the muscles and building them up. You do use the weights but not as often as in the other one. I will definitely be using it again on those off days. I did get a dvd in the mail today that was a trial dvd. It's a Prevention one and it's Dance Yourself Thin. That should be interesting because I'm NOT a dancer but I thought I could use it for the free trial and see if I would use it enough to justify paying for it. I do have several other DVD's and videos that I have used before and will use again just to review so that others can see what is out there. If you have any questions please feel free to let me know!

Not as good as I hoped

Well, it didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped but I still did lose. .8 pounds for a total of 9.4 lbs. since starting. Not great but again, I haven't exercised worth squat these past two weeks. I am on a tw hour delay for school tomorrow so if I plan on getting up at the same time then I should be able to get a good workout in tomorrow. I know that my attitudewill play a lot into the next few weeks. I will say that I feel like the week flies by!

Great Monday Quote

First off I want to say that I know I should have exercised today with having the day off but I didn't. I apparently have been exhausted because not only did I have sleep until 8:30 but I then took a two hour nap today. Of course, I did have a mini-migraine earlier. It started while I was out shopping for my Pampered Chef party. If anyone wants to place an order please let me know and I'll send you an email invite and you can place it through the website. I'm excited about hanging out with my friends. I always have fun with that plus we are going to go healthy! Tomorrow morning we have an inservice at school so I'm going to try getting up again at the right time and hopefully exercising. That's my plan anyway.

Here's the quote for today- I found it on the Unity Stamp Company's blog and thought it as appropriate:

"Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not."George Bernard ShawIrish Playwright

Instead of asking, why I am "fat"/overweight, or why can't stop eating- DREAM about what you wish or think you should be and ask why not? If needed, journal your answers. For me-it is sometimes a fear to let the "skinny me" out. I am afraid of rejection and when I'm heavier I know I'm rejected. Does that make sense?

Food Log:

Breakfast- SB cereal bar

Lunch- grilled chicken fillet, apples, grapes, and lowfat yogurt (fruit and walnut salad without the walnuts)

snack- 1 tbs. peanut butter

dinner- 1 serving of Campbell's Chunky sirloin burger soup, s-f jello with whipped topping

beverages- 20 oz. plus 20 oz. equals 40 oz. water as of 7 pm

I'm not a slacker...

I promise! I really am not- the week was so busy that I ran out of time and the blog was the one thing I let go of when I get busy. Thursday I worked and then babysat and didn't get home until close to midnight. Friday night I worked and then went to a Stamp a Stack. Saturday I went to a flea market (lots of walking), went to the Ohio State vs. UT basketball game (lots of fast walking), and then went straight to a friend's house for game night (where I was good and didn't eat the lasagna!). I haven't been exercising like I should and it shows- I'm pretty much staying stagnant but hopefully I can kickstart it this week. It should be a fairly easy week! We only have three days of school so that will help.

Food Log:
Breakfast-SB cereal bar
snack-1/2 (the bottom, skinny half) of a WHOLE grain bagel, dry roasted peanuts
lunch- 2 grilled chicken patties (from McD's), apple dippers (only the apples)
snack-SB peanut butter cookies and then later s-f pudding with cool whip (light)
dinner-
snack

Beverages- water (I'm going to keep a running total as that makes it easier): 10 oz. plus16.9 oz. equals 26.9 oz. as of 4:00.

Biggest Loser DVD review

Last week I bought 2 of the BL DVD's to use and finally had a chance to open them this week. I started on Monday with the Cardio one. Oh, my word, it kicked my rear. I'm still sore even on Wednesday. I definitely got a good workout and was wiped out afterwards. I will definitely be doing it again. The one thing I didn't like: when I turned it on and pulled up the menu you have a chance to customize your workout (that part was fine). I would have figured that since the warm up and cool down are pretty much "crucial" to a workout they would have already been programmed in. However, I realized it when I went to do the workout that it doesn't quite work that way. I actually ended up programming the actual workout to start before the warm up so I wan't exactly warmed up the way I wanted to be (I didn't know until it got to the warm up portion). Oh well, live and learn. I now know what to do and was able to adjust for the BL Power Sculpt DVD which I did this morning (I'll review that next week).

If you have any questions please feel free to ask them and I'll get back with you!

Breakfast- scrambled eggs
Lunch- SB 4 Cheese pizza, s-f pudding, cucumbers
Snack- mozzarella cheese
Dinner- bowl of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal (I know, I know don't fuss at me but I wasn't hungry and didn't feel like cooking)
Snack- peanuts (dry-roasted and lightly salted)
Beverages- by 3:00 I had about 70 oz. of water and then I had a 24 oz. dt. mtn. dew. After this dt. dew is finished I will be drinking another bottle of water.

Exercise: 30 minutes (BL Power Sculpt dvd)

Weigh in Tuesday and some thoughts

Well, I weighed in today and while I didn't do as well as I would have liked I know that once I get going on the workouts it will come. I lost another 2.4 pounds for a total of 8.6 pounds in 2 weeks. I know that the second week is usually the lowest number anyway so again, I should not be disappointed. I have a ton to do tonight so I'll be back tomorrow with a review of the dvd!

Motivational Monday

I found a great quote over the weekend- I think it came through my email (but I'm not sure). It's by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."

So, my thought behind that quote- we're all going to have days when we struggle, when we want to eat what is "wrong" for our body- yet even if for that one moment in our day we give in to temptation it doesn't mean that it's the end of our healthy journey. It just means that we have taken a step back and we need to counter with two steps (or more) forward. So, go for it! I encourage you to not give up! Keep up the good work.

Breakfast 3 mini peanut butter cheesecakes (got this phase 1 recipe from a south beach forum- it was GREAT)
Lunch- turkey burger with 2% cheese and no bun, green beans
snack- mozzarella cheese stick
Dinner- scrambled eggs
beverages- 70 ounces of water

30 minutes of exercise- I did the Biggest Loser dvd- the cardio one- oh my goodness! You'll read more about that on Wednesday!

Workout Wednsday

Well, I didn't actually get a chance to workout today but I'm going to "try" to get up early in the a.m. and try. I bought 2 Biggest Loser workout dvd's yesterday. Kmart had them on sale for 7.99 so I will give those a try first and let you know what I think. I did find this article and if you are pressed for time then it looks like this would be a good workout if you are pressed for time.

http://health.msn.com/fitness/abs/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100171070

Breakfast- scrambled eggs
Lunch: egg salad, s-f jello, 2% cheddar cheese (SB approved)
Dinner: grilled chicken with mozzarella cheese, green beans
Snacks: peanuts, string cheese
Beverages: 24 ounces Dt. Mtn Dew ( I have a few more bottles to finish), as of 7:45 I have had app. 50 oz. of water and have a 20 oz. bottle in front of me.

I did make an extra piece of chicken and cut it up already and went to the store and got romaine lettuce, spinach, snow peas, broccoli and cucumbers and already prepared a salad for lunch tomorrow. I have morning dut tomoorrow so I need to not take time in the am to get ready.

WooHoo!

Today was weigh in day and I lost 6.2 lbs but even more than that I feel better. I'm still dealing a bit with hunger at times and know that I am still probably not eating all I shoud but I also know that will come. I'm excited about the 6 pounds because that was the weight that I had gained over the holidays so now that's gone and I feel like I'm finally on my way. Being back at school should help quite a bit because I don't have any breaks from 7:30 until 11:00 and then from 11:30 until 1:40 so that takes quite a bit of 'snacking" time away from me. I'm determined to make time for myself and I think that I am going to go buy one of the index card holder/binders. One of our pastors said that at the office store they have ones with tabs so I am planning on getting a couple of those. One for Bible verses to memorize and the other for inspirational quotes and verses that I can share here in the future. You just never know when you are going to come across one and I would love to have it nearby always.

Breakfast- 2 hardboiled eggs (one with yolk and one without), 8 oz. milk
Lunch- turkey burgers, snow peas, string cheese, s-f jello
snacks- almonds
Dinner- grilled chicken filet without bun
water- 70 oz.

Monday, Monday

Today was back to work- I definitely was not ready as I have extremely enjoyed my break. The good part of today was that it was an inservice day so we don't actually have students until tomorrow. So, a four day week this week, five next week, and then MLK week is 3 days. Monday is the holiday and Tuesday is another inservice day. I'm praying for some snow days in mid February when we are all a little stir-crazy. Today however, I was out in just a sweatshirt and tomorrow they are calling for 72 degrees but then Wednesday it's down to 58.

Today is motivational Monday- I decided for this first M.M. I would share a verse that is one of the reasons that I am doing what I am doing. Those who know me know that I am a follower of Christ and believe the teachings of the Bible. I'm not going to use this forum to "hit people over the head" but I'm not going to step away from what I believe. Therefore, occasionally you will be reading a Bible verse that I feel is timely, inspirational, and truth. That being said let's look at:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.

So, for me, that means everytime I open my mouth and putting food in it- it should be food that will nourish and strengthen my body- not just "stuff". It's why I'm on this journey!

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, 8 oz. milk
Lunch: grilled chicken with cheese and a house salad that was NASTY! (I went to a restaurant whose specialty is noodles- umm, hello- the people I went with didn't tell me this until we were on the way there).
Dinner: turkey burgers with cheese (no bun), snow peas with ICBINB
Snack:
Beverages: all water was gone by 4:45 pm (app. 80 oz.)

New Ideas

I was thinking last night (which could be dangerous) about things that I could do to pep up my blog and here's what I decided- and it may be hit and miss on some things due to schedule but:

Monday- motivational Monday- inspirational quotes, stories, verses, etc.
Tuesday- weigh in and and reflect
Wednesday- Workout Wednesday- I'll try to find links to new workouts- give workouts a try and then post my review, etc.
Thursday- Themed Thursday - newspaper/magazine articles, tips, and tricks
Friday- Fast Food Friday- I am going to aim for sharing healthy alternatives to typical restaurant choice
Saturday and Sunday will be for post "whatever".

Breakfast 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties with cheese
Lunch - egg salad
Dinner - grilled chicken fillet, house salad with no croutons and no tomatoes, fresh vegetables (Texas Roadhouse)
Snacks 2 Tbs peanut butter
Beverages- by 8:15- 20 ounces of water by 10:30- 40 ounces of water; by 10:30 pm- 90 ounces of water. And the little splenda packet wasn't too bad

Friday

Well, today is the last day that I have off for vacation. I know technically I have Saturday and Sunday too but I don't count them because I always have them! I have thoroughly enjoyed my break. I think it's helped me get back on track with this journey because I have the time and energy to devote to it right now. It's given me a good start.

Breakfast- 4 bacon slices (which was equal to one serving)
Lunch- 2 grilled chicken filets from Chick-Fil-A ( I was eating in the car so I couldn't do a salad) without bun
snack- about 10 almonds, s-f jello with whipped topping
dinner- deli turkey heated up with cheese on top (sb approved)
Beverages: water- as of 12- 40 ounces; as of 6 80 oz.

Okay- two things that I need to increase are my veggies- I'm not a fan of raw veggies although I do have cucumbers in the house and I like them raw and my fiber. I have metamucil so I am probably going to have add that in in the afternoons. When I go back to school it will be when my kids leave for the day. Now, tomorrow I am going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and I am planning on grilled chicken, house salad no croutons, and fresh veggies with water to drink! have a fabulous evening and superb saturday.

Check out this article!

I am including this link because I thought this was an intersting article. To do this I will have to go the gym because I don't have the facilities at home to do so- I have been paying to go so I should be going!

http://health.msn.com/fitness/womens-fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100172177

Howdy!

Happy Thursday to all of you! Hope your day is going well. I'm a little sad that I'm down to my last day and a half of vacation but I am looking forward to a fresh start. I'll tell you what though- I'm not sure how I'm going to get my water down when school starts back up- I feel like I could float away. I'll do it though. Yesterday it took me all day to get it all and then today I have half of my water already done and it's not quite 1:00. I have a hard time when I go to restaurants drinking the water there so today when I was out shopping I found some new little packets of lemon and raspberry flavoring. I have had the Crystal Light before (and yes, they are legal) and I have a bunch in the house that I should use but this one was by Splenda. So, I'm going out to eat on Saturday evening and I will take a couple of these with me to give a try. Anyone tried these already? Well, I have to go meet someone so I'll close here and try to come back with some tips from an article I printed out!

Breakfast- 2 sausage patties
Lunch- oven roasted turkey from the deli (app. 5 slices), s-f jello with light whipped topping
dinner 3 eggs (scrambled), 3 pieces of bacon
snacks 1 tbs of peanut butter
beverages- as of 12:50- 33.8 ounces by 7 pm-73.8 ounces

Biggest Loser Couples and Day 2

Did anyone watch the Biggest Loser couples last night. I was really surprised by the amount of weight loss the teams showed. I guess the reason was that they focused more on the teams since it was an introduction night and less on the exercise and eating. I haven't yet picked a "favorite"- how about you? Have a fave couple you are rooting for? One thing I was impressed with was the Brita partnership and the wanting to help the earth. I signed up for the coupon because that's one thing that I need to do- I go through so many bottles of water when I just need to break down and buy the filter. I have tried the pitcher before but I always forget it's there so I need to go ahead and get the faucet mount and set it up. The new water thing to my right came from there.

Now, for today- I got up (although not as early as I wanted) and did the elliptical for 27 minutes and then cooled down for 3. Not a bad start and I was sweating!

Food Log:
Breakfast- bacon and eggs
Lunch-1 tbs. peanut butter, app. 3 slices of oven roasted turkey breast (from the deli)
Dinner -2 turkey burgers with cheese (no bun), green beans (leftovers from yesterday)
Snacks
Beverages- 10 oz. water as of 10, up to 30 oz. by 3; up to 50 oz by 7; up to 70 oz. by 10

New Year, New Outlook, New Tickers!

We'll start by saying Happy New Year to all of you! I don't even know if anyone reads this or if I'm talking to myself (which is okay I guess in this forum). If you do read this just briefly comment on this post- it will give me an idea of who is on the journey with me. I'm starting off this new year with a new outlook- I started the trek to this new outlook several weeks ago and I have started. I'm going to go back to posting what my daily menu has looked like, recipes I have tried and liked, pictures of recipes, answering questions (if anyone has them), posting articles and links to articles as I read them, etc. The one thing I won't be posting is a "before" picture of me. I have one in my face on a friend's Facebook account and I'm ready to get beyond that. I will post an after pic when I reach my goal. New tickers. I adjusted my weight ticker to reflect where I am starting because I gained and gained more than I lost previously. So, in an effort at honesty I am starting there. I even bought a new scale (The Biggest Loser scale with a free sample dvd) that does tenths of pounds (which I need). My scale at the top- I am looking at 500 minutes of exercise. When I reach that I'll start all over again. For every 500 minutes of exercise I am going to "reward" myself. Probably with a new movie, new something- anything BUT food. I figure if I can get 100 minutes of exercise a week

Food Log for 1/1/08
Breakfast- 2 large eggs- scrambled with an ounce of cheese
Lunch- Chick-Fil-A grilled chicken filet (without bun), side salad w/1 tbs of ranch dressing
snack- 1 ounce of almonds (app. 20)
Dinner- 2 turkey burgers with 2% cheese (no bun), green beans with I can't Believe it's not butter spray
Beverages- Water- as of 6:30- I have had about 75 ounces (I have about 5 ounces left in the bottle I am drinking) and one 12 ounce bottle of Diet Mtn. Dew