Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Losing Weight and Missing my Support Group
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After an upsetting gain last week... I now have a loss this week! 1.2 pounds! Yay! I really worked for it this week - putting in time at the gym on 6 out of 7 days. Whew... I could definitely make a few more dietary changes though, as I know I keep inching back towards my normal eating habits. So, after a bit of a yo-yo effect - I have now accumulated a 3 pound lost since we began. I think that averages out to be about a pound a week. I know there is still a long way to go! I hope you all will report soon - I've been missing hearing about how everyone is doing and I could definitely use the support. Cheerio, Blondie :)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Weight Gain and Serious Frustrations
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Well... this week did not go exactly as I had planned or hoped. This morning, I weighed and the results were a 1.6 pound gain... I'm a little more than discouraged.
At my last weigh-in, I had lost nearly 2 pounds. I think that this was due mostly to elminating carbs from my diet (except for naturally occurring carbs such as those in fruits)during that week. I quickly learned that totally elminating carbs is not healthy and it is unrealistic to assume that I would be able to maintain that type of diet for any length of time. As I previously mentioned, I felt bad most of that week (low energy, headaches).
This past week, I tried to eat healthy but added back some carbs (potatoes, healthy cereals, etc.). I cooked a lot of my meals at home, drank 0 calorie beverages, ate more salads than I can count - and still gained the weight back. I also put my time in at the gym 4 days in the past week with a combination of strength training and cardio.
This is my 6th week working out at the gym and my 2nd week making dietary changes and I feel like I have very little to show for it. I want to know what I am doing wrong and what I can do better?!?!
Also, my husband asked me to not weigh for awhile. He says that I am obsessing and not giving my body enough time to adjust. I feel like 6 weeks is enough time and that I should be seeing something. I may or may not heed his advice.
Sorry for the Debby Downer post...
Blondie
At my last weigh-in, I had lost nearly 2 pounds. I think that this was due mostly to elminating carbs from my diet (except for naturally occurring carbs such as those in fruits)during that week. I quickly learned that totally elminating carbs is not healthy and it is unrealistic to assume that I would be able to maintain that type of diet for any length of time. As I previously mentioned, I felt bad most of that week (low energy, headaches).
This past week, I tried to eat healthy but added back some carbs (potatoes, healthy cereals, etc.). I cooked a lot of my meals at home, drank 0 calorie beverages, ate more salads than I can count - and still gained the weight back. I also put my time in at the gym 4 days in the past week with a combination of strength training and cardio.
This is my 6th week working out at the gym and my 2nd week making dietary changes and I feel like I have very little to show for it. I want to know what I am doing wrong and what I can do better?!?!
Also, my husband asked me to not weigh for awhile. He says that I am obsessing and not giving my body enough time to adjust. I feel like 6 weeks is enough time and that I should be seeing something. I may or may not heed his advice.
Sorry for the Debby Downer post...
Blondie
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Week 1 Update
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Week 1 is over! Yay!
Today is my official weigh-in day. I lost 1.8 pounds! I have now lost 3.4 pounds overall since I began exercising 5 weeks ago. This week I began "dieting" and/or making a concious effort to eat better and that is what made all the difference.
Here is my recap of what I accomplished this past week:
*5 workouts at the gym
*1 trip to the grocery store
*Only 4 meals from restaurants (only 1 fast food)
*Cooked more meals
*Ate nothing processed or from a can
*Dramatically reduced unhealthy carbs (a few handfuls of sunchips, one flour tortilla and one serving of whole wheat pasta is all that I consumed)
*Lots of lean meats, eggs, veggies, fruit and yogurt
*Took body measurements and calculated body fat and waist-to-hip ratio
*Switched to light salad dressing
*Started mixing juice half and half with water
Negative Experiences:
*Feeling hungry often between meals
*Frequent headaches
*Low energy
*Cravings
Goal for this week:
*Drink more water
*Eat better breakfasts
Would love to hear about your ups and downs.
Do you have a new goal for the week?
Love,
Blondie
Today is my official weigh-in day. I lost 1.8 pounds! I have now lost 3.4 pounds overall since I began exercising 5 weeks ago. This week I began "dieting" and/or making a concious effort to eat better and that is what made all the difference.
Here is my recap of what I accomplished this past week:
*5 workouts at the gym
*1 trip to the grocery store
*Only 4 meals from restaurants (only 1 fast food)
*Cooked more meals
*Ate nothing processed or from a can
*Dramatically reduced unhealthy carbs (a few handfuls of sunchips, one flour tortilla and one serving of whole wheat pasta is all that I consumed)
*Lots of lean meats, eggs, veggies, fruit and yogurt
*Took body measurements and calculated body fat and waist-to-hip ratio
*Switched to light salad dressing
*Started mixing juice half and half with water
Negative Experiences:
*Feeling hungry often between meals
*Frequent headaches
*Low energy
*Cravings
Goal for this week:
*Drink more water
*Eat better breakfasts
Would love to hear about your ups and downs.
Do you have a new goal for the week?
Love,
Blondie
Friday, March 11, 2011
You Could Be Obese And Not Even Know It!
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Think if you are at a healthy weight then you are in the clear? If so, then think again...
Many people calculate their BMI or Body Mass Index. In fact, our individual weight loss tickers are calculating our BMI for us as we monitor the pounds we lose. You can find BMI calculators all over the internet and there is probably one hanging in your doctor’s office. Body Mass Index is simply an individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height. BMI does not measure your percentage of body fat. According to my BMI, I am just barely at a “healthy” weight. Calculate your BMI!
In addition to eating more healthfully, I am exercising regularly as well. Yesterday, I decided to take my body measurements because I know that sometimes your body is actually changing even though your scale may not be budging. If you are exercising, you can lose inches before you start to lose pounds because fat is being replaced with muscle. So, I took my baseline measurements for my entire body. I will repeat them in a month. Learn how to take your body measurements.
After taking my measurements, I decided to calculate my body fat percentage. You only need to measure your body in 4 places (waist, wrist, forearm and hips) in order to calculate your body fat percentage. I plugged my numbers in and was quite shocked at the outcome. More than a third of my body is FAT. According to the Body Fat Percentage Chart, that percentage places me in the “obese” category.
Calculate your Body Fat!
If you want to go one step further, you can use your waist and hip measurements to calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio. Once again, my calculations put me in the most unhealthy category and indicated that I am at High Risk for diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. All of these diseases run in my family. I also have an apple body shape because I gain weight in my abdomen. Calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio and check out the Ratio Chart!
So, I started thinking about all of this information that I had just learned and I asked myself... "How can I be at a healthy weight and also obese and high risk for scary diseases?" What I found was that I have what is now being called "Normal Weight Obesity." Sounds like an oxymoron, right?!?! Well, it is real and it is serious. I now know that even though my weight may be "normal" on the charts, I am still at risk for many of the same diseases as someone who is actually obese. I have a large body fat percentage and though I may not be able to change my apple body shape and where I carry that excess FAT (thanks genetics!) - I can do something to reduce it. Now one of my goals is to work to reduce FAT and not just weight!
Learn more about Normal Weight Obesity!
Sorry for the lengthy post (I'm a writer). I hope you find this information informative and helpful. I am so grateful to be a part of this project. I am learning so much about my body and finally taking ownership of the body that I own!
Cheers ~ Blondie! :)
Many people calculate their BMI or Body Mass Index. In fact, our individual weight loss tickers are calculating our BMI for us as we monitor the pounds we lose. You can find BMI calculators all over the internet and there is probably one hanging in your doctor’s office. Body Mass Index is simply an individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height. BMI does not measure your percentage of body fat. According to my BMI, I am just barely at a “healthy” weight. Calculate your BMI!
In addition to eating more healthfully, I am exercising regularly as well. Yesterday, I decided to take my body measurements because I know that sometimes your body is actually changing even though your scale may not be budging. If you are exercising, you can lose inches before you start to lose pounds because fat is being replaced with muscle. So, I took my baseline measurements for my entire body. I will repeat them in a month. Learn how to take your body measurements.
After taking my measurements, I decided to calculate my body fat percentage. You only need to measure your body in 4 places (waist, wrist, forearm and hips) in order to calculate your body fat percentage. I plugged my numbers in and was quite shocked at the outcome. More than a third of my body is FAT. According to the Body Fat Percentage Chart, that percentage places me in the “obese” category.
Calculate your Body Fat!
If you want to go one step further, you can use your waist and hip measurements to calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio. Once again, my calculations put me in the most unhealthy category and indicated that I am at High Risk for diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. All of these diseases run in my family. I also have an apple body shape because I gain weight in my abdomen. Calculate your Waist to Hip Ratio and check out the Ratio Chart!
So, I started thinking about all of this information that I had just learned and I asked myself... "How can I be at a healthy weight and also obese and high risk for scary diseases?" What I found was that I have what is now being called "Normal Weight Obesity." Sounds like an oxymoron, right?!?! Well, it is real and it is serious. I now know that even though my weight may be "normal" on the charts, I am still at risk for many of the same diseases as someone who is actually obese. I have a large body fat percentage and though I may not be able to change my apple body shape and where I carry that excess FAT (thanks genetics!) - I can do something to reduce it. Now one of my goals is to work to reduce FAT and not just weight!
Learn more about Normal Weight Obesity!
Sorry for the lengthy post (I'm a writer). I hope you find this information informative and helpful. I am so grateful to be a part of this project. I am learning so much about my body and finally taking ownership of the body that I own!
Cheers ~ Blondie! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
I Am Eating to Cleanse!
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Here goes my first post...
A month ago, I started working out at the gym. I try to mix cardio with strength training and I am slowly learning how to exercise more effectively. However, after 4 weeks of workouts at 4+ times per week - I had no weight loss. This is very discouraging because I do not enjoy going to the gym in the first place. Since I have kicked my activity level into high gear and not lost any weight, I now know that my diet is paying a larger role in the equation.
This past weekend I visited my family. My mom has recently started a new diet plan that she heard about through a coworker. It works in cycles with the first being basically a cleansing cycle. On the first cycle you CAN eat: unlimited poultry and fish (no shellfish), unlimited "cleansing" vegetables, 2 fruits a day from a select list, 2 probiotics a day (yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, etc...), 2 eggs a day, 1-2 tbsp of healthy oils and condiments from a select list. The beverage list includes: water, green tea, coffee and diet soda. My mom lost about 4 pounds in her first week! So, I watched what she was eating over the weekend and decided to give it a go myself. Yesterday was my first day and I feel pretty good about it. I went grocery shopping this morning and I have to say that I really enjoyed filling my basket with bright and colorful fruits and vegetables. Today I have enjoyed: fruit and yogurt for breakfast and a taco salad (ground turkey - no chips) for lunch and I feel pretty satisfied!
Tuesday is my weigh-in day and I now weigh: 155.4 (1.6 pounds lost since last Tuesday!!!)
Smiles,
BLONDIE
A month ago, I started working out at the gym. I try to mix cardio with strength training and I am slowly learning how to exercise more effectively. However, after 4 weeks of workouts at 4+ times per week - I had no weight loss. This is very discouraging because I do not enjoy going to the gym in the first place. Since I have kicked my activity level into high gear and not lost any weight, I now know that my diet is paying a larger role in the equation.
This past weekend I visited my family. My mom has recently started a new diet plan that she heard about through a coworker. It works in cycles with the first being basically a cleansing cycle. On the first cycle you CAN eat: unlimited poultry and fish (no shellfish), unlimited "cleansing" vegetables, 2 fruits a day from a select list, 2 probiotics a day (yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, etc...), 2 eggs a day, 1-2 tbsp of healthy oils and condiments from a select list. The beverage list includes: water, green tea, coffee and diet soda. My mom lost about 4 pounds in her first week! So, I watched what she was eating over the weekend and decided to give it a go myself. Yesterday was my first day and I feel pretty good about it. I went grocery shopping this morning and I have to say that I really enjoyed filling my basket with bright and colorful fruits and vegetables. Today I have enjoyed: fruit and yogurt for breakfast and a taco salad (ground turkey - no chips) for lunch and I feel pretty satisfied!
Tuesday is my weigh-in day and I now weigh: 155.4 (1.6 pounds lost since last Tuesday!!!)
Smiles,
BLONDIE
Monday, March 7, 2011
I'll go first!
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There are five of us posting on this blog. That means we will have 5 stories, at least 5 lessons to learn and 5 goals to achieve. Hopefully in our triumphs and trials you will see something you can relate to. I will start by telling a little bit of my story and how I got to where I am today.
I'm a big girl. But from what I've seen, not the typical big girl. I'm not a yo-yo dieter. I don't shy from the camera and you will hardly ever hear me say a word about my weight or my calorie intake. I'm sure part of this is denial. But most of the time I have other things on my mind. It's just not something I think about.
I'm very close to 40. And I am starting to notice a few signs of aging ;) I'm not a paragon of health. I am medicated for high blood pressure and sometimes when my eyesight it blurry I get nervous. I have horrible heartburn that I have denied for years had anything to do with what I ate. I am finally coming to the realization that just because I don't talk about it, or stress about it - doesn't mean there isn't a problem.
So thanks to Dream for suggesting we diet cross-country together. And thanks to my pathological desire to blog we have this online journal. Join us in our journey. Comment. Ask questions. Start your own blog (we'll link to you!) and let's lose this weight before we lose our minds! :-)
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