Friday, May 29, 2009

FUN FRIDAY

Well, I have friends coming to visit from out of town today with their kids. We are planning lunch, swimming at the pool, dinner and lots of catching up...

So, my question is, "How do you have a FUN FRIDAY when you are dieting and supposed to be exercising?"

Well, I had my usual Fiber One bar for breakfast 150 calories! That will help! For lunch, my girlfriends and I are having our usual, Chicken Salad. I just mix up canned chicken breast and throw whatever I have on hand in it(apples, celery, scallions, Tastefully Simple Dill Mix, Pepper, and Light Miracle Whip, and pecans went in today). As I was making it this morning, I got to thinking...there must be a better, more healthy way to make chicken salad. Yes, I use Light Miracle Whip, but the batch I made used over half a container. WOW!! THE CALORIES! So, I'm on a mission to find a lower calorie chicken salad recipe. Normally, we would eat it on crackers. Today, I think I'll be having it on whole wheat bread instead with lettuce and tomatoes.

The drama will come in this afternoon at snack time. I might take a banana. Very low cal and it will actually stave off the hunger. On that note, I think I have another tip.

TIP #3: If you feel hungry in between meals, instead of grabbing cookies, candy bars, crackers, EAT A PIECE OF FRUIT.

Fruit is usually extremely filling and very low in calories! Use the caloric chart link to find out the caloric count on fruits! It also helps curb the craving for sugar!

The plan for dinner is to order pizza. GOOD GRIEF....

I'm going to try and talk the girls into eating a veggie pizza with me. Yes, I would love a Meat Lovers, but it really isn't worth the indigestion or the grease and calories. Just because you are watching what you are eating doesn't mean that you can't have pizza!! Just don't eat more than one or two pieces! A trick to fill the craving for pizza is to have a piece of cheese and add your favorite veggies or fruit to it! Lots of fill for few calories! You can add as many fruits or veggies as you want! You will definitely take care of the carb craving without all the calories of eating half a pizza. TRY IT.....

After weighing in this morning, I was down another pound and a half! My goal is to jog again tonight after my friends leave and do the Bowflex arm workout...oh, and of course I'll tread in the pool some today while chatting with my great friends too!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Melissa Joan Harts New Body

Here is a link to a little YAHOO blurb about Melissa Joan Hart.

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/goddess/melissa-joan-hart-reveals-her-bikini-body/231?nc

I found it interesting that she thought it was ok to be fat after having kids. I have been stuck in that frame of mind for 6 years. I would use the excuse that "I had twins" so I should get a special medal or something and I could be fat....HELLO!!

I'm so glad that she looks as awesome as she does now! Her pics are great! I would DIE to have a body like that. Her reality of getting there was 14 months of working out with a personal trainer and hiring a private dietician. Good for her. Now, for us here in the REAL world, we do not have personal trainers or dieticians. Am I bitter, absolutely not. But, for us normal people it is even harder.

I hope during my journey to help my followers with tips, pointers and helpful hints to get us through this!

TIP #1: Write down everything you eat or drink. If it goes in your mouth, write it down. You will be amazed!!

Here is a caloric chart for foods that may not have a food label for easy calculations:

http://www.calorie-charts.net/

On this link, on the bottom of the page is a list of most foods that you would eat and not have the Nutrition Label readily available. Put this link in your favorites for quick access!

TIP #2: Buy a food scale. They are awesome! A lot of foods have calories listed by weight. Well that is all great and good, but hard to measure. You can get one at most stores for well under $20. A great investment that will last for years!

Yesterday Was "THE" Day

So, I had been thinking for a while about just "Doing It"...

By that, I mean, biting the bullet and starting to get fit, diet, and just be healthier. For REAL, this time! We have a treadmill, a Gazelle, a Bowflex, a Wii Fit, and an exercise tramp. You would think, that I would be a fit person with all of those things in my house. NOPE! I sit around all day, everyday and don't use a one of them.

Every January, it is the same song and dance....I'm going to work out and start my diet. It usually lasts 4-6 weeks, if that long. At least I'm part of the norm, the majority of people do this with New Year's Resolutions....

The past 2 or 3 years, I have lost 20-25 pounds by dieting (no working out involved here). I start at the beginning of the year, diet until spring, quit dieting and go back to eating WAY too much and then have it all gained back by the end of the year! Can you say, "YO YO"?

Well, this year, I planned on doing my usual diet, but didn't do nearly as well with it. I'm not sure if it was because I just didn't feel like it or the fact that I knew I could do it and then I would eventually stop and it would all come back. I ask this, is it worse to lose and re-gain, lose and re-gain or never lose at all??

I've been pondering on this since the early spring when I would normally be dieting. I did start to diet and then stopped very quickly after. I decided last week that on Tuesday, May 25, 2009, I would start my diet again. My diet consists of eating 1200-1500 calories a day. I can eat whatever I want, but not go over...

I also decided that I would work out on the Bowflex with my husband in the evenings. We do an extremely short uppper body workout that takes all of about 15-20 minutes. He started using the Bowflex and he really had great results in toning his upper body. I decided that I could do it to since I have a second waving flap on the underside of my arm....UGH!

Last night, for the first time in 15 years, I went for a jog!! I jogged 1.6 miles and walked another .5 miles for a cool down. I then came in and did the Bowflex workout.

I started this journey weighing 184.5 pounds per our home scale. This morning, I weighed in at 179 pounds. How can this be possible??? Well, folks, it is amazing what happens when you get up off your duff...