Under the weather...

I didnt exercise yesterday because I felt under the weather. I think whatever my daughter had I am getting?

Even now I feel.. blah. Slight sore throat, running nose, eyes feel like they are going to burn right out of my face....

I was really looking forward to getting some strength training in last night, but instead I vegged on the couch and watched TV. Which I may do again tonight.

Stupid cold - you're messing up my plans.

Kicking Ass and Taking Names!

I've been doing really well lately. Im taking it one day at a time and feeling accomplished. I've been re-reading my fitness magazines and getting inspired everytime I read them. Even if I've read the same article twice.

I think looking at the pictures of how I want to look (and feel) has helped tremendously. Im also doing more little things to get even 5 minutes of workout in: stairstepper at work on my way to the bathroom, the arm band while reading work documents, etc.

I've been working out a night instead of in the morning. Not sure why but its been working? As soon as Ava's asleep I throw on my workout clothes and bust out the Wii or a workout video. Last night was Turbo Jam for 45 minutes and it kicked my butt! I kind of wish I had a treadmill at home so that I could watch Teen Mom while running. I know that hour would just fly by!

My eating has been good too. Im trying hard to count calories and using SparkPeople.com to do it. I've also been reading the message board and articles on the website for tips. It really is a great website for networking and resources. I've been good at tracking food up until dinner time... Then I dont do it after dinner which isn't helping, but I had 900 calories before dinner last night. And my calorie range (according to the website) is 1300-1600. Last night I made a sandwich with turkey, lettuce, 1 piece of cheese and mustard for dinner. I also had watermelon with my dinner.

Im taking it one day at a time and feeling great about where this will take me. Yes I will have obstacles and yes I will have off days, but I look forward to the future of being one hot and healthy mama!

Quick fix?

Im sure everyone struggles with the "quick fix" of weight loss. Why can't I just take a pill and lose weight overnight? Why can't I just get lipo? Why can't I just man up and take responsibility for being overweight?

Funny, but in good news, I am no longer obese on the Wii Fit! Heeelllooo Overweight! :) Even though its a small step, I still felt proud of myself.

Im taking small steps everyday. I've been doing The Biggest Loser workout which is actually quite fun. I won my challenge over the weekend and wasn't eliminated! :)

Eating has been decent on most days as long as we don't count the 5 chocolate chip cookies I had last Friday.

Its going to take time and I realize that. Even if its a year before I lose the weight, so be it. Slow and steady wins the race, right? RIGHT? :)

Making up for yesterday!

Yesterday was Carl's Jr day.

Today - its not!

I didn't exercise because both the training calendar and biggest loser schedule didn't have anything scheduled. So I didnt :)

I had 1 egg and 1 piece of toast (and water) for breakfast.

For my midmorning snack I had 1 hardboiled egg and a yogurt.

I just ate lunch which was A-MAZ-ING (follow along with how I made the best burger EVER):

Step 1: Place sandwich thins (only 100 calories) in toaster oven. Put cooked turkey burger on one side. Let warm for 5 minutes (Can also use a fresh cooked turkey burger. In that case, skip placing burger in toaster oven.)

Step 2: Cut up 1/4 of an avocado. Place aside.

Step 3: Take out burger and sandwich thins. Place on plate.

Step 4: Take the side that has the burger and place avocado slices on top of it.

Step 5: Take 2 tbsp of cottage cheese and place on top of avocado slices.

Step 6: Place 1 cup of lettuce (your choice) on top of cottage cheese.

Step 7: Take other sandwich thin, place on top and VIOLA! You have made the most tastiest, healthiest (or healthier!) burger.

Enjoy!

It started out good!

I got up at 5am and did my training for the 10K:

Walk 1 minute than run 10 minutes. Repeat for 15-20 minutes. I modified it to 2 minute walk, 10 minute run, 2 minute walk. 14 minutes is close right?

I also did The Biggest Loser workout for the day: 16 minutes of lower body.

I had a banana and hardboiled egg for breakfast.

And then a burrito from Carl's Jr for lunch. I planned on eating my turkey burger, but Matt wanted to take me to lunch and since I only have 30 minutes we went someone close and fast. Unfortunately there was nothing fast about Carl's Jr and I had 10 minutes to scarf down my food.

Healthy Eating mistake #1, 2, 9 and 1,000! Because the burrito was like 900 calories, I will not be eating dinner. Ever again.

Not my BEST day so far, but I also did 200 steps on the stairstepper at work plus arm exercises with my arm band I have in my office.

Stop Being Fat, Mama!

8-week training to a 10K!

I found an 8-week training calendar in my fitness magazine for those who want to run a 10K! So I thought, "Why not?"

Plus it would be perfect timing for the 10K Smokey Bear Run in Oakhurst that might and I talked about doing.

So yesterday started the first day. On the agenda? Rest day! WOO HOO! This is easier than I thought, LOL.

Today was a 15-20 minute walk/run - walk for 2 minutes, run for 2 minutes. I think I was more or less jogging during the run part but it was faster than walking!

I got up at 5am to get the run in before it turned into 105 degrees! It was actually very pleasant and I opted to run around the neighborhood instead of the gym. It was nice and quiet and I really got into it.

When I got home I jumped on the Wii and did my workout for the Biggest Loser - 18 minutes of "light" yoga. Let me tell you - there's nothing light about yoga! Ava got up when I was almost done with my workout and she enjoyed doing some "stretches" with me on the Wii Balance Board. I should have taken a picture because it was the cutest thing ever.

Then I had scrambled eggs and an english muffin (with water) for breakfast. Matt went grocery shopping yesterday and got some great staples for me to bring to work: avocado, apples, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.

Tomorrow is cross-training (I plan to do the elliptical at the gym). No exercises are scheduled for the biggest loser.

I want to wear cute clothes. In a smaller size.

A girl at work ALWAYS wears cute clothes. Seriously - I dont think I see her wearing the same thing twice. Ever. Or atleast not in the same month.

And I've come to aspire to be like that. Well - atleast the body. I want to wear cute clothes - dresses, shorts, jeans, short shorts, bathing suits.

And they're going to be a smaller size than they are now.

Today was good! I had the following:

Breakfast:
1 1/2 eggs
1 english muffin
strawberry jam

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine Chicken Ranch Melt
Apple

Snack:
Mixed nuts from Fresh and Easy

And water because its soooooooooooooooooo hot!

I've also made my way back to SparkPeople.com. Have you heard about it? Its a great resource and lets me track my calories.

Size small...er - Here I come!

The Biggest Loser

This weekend consisted of Costco pizza, ice cream, cookies, some good for me things like corn, chicken and water.

And getting my ass kicked by Bob Harper on The Biggest Loser game for the Wii.

This week is looking up!

Day 2 of Stop Being Fat, Mama 3.0

I stole the 3.0 from Miranda my blog-stalker-going-to-meet-soon-and-become-the-best-of-friends (thanks miranda! ;)

This morning I wanted bagels. And coffee.

And I didnt get either. Mind you I was going to get enough bagels for the girls at work, but I was craving coffee. And wanted the Iced Kicker from Dutch Bros.

And then I thought about this dang weight. All 40 pounds of it. 40 pounds! That's a sh*itload of weight.

Baby steps, Stephanie. Baby steps.

Breakfast was 2 eggs (which I shared with my daughter) and 1 piece of toast. That was at 7am so I will have a snack around 10am.

And lots of water because its so hot. Even at midnight.

You know those articles that tell you to envision your ideal body? I see mind everyday in my coworker. She thinks she's fat but I would kill to have her figure. And its a good reminder to see her everyday during the week because it'll help me. Right? Right?!?

I need all the help I can get.

Ugh - Am I a failure?

I haven't blogged in a week. I haven't worked out since Sunday. I feel like giving up which is what I always do.

Whoa is me, right?

I weighed in this morning and gained a 1lb. This is either a) a good thing that maybe the strength training I have been doing is gaining muscle or b) I am fat and gaining more fat.

Why do I do this? I realize I have this problem in other areas of life such as finances. We'll talk about a budget, we'll stick to it for 2-3 weeks and then... blah. Someone goes to get coffee, the coworkers want to go out to lunch, etc, until we're back where we started.

This is the same with weight loss. I was asking Matt this morning what he thinks I should do and he didn't have much to say. Probably because he knows how I am with dedication. I dont FEEL like I've eaten out of line, but Im also not counting my calories or watching my food extra close. I dont FEEL extra fat, even when I look in the mirror most days, but its that scale number that bothers me. And when I see myself in pictures.

I carried a baby for 9 months and gave birth for crying out loud! How much harder can anything else be?

One step at a time... one step at a time....

I can do this!

I realize with this blog that I started out strong, kind of lost steam, wrote that I jump into everything to quickly and too hard, and then find myself starting the cycle all over again.

But I CAN DO THIS!

This morning marks the third day of exercise in a row. I worked out Wednesday night, Thursday morning and today. Today I opted to do only strength training and no cardio. It felt good to really push myself with the machines and I can definitely feel the soreness from the exercising, but it makes me feel good and geared to push myself to the next level.

Reading fitness magazines have also seemed to help with my motivation. The ideas, weight loss stories and fitness suggestions have really opened my eyes to what I can do on the fitness level.

My eating has been good too. A coworker brought in cake and I didn't even flinch when she offered me a piece. And I still don't want it. We are going out to lunch for my coworkers last day (before she leaves on Maternity Leave) but Im ready for wherever we go!

90 Day Challenge!

My boss mentioned today that we have 90 days until our conference in October. And that sparked an idea to do a 90-day challenge. Im not sure what the challenge will be, but I have some ideas:

• Exercise everyday, even if its only 10 minutes
• Try a new class at the gym each week
• Run 30 minutes everyday....

And the running brings me to my next thought. I felt so pumped last night that I bought a fitness magazine after the gym. And they had a 8-week to doing your first 10K training calendar. I thought it would be perfect to do especially with the Smokey Bear Run coming up in September. So thats my other plan for a challenge....

And this morning I got up at 5am and went to the gym! With my thoughts on running I did a 30 minute run - 5 minutes warm up and cool down (10 minutes), with 1 minute of walking, 2 minutes of running intervals. I felt amazing when it was over! I also did a few leg and weight machines and finished up with the ab machine.

Any suggestions on my 90-Day challenge?

Im back in the game!!!

I just got back from 45 minutes at the gym and I feel A-MAZ-ING!

I definitely think the lack of exercise was damping my mood. Oh exercise, how I missed you!

So far so good....

Besides the coffee my eating today has been pretty good:

Breakfast:
1 1/2 eggs
1 english muffin

Snack:
COFFEEEE

Lunch:
PB&J sandwich

Snack:
Yogurt with fresh strawberries

I've found that I am not putting too much thought into what I am eating and seem to be controling it better that way. Does that make sense? In other words I am not totally stressing about what I am going to eat next, but am making decent choices with food.

My main thing when I started this was losing a ton of weight. But I think my new focus will be eating HEALTHY which in return will help me lose weight. Yes, losing weight is important but feeding my body healthy options is best.

Have you read the book YOU: on a diet? My coworker let me borrow her copy and I read it a few months ago. I really liked it and it explained how things we eat affect our bodies. There is also a two week meal plan that I think I might try. Its suppose to help kick start your body and lose 2 inches in 2 weeks. My concern is when the 2 weeks is up. Will I feel better? Will I continue on the path of healthy living?

Will I? What if?

Coffee....

I have avoided Dutch Bros like the plague but this morning I was so tired I couldn't stop myself from going there.

So here I am writing this post, drinking a LARGE ICED KICKER. Oh.my.gosh. I forgot how yummy these were, but also how bad they are.

And I realize Im tired because Im not exercising. But I can't get out of the cycle of tiredness. I know I can do it. I know I can loose this weight, but why can't I dedicate myself. Where has the motivation gone?

Do you have any suggestions on keeping yourself going? How do you kick your own ass into shape?

An apple a day!

Im feeling good today. I couldn't get up to go to the gym this morning although I really wanted to. I will get my exercise in tonight after dinner.

Eating has been great today!

Breakfast:
1 english muffin
1 egg

Lunch:
PB&J
1 cup cottage cheese

Snack:
1 apple

And surprisingly Im not starving! Its been a busy day so I haven't had much time to think about being hungry. Of course when Im busy I dont seem to think about eating much either?

I weighed myself this morning. I was 173.8. Really? Thats it. Im not totally surprised but was hoping to be out of the 170's. I plan to be in the 160's by August.

I can do this!

You gotta blog, honey....

This is what Matt just said to me when I told him I need to blog but Im kind of tired.

So here I am. Blogging.

Let's recap the weekend and where I am physically and mentally:

Friday, July 2nd:

There was only 4 of us in the office so it was extremely quiet. I had a lot to do, so it went by pretty quickly though. When lunch time rolled around, it was decided we should go out to lunch. First choice was Chiptole, but when we got there it was waaayy too busy so we ended up at Panera Bread. I had 1/2 turkey sandwich and 1/2 ceasar salad. Should have gone with a different salad, but I didn't. For dinner Matt whipped up a chicken pasta dish. Healthy yes? LOL I didn't do any exercise.

Saturday, July 3rd:

We had a quick breakfast (1 banana and 1 egg) before heading on down to LA for the weekend. When we stopped to get gas, Matt got us a carmel latte. Yummy? Yes. Healthy? Most likely not considering I could taste the sugar everytime I took a drink. We stopped for a quick snack right before the grapevine: 1 ricecake and watermelon/cantalope. And water. When we made it to Matt's parents house we had lunch: Turkey sandwich with potato salad. We hung around, took naps and relaxed after a long drive. Then dinner time rolled around: spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and salad. And two glasses of wine. That night Matt's parents sent us out of the house to get some "us" time. We planned on going to see Toy Story 3, but the 8pm showing was sold out. The next time was 11pm which we didn't want to wait for. We watched around the outside mall and then proceeded to ColdStone's where I indulged in a Birthday Cake Remix: cake batter ice cream, sprinkles, brownies and fudge. Ohhh yeah.

Sunday, July 4th:

Happy Independence Day! Matt and I head for a nice bike ride down to the beach while Matt's mom watches Ava. It was AMAZING! I swear, if I lived at the beach I would bike, run, swim, exercise EVERDAY because 1) the weather is perfect 24/7 - 365 days a year and 2) I would need to look hot in a bikini so I could be among the other gorgeous people at the beach. The ride was roughly 4 miles roundtrip with a grueling uphill that Matt made me do. But I felt great once we got back to the house! And then I proceeded to have waffles (with syrup) and sausage for breakfast. Goodbye calories I just biked! We later took Ava down to the beach for a few hours:

We walked back up the hill to the house so I counted this as exercise #2. We have turkey sandwiches again for lunch but this time with watermelon instead of potato salad. We veg, take a little snooze and then have dinner. Nothing says 4th of July like a BBQ! I have a hamburger, small serving of potato salad, regular salad and fruit. I didnt finish all my hamburger, but do consume a slice of chocolate cake and a cookie for dessert. We walk back down to the beach (exercise #3) for the fireworks with Matt's cousins and head to bed around 11pm.

Monday (Today), July 5th

Travel day again! We head to breakfast on the pier with Matt's parents. I have two eggs scambled, hash browns and toast. I also have 1 cup of coffee. Not too bad, but I ate almost all of it when I should have stopped half way through. We get on the road around 11:30am and Ava and I sleep for a good hour. We stop at a Wendy's for lunch. I have a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad. I was smart this time and ate the salad first so when I ate my sandwich I only ate half because I was already full from the salad. I had a diet coke with my meal as well. For dinner we had PB&J's because I was too lazy (and it was 90 degrees in our house!) to cook.

So that was a quick rundown of the weekend. On the way home Matt and I talked about our weaknesses and strengths when it comes to exercise and eating right. It was actually a great conversation that made me realize that my two biggest weaknesses are 1) motivation and 2) dedication. Which makes sense since you need motivation to stay dedicated (these two weaknesses are true in other parts of my life, but thats a different blog post at a different time). The cycle usually starts out great, the first week are so I am all in, but by the third week my motivation and dedication are starting to loose steam. And I think a lot of that is trying to change myself all at once: jumping into cycling, going to the gym everyday, counting calories, etc. Its a lot to do at the very beginning and I should pace myself with my weight lose journey. I can be very impatient with things and losing weight is no different. I have to take each day as a new beginning and stop worrying about what tomorrow or the next day or two months will hold. Before I know it I will be in a whole new routine that's normal and I wont have to struggle with counting calories (all the time) and exercising will occur on a regular basis. I will continue to blog everyday about my ups and downs for the day and my "ah ha!" moments I have along the way. Call this Stop Being Fat, Mama version 2.0 (I took that idea from you Miranda :) as I am ready to overcome my weaknessess and becoming a healthier (and lighter) mama!

Why can't I just have a fast metabolism?

Breakfast:
1 egg
English Muffin
Butter (1 tsp)

Midmorning snack:
Nectarine

Lunch:
McDonalds Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad
Diet Coke

So I didn't pack anything for lunch so when noon rolled around, I was getting quite hungry. One of the girls at work was thinking McDonalds and I automatically thought "Great! I can have the salad." Well, until another coworker talked about getting a Big Mac. And Fries. And I automatically wanted the same thing (well except chicken nuggets until of a Big Mac). So on the drive to pick up the food I had this conversation with myself:

"I want Chicken Nuggets. Fries sound so good."

"You can't Stephanie. You'll have to blog about it. You don't want to blog that you are still fat and eating fatness are you?"

"What if I dont blog about today? Whats the harm in eating fatty mcdonalds?"

"Now you're lying to your readers and yourself. Thats how you got here, remember?"

"Ugh. Why must you be right?"

So I pulled into the drive-thru ordered my salad and now currently consuming that instead of the Chicken Nuggest and Fries.

Why must we desire the fatty goodness that is fried, baked and loaded with not-so-good-for-us ingredients?

Why can't I just have a fast metabolism?