The time has come to make some changes! I've been overweight since giving birth to my Son (my second child) and I haven't been able to lose the extra weight over the last 5 years since. Unfortunately, I've actually gained an extra 20lbs on top of what I weighed after my pregnancy. As I have come to find out, this is not uncommon for many mothers. I currently weigh 191lbs. I am only 5'3, so that is quite a lot of weight for my height and frame. My goal is to weigh around 125lbs. This may seem like an overly ambitious goal, but it was my weight on my wedding day and a time in my life when I felt the healthiest. I am open to the possibility that I may still feel just as healthy at a slightly higher weight, so if that turns out to be the case I will adjust my goal weight. Ultimately, the purpose of my weight loss and wellness journey is to lead a healthy and active life and to feel good inside and out (regardless of the number on the scale). My best friend, Chrissy, is also a mother who has struggled with her weight and wellness after having children and she will be joining me on this journey. She's a tremendous inspiration to me and is always cheering me on and I'm overjoyed to have her by my side through this experience. Together, I know we can do anything!
Chrissy and I are going to hold ourselves publicly accountable in our efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle. Hopefully others can benefit from our experiences, and information we gain along the way. We will be keeping a food and exercise journal with the help of the My Fitness Pal app and Fitbit. We will have different goals for each week that we'll pay extra attention to, comparing notes, and sharing our success and struggles throughout this journey. We'll be experimenting with recipes, workouts, classes, scheduling, etc, to find out what works best for us along the way.
I've tried many fad diets, supplements, shakes, wraps, and programs without a ton of success, wasting time and money. And every time I've tried eliminating all of the foods that I enjoy from my diet, I never end up sticking with it. My hope is to keep many of the foods that I love and still lose weight by focusing \on portion size, healthy alternatives, calorie counting and exercise. I recognize that I need to start making some healthier choices and breaking bad habits, but I still want to enjoy my food with family and friends.
What Chrissy and I are attempting, is a lifestyle makeover! Taking a holistic approach by focusing on all aspects of the body and what it means to lead a healthy and active life. Body, mind and spirit.
Chrissy and I will be keeping this online journal until we reach our weight loss goals. We will alternate each week and focus on different goals specific to that week. We will be experimenting with different foods, recipes, and mind and body exercises. Our ultimate goal is to lead a balanced and healthy life.
We're starting on a Wednesday at the end of June (half way through the week and year) because if we're always waiting to start on a Monday at the first of the month or trying really hard only to get a new body by Summer by a certain date, we know we'll be setting ourselves up for failure. We're not going to let setbacks or bad days take over or use that as an excuse for giving up. It is time to make a change starting with unrealistic expectations!
Week 1
Goal #1: This week I will be focusing on writing down everything that I eat and drink (and I mean EVERYTHING). I have never kept a food journal for more than two days because I find it tedious and boring. However, if I don't have a clear picture of what I'm eating and how many calories I'm consuming, I'll never be able to make the necessary changes to lose weight and eat healthier.
Goal #2: I am going to try and eat breakfast everyday. I currently don't eat breakfast. I drink coffee and cream but that's pretty much it. By the time I eat lunch I'm starving and eat way too much. I realize that the research on the importance of eating breakfast isn't necessarily definitive, but I'm hoping it will be an overall healthy change in my diet and it will help me eat less throughout the day.
Wednesday, June 29th
Starting Weight: 191`
Breakfast: Granola Bar
Lunch: Cantina Power Burrito
Dinner: Enchilada Casserole with homemade Cilantro Dressing/Dip
Water: 7 Cups
Exercise: Elliptical and Treadmill 40 min (20 on each) and Trampoline with Troy for about 1 hour
Steps: 7, 546
Total Calories Consumed: 1,756
Total Calories Burned: 675
Thursday, June 30th
Breakfast: Coffee with Cream (4tbsp of cream)
Pink Grapefruit (with 1tsp of sugar sprinkled on top)
1Slice of Whole Grain Toast (with 2tsp of butter)
Lunch: Baked Salmon (6oz)
1 Cup of Quinoa (Steamed)
1 Cup of Arugula
Lemon Dill Dressing (mayo, fresh squeezed lemon, dried dill weed)
Dinner: Cheese Burger (no fries)
Drinks: Strawberry Lemonade
Water: 8 Cups
Steps: 10,138
Total Calories Consumed: 1,488
Total Calories Burned: 516
Friday, July 1st
Breakfast: Coffee with Cream
Strawberry Short Cake with whipped cream and Strawberries
Lunch: BLT Sandwich with Avocado
Dinner: Hotdog with Mustard
Greek Salad
Snacks: 1 Pickle, Sml Popcorn, Icee Slushy, Ice Cream
Water: 8 Cups
Exercise: 45 min on the Elliptical
Steps: 6,978
Total Calories Consumed: 1,966
Total Calories Burned: 690
Saturday, July 2nd
Breakfast: Coffee with Cream (4tbsp of cream)
Pink Grapefruit (with 1tsp of sugar sprinkled on top)
Lunch: Breakfast Burrito with Veggies and Egg-whites
Dinner: Turkey Burger with Blue Cheese
Spicy Italian Sausage
Red Cabbage Salad
Drinks: 3 Mojitos
Snacks: Maui Onion Rings (1 bag)
Water: 6 cups
Exercise: Walking and Swimming
Steps: 17,052
Total Calories Consumed: 2,292
Total Calories Burned: 1,497
Sunday, July 3rd
Breakfast: Coffee with Cream (4tbsp of cream)
2 Fried eggs on PC Thins with Avocado. Onion and Onion (with 1tbsp of Mayo)
Lunch: Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
Fried Calamari (15 Pieces)
Caprese Salad
Fries (Poutine)
Dinner: No Dinner (because of the large lunch)
Dessert: Chocolate fondue with Fruit
1 Slice of Homemade Banana Bread
Water: 6 cups
Exercise: 3 mile walk (up and down hills) and Swimming for 1 hour
Steps: Battery Died
Total Calories Consumed: 1,962
Total Calories Burned: 1,107
Monday, July 4th
Breakfast: Coffee with Cream (4tbsp of cream)
2 Fried eggs on PC Thins with Avocado. Onion and Onion (with 1tbsp of Mayo)
Lunch: Sushi Rolls (about 10 pieces), Miso Soup, and Veggie Tempura
Dinner: 2 Pieces of Grilled Chicken, Bacon Wrapped Sausage, Grilled Portabello Mushroom, Cucumber and Tomato Salad.
Drinks: 2 Rum and Coke Zero
Water: 8 Cups
Steps: 8,720
Total Calories Consumed: 2,266
Total Calories Burned: 362
Tuesday, July 5th
Breakfast: Granola Breakfast Bar
Lunch: 1 Chicken Soft Taco and 1 Steak Soft Taco
Dinner: Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Meatballs, Grilled Artichoke with Lemon Dill Dip.
Snack: 1 Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Water: 5 Cups
Exercise: 45 min on the Elliptical
Steps: 10,832
Total Calories Consumed:1,911
Total Calories Burned:1,308
Wednesday Weigh-In and Week Overview
Ending Weight: 189.5
Total Weight Loss for the week: 1.5lbs
Overall I lost weight so I will call that a success! I still have such a long way to go and with the amount of weight I have to loose, I most likely could've lost more. Food journaling is definitely hard for me, but I am realizing that I have to start making healthier choices and drinking more water if I want to see bigger changes. This was a rough week to lose weight. I traveled to Canada with my family to visit my sister (so lots of eating out and treats) and celebrating Independence Day with friends at a potluck party. I'm very proud of myself for eating breakfast everyday, journaling, exercising more and loosing 1.5lbs! This is only the beginning!
Amy and Chrissy im so proud of you guys! I love the idea of food journaling and keeping track of your goals. It helps so much to have a partner in this. Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tara!
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