Week 4 of Wednesday to Wednesday Weightloss and Wellness

Week 4

Goal #1: Last week my goal was to make sure I was getting  a daily walk in. I did quite well with that. There were a couple of days that I missed but overall I averaged a walk of 2-4 miles, 5 out of the 7 days that week. I find that my overall day goes a lot better on days that I walk. I have more energy, feel less stressed and irritable, and aren't in as much pain as I am on days when I'm not moving as much. So if that's not motivation to get moving, I don't know what is! This coming up week I want to really focus on reducing the amount of sugar in my diet. As I mentioned in my intro, this has been something that I have struggled with for as long as I can remember. I am the epitome of a "sugar addict!" Those chocolate bars in the checkout line at the grocery store are just as hard to resist now as they were as a child. Only now I don't have my mom saying "no!"  This week I will work on my self control (something that I'm not that great at) and will not be indulging in desserts (I love desserts and treats such as ice cream and chocolate so this will be difficult), will be conscientious of the added sugar in the items that I cook, and will be steadily reducing the amount of sugar in my morning coffee. I'm currently at about 2-3 teaspoons per 12oz cup. Trying to get down to 1 teaspoon and then hopefully none! 

Goal #2: Last week my 2nd goal was to increase my water intake. I did consistently well with this until I came down with the flu. Which obviously isn't great since staying well hydrated during illness is extremely important. But I felt so bad that the thought of so much water made me nauseous. For this coming up week my goal will be to start going to bed earlier. This has been a bit of a challenge for me since the evenings are my only time of the day that I get to do things for myself. My 2 children occupy the rest of my day. So I find myself staying up until midnight most nights to get in some me time. But this isn't working well for me since my 5 month old son wakes up a few of times a night to nurse then wakes up for the day between 6:00am-7:00am. Therefore I have been averaging about 4-5 hours of broken up sleep a night, if I'm lucky.  Sleep is very important for my overall mental health. I am not one that does well with less than 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I am cranky, more stressed, and extremely irritable the whole next day which obviously isn't pleasant for my family to have to deal with.

Wednesday

Starting Weight: 159.8

Breakfast: 1 slice of multigrain toast with 1 tbsp of peanut butter

                 12oz Coffee (with 2 tbsp of cream and 2 tsp of sugar)

Lunch: Ham sandwich on multigrain bread w/ lite miracle whip, spinach, cheese, and tomato

Dinner: 4 oz hamburger  on wheat bun with sauteed mini peppers, mushrooms, and onions

Snacks: Almonds (1 oz )

Water: 10 Cups 

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 2 miles

 Steps: 8,157

Total Calories Consumed: 1,896

Total Calories Burned: 294

Thursday

Breakfast: 12 oz Coffee  (3tbsp of cream & 2 tsp of sugar)

                  1 cup Great Grains crunchy pecan cereal

                  0.8 cups 1% milk

                 

Lunch: 2 slices multigrain bread

             1 tbsp peanut butter

             1 tbsp strawberry jam

Dinner: Whole wheat spaghetti noodles with meat sauce

Snacks: Strawberries (1 cup)

             Cherries (1 cup)

Water: 9 Cups

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 2 miles 

Steps: 6,180

Total Calories Consumed: 1,985

Total Calories Burned: 287

Friday

Breakfast: 12oz coffee (2tbsp cream & 2 tsp sugar)

                  2 slices multigrain toast

                  1 tbsp peanut butter

                  1 tbsp strawberry jam

                

Lunch: 3oz chicken breast

        5 oz russet potato

        1 oz cheddar cheese

        2 tbsp barbeque sauce

Dinner: Homemade grilled chicken tacos

              Black beans

              Rice

              Salsa

Snacks: 1 oz almonds

             1 small banana

             Chips and mango salsa

Water: 10 Cups

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 45 min

Steps: 5,432

Total Calories Consumed: 2,446

Total Calories Burned: 114

Saturday

Breakfast: 12oz Coffee (3tbsp of cream & 2 tsp of sugar)

                  4 pieces of turkey bacon

Lunch: 2 veggie tacos

             Multigrain tortilla chips with mango salsa

Dinner: 1.5 cups of pesto penne pasta

             1 slice of garlic bread

             1 small side salad with ranch dressing

Snacks: 1 medium apple

Water: 12 cups

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 4 mile

Steps:  15,516

Total Calories Consumed: 1,771

Total Calories Burned: 872

Sunday

Breakfast: 12oz Coffee  (3tbsp of cream & 2 tsp sugar)

                 4 pieces of bacon

                 2 biscuits with strawberry jam

                 1 cup of hashbrowns

Lunch: Ham sandwich on multigrain bread w/ lite miracle whip, spinach, cheese, and tomato

Dinner: 4 oz chicken breast

             1 cup steamed brocolli

             1 cup steamed carrots

Snacks: Quinoa chips

Water: 11 cups

Exercise: None

Steps: 4,466

Total Calories Consumed: 1,781

Total Calories Burned: 0

Monday

Breakfast: 12oz Coffee (3tbsp of cream & 2tsp sugar)

                  1 slice of multigrain toast with 1 tbsp of peanut butter

Lunch: : Ham sandwich on multigrain bread w/ lite miracle whip, spinach, cheese, and tomatos

Dinner: 1.5 cups homemade Goulash 

Snacks: 1 med orange

                           

Water: 9 Cups

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 2 miles

Steps: 10,685

Total Calories Consumed: 1,895

Total Calories Burned: 368

Tuesday

Breakfast: 12oz Coffee  (3tbsp of cream & 2 tsp sugar)

                  Multi grain toast with 1tbsp of peanut butter               

Lunch: 4 oz homemade cheeseburger with sautéed sweet peppers and mushrooms on a whole wheat bun and brocolli, asparagus, carrots, kale, greenbeans

Dinner: 4 oz chicken

             1 cup brocolli

             1 cup carrots

             1 side salad with italian dressing

Snack: 1 medium orange

            Hummus with sweet peppers

           

Water: 11 Cups 

Exercise: Walked at a brisk pace for 3 mile

Steps: 10,885

Total Calories Consumed:2,120

Total Calories Burned: 465

Wednesday Weigh-In and Week Overview 

Ending Weight: 156.8

Total Weight Loss for the week: 2lbs

Part of this week was spent in the mountains in Georgia on a much needed mini family vacation. Because of this I didn't eat as well as I would have liked. I tried to cook as much as I could at the cabin but still ended up going out to eat some too. I struggle with knowing what to order at restaurants. I use to go for salads but after doing some research I've learned that salads at most restaurants normally have more calories than some of the entrees! So I'm still working on finding better options. We hardly go out to eat anymore these days anyways in an attempt to save money so it's not that big of an issue. But I would like to feel more confident that what I order doesn't end up being my entire days calories in one meal!