Weight loss and daily fitness struggles

May 2, 2010

2010-05-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Had an extreme cheat day yesterday. I was busy doing a lot of cleaning and tossing, rather then stop and find something good for me, I was just grabbing whatever was easy and quick so I could get back to work. I wasn't worried about it until evening rolled around and I started looking back at what I ate, a bologna sandwich on white bread, Carmel corn, chocolate graham crackers with peanut butter, potato chips, chicken nuggets and honey and I'm sure there was a few other things in there. It reminded me how mindful we need to be about what we shove in our mouth. I could have easily found more healthy options, I chose not to. I'm sure no real harm was done, but how will it effect me today? So goes the struggle. I have pulled out some chicken breasts to marinade today for grilling later and will make a salad, I think breakfast might be oatmeal and a banana. I should get on the bike this morning, but I'm a bit tired today...worked very hard yesterday. Well if this was easy I guess we would all look like toothpicks :).

April 28th 2010

2010-04-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Jumped on the bike first thing this morning and did 30 minutes at 20 mph. I really need to find a clip on fan before it starts heating up, working up a good sweat today. Breakfast was a light activia, 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese, and a small salad. I had a special k bar for my work break. Lunch was 1 cup of pineapple, another activia, and a fiber one bar. When I got home I did the stepped for 30 min. It's about 5:00 pm and I need to eat dinner?? Not sure what I want to do, maybe a tuna salad...and popcorn later about 7:30. seem to still be losing a bit, my pants are loose...I haven't weighed for this week, water retention...been drinking ginger tea in the evenings seems to help. I won't weight during that dreaded week, I can pack on 3 to 4 pounds of water.

April 22, 2010

2010-04-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all, wow I have been super focused on eating right and working out twice a day. I have lost 6 pounds in the last few weeks. I am feeling great lately, so much energy and my attitude and mood is much better. I seem to have a little more patients at work lately with the kids.

Still want to snack a bit in the evening, so I'm sticking to popcorn or cutting a skinny Cow ice cream in half. I have been riding the bike at 20 mph for 30 min. burning around 400 calories in the morning and again in the evening, this really seems to be working. Had around 1100 calories today, for breakfast I had about 2 oz. of steak and 1/2 cup of refried beans (yes for breakfast) for my break snack I had a Special K bar. Lunch time was 2 more ounces of steak and another 1/2 cup refried beans. Dinner when I got home was 1 cup of split pea soup and a salad with a sprinkle of crushed candied walnuts and a bit of blue cheese. The dressing for my salad I made from fat free cottage cheese, water and a T. of ranch dressing mix. I snacked on my popcorn and had 1/2 a skinny cow ice cream. Well off to get a good nights sleep hopefully, I had a lot of water when I got home :).

Monday 4-12-10

2010-04-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Woke up early and tried my new wii fitness game...The biggest Loser. I tried a moderate workout for around 25 min. just didn't seem like I was getting enough out of it? the calorie burn was really low, so I ended up jumping on my bike for 20 min. also. I ate really well today, but my hubby brought Panda Express home for dinner (My weakness) I couldn't resist the orange chicken. So after that dinner I decided to get back on the bike for a 45 min. workout and then did some light dumbbell work on my arms. Feeling pretty good today, work wasn't stressful and I feel like I'm finding my groove again.

April 3rd 2010

2010-04-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello again,
I never said this would be easy and I can't believe how long since I last posted. I have been working and stressing over all kinds of little things, and completely fell off the weight loss wagon. I have gained 6 pounds in this time, Well these are the struggles of weight loss. I have been cutting back on the bad foods and started back on the bike. This last week my diet has been very high fiber and basically trying to get rid of the bloat and cleanse out the bad junk I have indulged in over the last few months. This morning I bought those extensions for the wii board step and did 30 min of stepping. For breakfast I had 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal, an activia Light, and about 3 oz. of smoked Turkey. Time to get back on the wagon, and stop making excuses.

Hot Thursday

2009-07-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Woke up early to get my walk in before the heat moves in again. It was 105 on Tuesday and 106 yesterday, I haven't been able to workout in the heat, it just drains me. It was around 78 when I woke up ...so I thought it's now or never and got in my 2 miles :), felt great to get it in, wow by the time I got back I had to close all the windows and turn the air back on. Air conditioner is having trouble keeping up with all this, but I'm very grateful for it. Still was around 83 in the bedroom last night until around 3:30 when I opened a window to let a little fresh air in. I ate really light yesterday and for dinner I tried tuna stuffed tomatoes, a little macaroni salad and watermelon (was a great cold and light dinner). Today for breakfast I'm having 1/2 cup fiber One cereal, 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of light yogurt all mixed together (yum). Break time snack light yogurt again. For dinner I'm thinking of having garden burgers and a nice fresh salad. I got on the scale yesterday and was down another 2 lbs. I was getting worried, because it's been so hard to workout.

Hotter then Hell

2009-07-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wow the heat is starting to drain me a bit. I turned the air conditioner back on so I can get on the bike for 30 min. We are supposed to get up to 105 today :0. Power is going out all over the place, too much strain on the grid. I don't worry to much about being hot, but I would hate to lose the stuff in the freezer and fridge if it was out too long. I really feel bad for a lot of the elderly people, they have opened cooling areas for them...but I wonder how many can't get to these places or just don't want to go. They say we have a few more days and it still will be in the 90's threw the weekend. I find it very hard to workout in this heat, eating lighter seems to be a bit easier. Looking forward to going to work and getting chilled. The kids and parents are starting to get a bit crabby and this will only get worse as this continues.

What's up with that ?

2009-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I get sick and tired of people making excuses. I was talking to one of the moms at work and she is saying how she really needs to get serious about losing some weight, I think great and try to say positive things...but as I'm talking to her, she reaches down and picks up her Starbucks cup with the whip cream and Carmel and starts sucking on it. Some how I just don't think shes getting serious.

Monday, July 27th

2009-07-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

I woke up early and got on the bike first thing, it was already 80 in the house at 7 this morning. Really grateful I work in a store with air conditioning. When I got home I turned on our air in the living room and cooled it off before getting on the bike again for another 30 minutes. Breakfast this morning was some left over chicken stir fry and 3 small blueberries pancakes (batter made with sugar substitute). I had a Fiber One bar for my snack and 1/2 bottle of water. For my lunch I had watermelon, cherries, and a Slim Quick (appetite control). Dinner was BBQ roast beef on a 1/2 a hamburger bun with a small portion of macaroni salad (made with light mayo). Having popcorn and watermelon for my snack later. All in all I feel great today, lots of energy and a good mood.

Wednesday, July 22 nd

2009-07-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have been busy, but staying on track. Up early at 6:45 this morning, jumped on the bike and got in 30 min.. I will be having 1/2 cup of oatmeal with dried cranberries this morning for breakfast. My work snack is a mix of raw almonds and dried cherries with protein water. Feeling pretty good today, sat outside and enjoyed a cup of coffee..the weather is great again today and it was so peaceful just to take a few minutes to relax and appreciate it. I think it's very important to take a moment and just stop, look, and listen...it's good for adjusting your attitude and putting things into perspective.

Sunday Morning

2009-07-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

I went to bed really early last night a little after 7 :0. I must have been tired, I slept till 6 in the morning. Decided I wanted to walk and did my 2 miles already, had left over chow mein, morning star chicken wings 3, and leftover broccili celery salad for breakfast. I have had 2 big glasses of water and feel ready to go. If I only had somewhere to go?

Saturday, July 18th

2009-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining and I woke up around 6 this morning. Went for my 2 mile walk first thing, felt great. I just love walking that time of morning, it's so quiet and the squirrels and ducks are all waking up. Hubby went off to work today, and I think I'm going to run to Goodwill to look for some work pants. Budgets a bit tight and for me used works out just fine. I have shrunk out of another pair of pants, so I really need to find something. I had about a cup of left over chow mein for breakfast, I'll probably have something else when I get home. Please feel free to comment or share your stories with me, I look forward to hearing from some of you. O.K. get out there and get some exercise today or do something really fun.

Little things that can derail a workout

2009-07-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

Jerking to lift weights: Make sure your lifts are slow and controlled.

Leaning on the handrails of the stair climber, elliptical trainer, or treadmill: This makes the workout less challenging and can injure your wrists and back.

Not getting enough rest: Working out when you're fatigued can lead to sloppy technique and an injury.

Locking your knees: Always keep your knees slightly bent to prevent an injury.

Not warming up: Don't try to shave time off your workout by skipping the warm up or you could end up on the bench.

Getting stuck in a rut: If you're just going through the motions during your workout, shake things up by trying something new!

2009-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Look it's a picture of my boss. My boss did something so lazy today, I was amazed. He was sitting in the break room with everyone else in his chair with wheels from his office, and received a phone call. He explained he needed to go to his office for the phone call. Most people would get up and walk into their office, not my boss. He rolls back to his office, while the person on the phone waits for him. Can you imagine if all of his workers rolled themselves around the store. Good grief !

Good evening

2009-07-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

I had a really good day, all the kids were well behaved and some were down right sweet. Some days are better then others, when working with children. I took a handful of sugar free candies with me to work today and I just kept grabbing another and another and then pretty soon the Oh no rumbles began. I know I'm not supposed to have more then about 4, or things start moving...I guess I lost track. Well lucky I had a room full of children to blame it on :) Warning sugar free candy can be embarrassing, or even worse...be careful and don't over consume.

For my lunch today I enjoyed szechwan chow mein (pork, bean sprouts, water chestnut, green onion and a bit of rice) really good and will be eating more for dinner. My snack tonight will be sugar free pistachio pudding. I'm not working out tonight, it's simple to hot (excuse).

WooHoo, Friday

2009-07-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Let's get this day going and get home. Went for a 2 mile walk this morning, another beautiful day. Breakfast today: 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1 cup of watermelon and a large slice of pineapple. My snack for work will be a 100 calorie chocolate dipped Oreo bar (a little treat for Friday) and a protein water. Well hubby has to work tomorrow, not sure what I will do yet? I was still thinking about steam cleaning the carpets. A lot of work, but it needs to be done and the rest of this place is really clean. Well found out my hubby's insurance coverage would cost us almost triple on his plan, so spoke to my boss and got just enough hours to get my insurance back. My hubby will be only getting 2 days pay in 2 weeks and then we have to wait another 2 weeks for a full paycheck. Have to drain the savings to make rent, feeling a bit stressed..but it will all work out in the end. Well everyone have a great Friday, and get a work out in today.

Good evening

2009-07-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

For today's lunch: 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of light yogurt, 5 Triscuit crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese. I will be riding the bike again tonight while I sit in front of the air conditioner...current temp. 92. Still thinking about dinner? in the mood for a big salad, but want something a little different tonight? I'll look around and post when I come back.
www.EatBetterAmerica.com wow lots of salads.

Thursday, July 16th

2009-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

I jumped on the bike for 30 min. this morning, my energy feels a little low today. Going to be another beautiful day, but really warm. Breakfast today was 1/2 cup of Fiber One, 1/2 light yogurt, and a small piece of leftover burrito. Watch out kids beans and fiber cereal. Today's snack is a Quaker granola bar and protein water.

Everyone have a great day, and write down everything that you put in your mouth today.

Wednesday evening July 15th

2009-07-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was really hungry when I got home today. I had the last piece of red snapper, 1 cup of strawberries, and a few soy chips. I started cleaning again and am going to take a rest this evening. I will be having a bean burrito with hubby later when he gets home. Feeling really tired tonight and it's heating up in here, hotter even tomorrow.

Wednesday July 15th

2009-07-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

Started my day with a 2 mile walk, a beautiful sunny day :). Got home and decided I better water my flowers on the patio, it's going to get around 90 degrees today. Dusted the living room and ran the vacuum cleaner around. Ready to come home and relax a bit after work, I hope. Breakfast was a large piece of red snapper, 1/2 cup of light yogurt and 1/2 cup of fiber one. My snack for work will be a light Laughing Cow cheese Wedge, and 5 low fat Ritz crackers, with a cup of Protein water.

Really focused on getting the house clean lately, and finding that some of it can be a bit of a workout. Need to steam clean the carpets soon, maybe saturday.

Everyone have a great day and get movin.

2009-07-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Question: Why are lifestyle changes are so difficult to make?: Any change takes courage. Courage is the power to face difficulties. Courage comes from a determination to succeed and to practice new lifestyle skills. When we isolate our problems and work on finding a solution we gain the necessary courage to succeed.

Just a thought

2009-07-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Found this site and find it helpful http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

I caught myself eating dinner too fast. Have you ever sat back and watched a very heavy person eat? A lot of people will take huge bits and even stuff more food in their mouth before they have swallowed the first bit. They quickly gobble up their food, I'm not sure they even tasted it sometimes. Take your time and enjoy every bite and savory the flavors, stop between bites and put your fork down. This reminds me of a Seinfeld episode, the one with everyone cutting their candy bars and eating them with a knife and fork. I completely understand this, stop and enjoy it...don't swallow the thing in 3 bites and start looking for more.

Tuesday evening

2009-07-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Home early, and had 2 cups of strawberries, 5 low fat Ritz crackers and a small slice of cheese.
I got on the bike and did 30 min., for some reason it was a real struggle to get threw it, but I made it and feel much better. Dinner time is a piece of red snapper fried in olive oil, steamed broccoli, and watermelon.

Tuesday July 14, 2009

2009-07-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I woke up thinking it was Wednesday?, that's never a good way to start the day. Woke up at 6 o'clock this morning, just couldn't sleep anymore.

My workout this morning: 10 min. bike
Biceps curls with cable/3 sets of 10
Triceps extensions with cable/3 sets of 10
Laying bicycles for abs/ 3 sets of 30

10 min. bike
Arnold presses with 5lbs. each/3 sets of 10
Front lat. raises with 5lbs.each/3sets of 10
Laying bicycles for abs/ 3 sets of 30

and finally another 10 min. on the bike

Breakfast for today is 3 ounces of pork, 1/2 cup of light yogurt and 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal.
Snack for work today will be 12 raw almonds, 1 Carmel rice cake, and a few dried cherries.

Don't forget to drink your water.

Monday evening

2009-07-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to kick back a little while before working out tonight, but hubby needed shoes and work pants....so we had to go shopping at rush hour. I wanted him to go alone, but he isn't a shopper and wanted me to go with him. Well we found what we needed and sat in traffic all the way home. Home late and hungry and feeling stressed out. For my late dinner I ate about 3 ounces of pork loin, 1/2 a potato, and a small salad. I really don't feel like working out, I'm tired. I figure I walked the length of the mall and back that should count for something. I think I'm going to start simplifying things and de-clutter my life, make a cleaning list and meal plan for the week. Feeling overwhelmed or something. One good note this morning I grabbed a pair of work pants I hadn't worn in a while and tried to put them on, they were huge...I had to show hubby and he said "Wow, you have really lost a lot". I will be having a 100 calorie popcorn later before 7 p.m.. I try not to eat anything after 7 in the evening.

Monday morning and feeling motivated

2009-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Up early about 7, started my day with some cardio boxing (Gold's Gym Cardio Workout) on the wii. I boxed for 15 min. and then jumped on the bike for 30 min. Really had to push threw the bike workout, but felt really great when I finished. Breakfast will be about 3 oz. of pork loin mixed with a tablespoon of Teriyaki sauce over 1/2 cup of fiber one cereal, and a cup of strawberries.

I found out a few days ago my job will be going to part-time and I will be losing my insurance, "crap". Luckily my hubby will be starting a different job and his insurance will be the same one we just had, but we have to wait 3 months for coverage. Feeling a bit stressed, but will turn to my bike or a walk when my mind starts reeling and not food.

Today's snack for work will be a few raw almonds about 12, a sprinkle of dried cherries and a 1/2 bottle or cup of Special K Protein Water (this stuff is really tasty). Have a good day and get some exercise today.

2009-07-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

I was still a bit hungry after dinner and ate a 100 calorie popcorn. I ate around 1200 calories today and worked out twice...so feeling pretty good. I found this site a while back and find it very helpful when filling in my food log http://nutritiondata.com/ lots of information and I love using the nutritional fact to look up all kinds of foods.

For tomorrow I'm looking at working a bit harder this next week and switching up with some more weight training and cardio boxing. It's also very helpful to take a few minutes and map out a weekly plan for both calories and exercise.

2009-07-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

Just finished 30 min. on the bike. I believe it's important to workout in the morning and again in the evening or afternoon, to keep your body fired up. Dinner is in the oven, pork roast...I will be having a palm size portion and have enough for a few days. I also made a low-fat twice baked potato using smart balance butter, fat free cream cheese and dry ranch dressing powder....I will only eat a 1/2 potato at one time. I also fixed a small salad with lettuce, tomato, carrots, and mushrooms...I will be using a watered down ranch and Fat free Catalina mix for my dressing.

I already will have potatoes, pork, strawberries prepared and ready to eat in the fridge. I think it's very important to have easy and prepared foods available and on hand. Being hungry and having nothing to eat can make for some really bad choices. I also take small containers or sandwich bags and bag up 5 work time snacks to take with me..so I can easily grab these in a hurry.

Sunday

2009-07-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Woke up early and went for my 2 mile walk, had a cup of light soy milk to get me going this morning. Decided we needed to get some groceries, ran out of a lot of my healthy foods and needed to restock. For breakfast I ate a morning star chicken Pattie on an English muffin with light mayo and a cup of fresh strawberries. Just about ready for lunch....a light yogurt and 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese mixed together, one slice of turkey lunch meat with a wedge of light laughing cow cheese. Drank a sugar free red bull, feeling the kick.

No Focus Today

2009-07-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Found myself hungry and had a few extra calories today. For breakfast I started with 1/2 cup of oatmeal and dried cranberries. Still hungry an hour later and decided on 8 Triscuit crackers with 2 T. of fat free cream cheese. Lunch time, salsa and Baked scoop chips, a light laughing cow cheese wedge (Yum, I love these), about 1/2 cup of chicken breast and a small handful of peanuts. Later I couldn't get past this chocolate craving and only had baking chips...had a small handful (have to pick up more sugar-free candy for those weak moments). Will be having a small taco salad later and if still hungry a 100 calorie popcorn. Went for short walk and did a lot of cleaning today.

2009-07-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday..."Woo-Hoo!" Slept till 9 o'clock, I rarely do that. Feeling a bit burnt out this morning so I'm giving my body a rest for the morning. I woke up really hungry but haven't eaten yet...still working on my coffee. Watching Andrew Zimmerman on the Travel channel and he's eating baby pig eyeballs...suddenly not so hungry anymore.

Went to the casino last night and wow did I see a lot of really huge people, at what point do these people stop killing themselves? Huge butts hanging over the sides of there chairs, makes me sad to see this. To walk around packing all that weight and have no energy and feel trapped inside themselves. I only had to deal with the extra 50 lbs, some of the people I saw last night have hundreds to lose and the majority of them never will :(. I wonder what it will look like in another 10 years and all those children learning all those bad choices and habits.

Friday Morning

2009-07-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Woke up early this morning again, feeling great...it's Friday. The sun was shining so I decided a walk would be perfect today. I walk around my apartment complex 3 times for a total of 30 min. For my breakfast this morning I will be having 1/2 a cup of pinto beans, 1/2 a pear, 1/2 cup of light yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal. Already packed my snack and lunch for the day. Snack will be the other 1/2 of the pear and the other 1/2 of that light yogurt mixed with another 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal...."Wow it's a high fiber day". Lunch will be 1/2 cup of pinto beans, 2 turkey sausages, and about 7 baby carrots.... for my treat a Sugar Free piece of chocolate. I will be drinking water for break and a diet coke for lunch, I can't drink a lot of water at work so I drink a lot when I get home. It will be another long day of work today, hopefully I can get a workout in tonight. Have a great day and watch what your eating. I like to keep a daily food journal...so I'm fully aware of what is going in my mouth. Write down everything, and keep track of your exercise and you can look back on it and see what is working for you.

2009-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, long day. Well all in all not a bad day, but I'm really tired. For my break time snack I had 6 rosemary and olive oil triscuits and 1/4 cup of tuna. For lunch I ate 1/2 cup pinto beans, 1/2 a cucumber sliced and about 5 small slices of low fat turkey sausage....and 1 sugar free piece of chocolate. Dinner was a single small piece of pizza, not the best choice.....but it was leftovers and I hate to waste food :) . I will be jumping on the bike this evening and watching Big Brother. I also will be doing some squats, leg lifts, and butt busters. Try to get moving and don't forget to drink your water.

2009-07-09T19:48:00.001-07:00

2009-07-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,
My name is Susan and I would like to share my daily struggles of weight loss. I have lost 20 lbs in the last 3 months and feel better every day. I will be posting everything I eat and what and how much exercise I am doing daily. I also will be posting my daily life and stresses that can effect your weight loss and attitude.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 and jumped on my exercise bike and rode for 30 min. on an empty stomach. Some mornings when my stomach feels empty I will consume 1 cup of light soy vanilla milk to settle my stomach before exercising.

My breakfast today is 1/2 cup of quick oats and a sprinkle of dried cranberries I also sweeten with splenda. I also will be having a 1/4 cup of canned tuna for an extra protein boost.

Time to get ready for work. I work for a Fred Meyer store in the Playland area, I love my job ....well most of the time. I won't be able to post until later this evening, but I will let you know what I ate and if I made time to fit in my exercise...so check in later.

Everyone eat a healthy breakfast and try to get moving.