I am thrilled... literally... grinning ear to ear right now! I have finally found some success to my torture! Let me tell you a little about the meal plan first, and then about the success!
Went to work like any ordinary day and had a Special K bar for breakfast. I actually really like these little 90 calorie bars. They come in delicious flavors... totally yummy. And they have the power to feed the hunger. I eat them with or for breakfast or as a snack before I work out or just in between meals when I am hungry. Today's was chocolate drizzle...
For lunch I had my left over pizza. I am glad to know that one slice of pizza is only about 180 calories (at least the kind I eat: Pineapple and olive). So I don't feel as bad for eating a couple slices. I had 3 slices for lunch and one slice later in the day to get me between meals. So in total I ate about 680 calories in pizza.
Tonight... I am not sure what I am having for dinner yet. More than likely it will be cereal. I have been eating a lot of mini wheats for the fiber. (THANKS SHAY). It seems to help a lot.
Tonight I had boot camp. Whew... I was not sure if I was in the mood today or not. But I went and I gave it everything I had. To start we had a contest. The very first day I had boot camp we had to do several tests to see where our fitness levels were. Today we repeated just one of the tests to see how much we had improved (there was a prize involved). We had to do as many push ups as we possibly could, until we really could not do another. They had to be full format and our chin had to go all the way down to our partners fist on the ground (not easy). Last time I was able to do only 20 and today I was able to do 26! I was so excited that I was able to do 6 more than last time. That means I am getting stronger and healthier! I won the coveted prize of a very nice gym bag... I actually needed one. YAY!
After a very difficult work out with Mike the Trainer (which involved me pulling or straining a muscle in my back). I decided to be brave and weigh myself. With anticipation and fear I stepped onto the scale and found out that I LOST 2.5 lbs!!! AWESOME!!! I am so excited! Today was a day of success in at the gym. And yes... it does taste better than funfetti cake! I hope that I can stay on track and continue to see good results!
Thanks again for reading!
Acts 20:24--However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Alyssa
Monday, February 1, 2010
Another day
Today's post will sum up the weekend entirely.
I am still overly exhausted and am hardly thinking clearly. I feel like there is a fog over my brain and I am on auto-pilot in the most basic of ways.
Saturday was my good friend Laurel's birthday party. It was wonderful to mingle with friends and meet some new people. Stephanie was an incredible hostess with delicious foods. This is my biggest weakness of all. If there is a party or a get together and other people are eating whatever, I have no desire to strive to eat the right things. Although Stephanie's food selection wasn't terrible (in fact it was absolutely delicious) for me... I did find myself ignoring the calorie intake. So I had a 1/2 of a giant cupcake... which is probably about the size of a regular cupcake, a cookie, and some baked chips with a broccoli and turkey croissant (not in that order... haha). I am not sure what the calories are on this, but it was a lot. Much more than I needed.
Today, I also had a craving for pizza, and for the first time in about 3 weeks I gave into that craving and ordered my favorite... olive and pineapple pizza. The problem is that I have been craving it for so long that I ate too much of it and it really wasn't as great as I was hoping it to be.
I feel like I have almost got myself trained to being OK with the healthier foods and the limited portions. But my mind still thinks I want the old stuff or need the old portions, and that is just not true. And consequently, afterwards I feel sick and gross for eating it. I am going to have to figure out a way to either cancel out those cravings or find ways to reduce them and find substitutes for them that give me the same satisfaction without the horrible consequences.
I am glad to still be learning these things.
I wanted to tell you about my dotfit program a little more. And now that I have my program running again this is how it breaks down.
I am expected to burn approx 2285 calories a day. This is based on my exercise level and my daily routines as far as naturally burned calories. In order for me to lose weight I cannot eat over 1364 calories per day. As of the last few days I have eaten around 1200 calories, which I think can still be cut down. This calorie difference will allow me to lose about .26 lbs per day I 5 days until my next check in, in which I will see if this is working for me.
Because I am still exhausted I am going to start another energy supplement and hope that it will help me get some energy. I am also reading Proverbs out of my Bible now, and I am hoping that it will help me to get rid of some of my stress that I am carrying as I seek God's wisdom. Combined I hope to have a new found energy and joy about things.
Thanks SO much for reading once again. I really am encouraged by you all! Please let me know how you're doing!
Philippians 4:4--Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Alyssa
I am still overly exhausted and am hardly thinking clearly. I feel like there is a fog over my brain and I am on auto-pilot in the most basic of ways.
Saturday was my good friend Laurel's birthday party. It was wonderful to mingle with friends and meet some new people. Stephanie was an incredible hostess with delicious foods. This is my biggest weakness of all. If there is a party or a get together and other people are eating whatever, I have no desire to strive to eat the right things. Although Stephanie's food selection wasn't terrible (in fact it was absolutely delicious) for me... I did find myself ignoring the calorie intake. So I had a 1/2 of a giant cupcake... which is probably about the size of a regular cupcake, a cookie, and some baked chips with a broccoli and turkey croissant (not in that order... haha). I am not sure what the calories are on this, but it was a lot. Much more than I needed.
Today, I also had a craving for pizza, and for the first time in about 3 weeks I gave into that craving and ordered my favorite... olive and pineapple pizza. The problem is that I have been craving it for so long that I ate too much of it and it really wasn't as great as I was hoping it to be.
I feel like I have almost got myself trained to being OK with the healthier foods and the limited portions. But my mind still thinks I want the old stuff or need the old portions, and that is just not true. And consequently, afterwards I feel sick and gross for eating it. I am going to have to figure out a way to either cancel out those cravings or find ways to reduce them and find substitutes for them that give me the same satisfaction without the horrible consequences.
I am glad to still be learning these things.
I wanted to tell you about my dotfit program a little more. And now that I have my program running again this is how it breaks down.
I am expected to burn approx 2285 calories a day. This is based on my exercise level and my daily routines as far as naturally burned calories. In order for me to lose weight I cannot eat over 1364 calories per day. As of the last few days I have eaten around 1200 calories, which I think can still be cut down. This calorie difference will allow me to lose about .26 lbs per day I 5 days until my next check in, in which I will see if this is working for me.
Because I am still exhausted I am going to start another energy supplement and hope that it will help me get some energy. I am also reading Proverbs out of my Bible now, and I am hoping that it will help me to get rid of some of my stress that I am carrying as I seek God's wisdom. Combined I hope to have a new found energy and joy about things.
Thanks SO much for reading once again. I really am encouraged by you all! Please let me know how you're doing!
Philippians 4:4--Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Alyssa
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Worst Blogger EVER!!
OK Guys... I hate to say it... but it is true. I am the worst blogger ever. I wish I was better at staying on top of things, but I guess life gets the best of me sometimes and I didn't put my blog at the top of the priority list. I am definitely not going to go through the last couple of weeks eating and exercising routines in depth like I ordinarily would, but I am definitely going to let you know about some of the things I have been experiencing during the last couple weeks.
Well I really have stuck to my diet. I am not going to lie, I have cheated a couple times. I had a few cookies along the way and I drank a soda (long day with teenagers called for some major caffeine and the crispness of a coke), and I did have a coffee. But all in all I balanced what I ate and stayed under the amount of calories I was allowed to take in.
I set up a program with Mike The Trainer called dotfit. It tracks the amount of calories I burn a day (which I learned is much higher than I had thought) I would love to write down the amount of calories I am burning and all the results that I got since I started dotfit, but the horrible computer I am on wont load the page right. So tomorrow, when I blog next, I will add that in.
Let me tell you a bit about my progress. I have gained 2 lbs. So I am now 169... this really sucks because I have cut my calories in half and I am working out like a fool. I have lost about 1% body fat and hopefully next weigh in I will see some different results.
Since I have cut my calories, I feel like CRAP! Who knew??!! I thought when you start eating healthier and better and appropriately you're supposed to feel much better and your body is supposed to feel the difference in a good way. Well I am not. I am hungry all the time. I eat until I feel like I am almost full and stop, and I usually am full after a couple of minutes, but then a couple hours later... I AM HUNGRY, not just a little, but like a lot. And I have been eating the same things over and over again to try to lose this weight (which I have gained) that I am getting irritable because I am craving snacks and burgers and funfetti cake. SERIOUSLY!!! I feel sorry for the people I am around because I am really grouchy since I am fighting the urge to eat the things I want to eat. It has been horrible.
I also feel a lot weaker and more tired since I have cut my calories. I want to sleep all the stinking time and I don't have the energy to do anything. But let me clear things up... these are the symptoms I have for lupus (extreme exhaustion and limited energy). So I am not sure if it really is the cutting of calories as much as it is the lupus... but ironically it happened at the same time.
I am going to start taking an energy supplement again. I have taken them before, and it definitely helps. So I hope that I will see the difference in my energy again!
Lastly, the combination of all these things have made me overly emotional which has probably stunted my ability to lose weight since I am so stressed and feeling weird.
I hope these things will start to change over the next couple of weeks as I continue this process.
THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my friends and family who have supported me and have kept me accountable. I really thank you for encouraging me and getting me back on the blog. I will see you tomorrow!!
God bless
Alyssa
Well I really have stuck to my diet. I am not going to lie, I have cheated a couple times. I had a few cookies along the way and I drank a soda (long day with teenagers called for some major caffeine and the crispness of a coke), and I did have a coffee. But all in all I balanced what I ate and stayed under the amount of calories I was allowed to take in.
I set up a program with Mike The Trainer called dotfit. It tracks the amount of calories I burn a day (which I learned is much higher than I had thought) I would love to write down the amount of calories I am burning and all the results that I got since I started dotfit, but the horrible computer I am on wont load the page right. So tomorrow, when I blog next, I will add that in.
Let me tell you a bit about my progress. I have gained 2 lbs. So I am now 169... this really sucks because I have cut my calories in half and I am working out like a fool. I have lost about 1% body fat and hopefully next weigh in I will see some different results.
Since I have cut my calories, I feel like CRAP! Who knew??!! I thought when you start eating healthier and better and appropriately you're supposed to feel much better and your body is supposed to feel the difference in a good way. Well I am not. I am hungry all the time. I eat until I feel like I am almost full and stop, and I usually am full after a couple of minutes, but then a couple hours later... I AM HUNGRY, not just a little, but like a lot. And I have been eating the same things over and over again to try to lose this weight (which I have gained) that I am getting irritable because I am craving snacks and burgers and funfetti cake. SERIOUSLY!!! I feel sorry for the people I am around because I am really grouchy since I am fighting the urge to eat the things I want to eat. It has been horrible.
I also feel a lot weaker and more tired since I have cut my calories. I want to sleep all the stinking time and I don't have the energy to do anything. But let me clear things up... these are the symptoms I have for lupus (extreme exhaustion and limited energy). So I am not sure if it really is the cutting of calories as much as it is the lupus... but ironically it happened at the same time.
I am going to start taking an energy supplement again. I have taken them before, and it definitely helps. So I hope that I will see the difference in my energy again!
Lastly, the combination of all these things have made me overly emotional which has probably stunted my ability to lose weight since I am so stressed and feeling weird.
I hope these things will start to change over the next couple of weeks as I continue this process.
THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my friends and family who have supported me and have kept me accountable. I really thank you for encouraging me and getting me back on the blog. I will see you tomorrow!!
God bless
Alyssa
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
back on track...
Sorry to everyone who has been keeping me accountable to my diet and exercise! I have taken a couple days off from the blog because of either time restraints or mind breaks. But I have kept true to my commitment, for the most part. Although I am several days behind, I am going to briefly recollect the last few days in the blog just so I know how I have taken care of myself when I look back. Dont worry I wont put 4 days of details in one blog!!!
Friday, Jan. 15 I went to the gym I rode a bike for the first time in a long time. I did one of the lower bikes, because the high seated bikes really hurt my bottom. I didn't know what kind of workout I would get but I was determined to try. I put myself on the "random" workout, and set a steady pace of 12. I don't recall how many calories I burned or how far I rode, but I do know it was not as much of a full calorie workout, however, my legs were BURNING!!! Great leg and cardio workout. I also finished up with 100 sit-ups. I am guessing I burned about 500 calories today at the gym
For lunch I had my regular turkey wrap with cottage cheese and a salad. And since this has been my lunch for the last 5 days, I will skip the details and go straight to calories consumed: 599 calories.
For dinner, it was my good friend Skye's birthday, and although she and many of the women are all working on losing weight, we all went to the Japanese steak house! YUM! The big difference is however that most of the girls like sushi, which is pretty good for you. And because we weren't sitting at the grill, there are limited options for me (mainly because I am not very adventurous when I eat and I am very picky due to digestion issues from lupus). So I ordered chicken tempura. It came with salad, which I only at a few bites. When I saw my main coarse I was shocked, it was so strange looking and there was so much! It was so deep fried I was sickened by the grease (which I guess is a good thing to be disgusted by what I used to have never thought about and consumed eagerly). I had one and 1/2 of the chicken tempura and some white and friend rice. I am not even sure what my calories consumption was but at a wild guess it would be around 984 calories.
But because it was a birthday party, we definitely had some dessert. I had some banana split for mine. I definitely should have not had any, but since we were sharing I had some. Because it was shared and I don't know exactly all of what was in it, I am guessing it was around 200 calories.
Today was definitely not my best day, but here are the results: Approx. 1783 calories consumed and approx 1200 burned. Making the difference 583 calories more consumed than needed to lose weight.
Saturday Jan 16
Today was my Saturday to work at Wells Fargo, so I started my day with a dannon light and fit vanilla yogurt at 80 calories.
For lunch I ran out of salad so I had my regular wrap but with pineapples (100 calories) and cottage cheese (45 calories) for the sides. I also had a chocolate and vanilla pudding at 100 calories for a dessert. This makes my lunch 534 calories.
Dinner wasn't really dinner today. I went to a friends baby shower and snacked on different dips and finger foods. I don't really know what all was there and what I ate, which I really should have taken note of. I think when there are several foods out to snack on is when I do my worst. I would estimate around 650 calories because of cake and fattening finger foods.
I didn't go to the gym today, I was out of time and energy. So I would estimate that I burn around 900 calories today, making my intake 1264 for the day v. 900 to have the difference of 364 (not in my weight loss favor, but the difference is getting smaller).
Sunday Jan 17
Today was Jake and Brady Harrington's birthday. Before I went to their party I had a Taco Bell bean burrito with 370 calories.
At the party I had a slice of my absolute favorite cake, funfetti, which has 240 calories in one slice.
I am so proud of myself for dinner! First I picked the recipe, I found it on the biggest loser website (one of their supported links). And I made it myself (I have never made dinner by myself before). I made a lightly breaded chicken parm with squash spaghetti. I made green beans and corn and garlic bread to go with it. The chicken parm with the spaghetti squash was only 430 calories per serving, but since I only ate half a chicken and half the squash, I would have only had 300 calories. Then add the green beans (20 calories) and corn (40 calories) and garlic bread (180 calories) My total dinner was 540 calories... and it was GOOD and FILLING!!! if you want the recipe it is from eatbetteramerica.com.
No gym today, so my total was 1150. I probably burned around 800 calories today making the difference again positive (not in a weight loss way) for a 350 calorie difference.
Monday Jan 18
First day of boot camp!!!! And guess what my mom wants for lunch... and I guess I did too... 5 guys burgers... a last tribute to bad food... or just a bad idea! A total of 860 calories... NOT WORTH IT!!!
Oops... I forgot I had a small moxie java milky way for breakfast: 258 calories
Boot camp today was mostly to test where we were at in our fitness levels:
How many push-ups until we couldn't do another: I did 20
How many sit-ups in 1 minute: I did 54
How long we could do a plank until we couldn't hold ourselves up: I held it for 1 min and 10 sec.
How long we could do a wall-sit for: I held it at 1 min and 30 sec.
How many arm dips we could do in a min: I did 60
What our heart rate was after 3 min of stair steps: mine was 93
and How many "burps we could do: I did 7 (NOT EASY!) A burp is jumping straight up and into a push up and back up.
I burned about 450 calories at the gym and about 800 for the day
For dinner I basically had cheese and crackers and carrots with ranch dip with garlic bread. This totals to about 550 calories
Today's outcome would be 1668 calories for the today's food consumption, and +418 calories left to be burned.
FINALLY! Caught up to today, Jan 19... Tuesday.
I utilized my late start day to sleep in a bit, I have been so stressed I have not gotten much sleep.
For breakfast I had a piece of garlic bread (185 calories)
For lunch I had prepared chicken salad (with only mustard and relish) There is 120 calories in the entire can of chicken plus 11 calories of mustard and 82 calories of relish. Which totals to be 213 calories. Divide this by three for the amount of days I will eat it will be 71 calories per day! Again I had it on my 100 calorie wrap with 2 slices of cheese (170 calories) and cottage cheese (45 calories) with peaches (90 calories) and a pudding (100 calories) My total lunch today was: 576 calories.
I went to the gym after work today and rode the bike for 15 min and ran the treadmill for 15 min for a total of 400 calories. I also did free weights, arm weights, squats, and sit-ups for about 1 hour to total about 500 calories burned. 900 at the gym and about 1000 during the day. for 1900 calories total.
For dinner I had another APEX chocolate and peanut butter shake for 280 calories.
Making today's calories consumed 1041 and burned 1900! I HAVE SUCCESS! About a 859 calorie negative difference! YAY!
Thanks to everyone who had kept my accountable. Trust me, I did not want to get this far behind in the blog, nor did I want to write it all out days old. That is boring and yesterday's news, but I think it is important that I at least figure out the calorie difference for each day. I will do my best to not get behind again. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and giving input and tips! I am so excited about learning more!
Psalm 145:17
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Alyssa
Friday, Jan. 15 I went to the gym I rode a bike for the first time in a long time. I did one of the lower bikes, because the high seated bikes really hurt my bottom. I didn't know what kind of workout I would get but I was determined to try. I put myself on the "random" workout, and set a steady pace of 12. I don't recall how many calories I burned or how far I rode, but I do know it was not as much of a full calorie workout, however, my legs were BURNING!!! Great leg and cardio workout. I also finished up with 100 sit-ups. I am guessing I burned about 500 calories today at the gym
For lunch I had my regular turkey wrap with cottage cheese and a salad. And since this has been my lunch for the last 5 days, I will skip the details and go straight to calories consumed: 599 calories.
For dinner, it was my good friend Skye's birthday, and although she and many of the women are all working on losing weight, we all went to the Japanese steak house! YUM! The big difference is however that most of the girls like sushi, which is pretty good for you. And because we weren't sitting at the grill, there are limited options for me (mainly because I am not very adventurous when I eat and I am very picky due to digestion issues from lupus). So I ordered chicken tempura. It came with salad, which I only at a few bites. When I saw my main coarse I was shocked, it was so strange looking and there was so much! It was so deep fried I was sickened by the grease (which I guess is a good thing to be disgusted by what I used to have never thought about and consumed eagerly). I had one and 1/2 of the chicken tempura and some white and friend rice. I am not even sure what my calories consumption was but at a wild guess it would be around 984 calories.
But because it was a birthday party, we definitely had some dessert. I had some banana split for mine. I definitely should have not had any, but since we were sharing I had some. Because it was shared and I don't know exactly all of what was in it, I am guessing it was around 200 calories.
Today was definitely not my best day, but here are the results: Approx. 1783 calories consumed and approx 1200 burned. Making the difference 583 calories more consumed than needed to lose weight.
Saturday Jan 16
Today was my Saturday to work at Wells Fargo, so I started my day with a dannon light and fit vanilla yogurt at 80 calories.
For lunch I ran out of salad so I had my regular wrap but with pineapples (100 calories) and cottage cheese (45 calories) for the sides. I also had a chocolate and vanilla pudding at 100 calories for a dessert. This makes my lunch 534 calories.
Dinner wasn't really dinner today. I went to a friends baby shower and snacked on different dips and finger foods. I don't really know what all was there and what I ate, which I really should have taken note of. I think when there are several foods out to snack on is when I do my worst. I would estimate around 650 calories because of cake and fattening finger foods.
I didn't go to the gym today, I was out of time and energy. So I would estimate that I burn around 900 calories today, making my intake 1264 for the day v. 900 to have the difference of 364 (not in my weight loss favor, but the difference is getting smaller).
Sunday Jan 17
Today was Jake and Brady Harrington's birthday. Before I went to their party I had a Taco Bell bean burrito with 370 calories.
At the party I had a slice of my absolute favorite cake, funfetti, which has 240 calories in one slice.
I am so proud of myself for dinner! First I picked the recipe, I found it on the biggest loser website (one of their supported links). And I made it myself (I have never made dinner by myself before). I made a lightly breaded chicken parm with squash spaghetti. I made green beans and corn and garlic bread to go with it. The chicken parm with the spaghetti squash was only 430 calories per serving, but since I only ate half a chicken and half the squash, I would have only had 300 calories. Then add the green beans (20 calories) and corn (40 calories) and garlic bread (180 calories) My total dinner was 540 calories... and it was GOOD and FILLING!!! if you want the recipe it is from eatbetteramerica.com.
No gym today, so my total was 1150. I probably burned around 800 calories today making the difference again positive (not in a weight loss way) for a 350 calorie difference.
Monday Jan 18
First day of boot camp!!!! And guess what my mom wants for lunch... and I guess I did too... 5 guys burgers... a last tribute to bad food... or just a bad idea! A total of 860 calories... NOT WORTH IT!!!
Oops... I forgot I had a small moxie java milky way for breakfast: 258 calories
Boot camp today was mostly to test where we were at in our fitness levels:
How many push-ups until we couldn't do another: I did 20
How many sit-ups in 1 minute: I did 54
How long we could do a plank until we couldn't hold ourselves up: I held it for 1 min and 10 sec.
How long we could do a wall-sit for: I held it at 1 min and 30 sec.
How many arm dips we could do in a min: I did 60
What our heart rate was after 3 min of stair steps: mine was 93
and How many "burps we could do: I did 7 (NOT EASY!) A burp is jumping straight up and into a push up and back up.
I burned about 450 calories at the gym and about 800 for the day
For dinner I basically had cheese and crackers and carrots with ranch dip with garlic bread. This totals to about 550 calories
Today's outcome would be 1668 calories for the today's food consumption, and +418 calories left to be burned.
FINALLY! Caught up to today, Jan 19... Tuesday.
I utilized my late start day to sleep in a bit, I have been so stressed I have not gotten much sleep.
For breakfast I had a piece of garlic bread (185 calories)
For lunch I had prepared chicken salad (with only mustard and relish) There is 120 calories in the entire can of chicken plus 11 calories of mustard and 82 calories of relish. Which totals to be 213 calories. Divide this by three for the amount of days I will eat it will be 71 calories per day! Again I had it on my 100 calorie wrap with 2 slices of cheese (170 calories) and cottage cheese (45 calories) with peaches (90 calories) and a pudding (100 calories) My total lunch today was: 576 calories.
I went to the gym after work today and rode the bike for 15 min and ran the treadmill for 15 min for a total of 400 calories. I also did free weights, arm weights, squats, and sit-ups for about 1 hour to total about 500 calories burned. 900 at the gym and about 1000 during the day. for 1900 calories total.
For dinner I had another APEX chocolate and peanut butter shake for 280 calories.
Making today's calories consumed 1041 and burned 1900! I HAVE SUCCESS! About a 859 calorie negative difference! YAY!
Thanks to everyone who had kept my accountable. Trust me, I did not want to get this far behind in the blog, nor did I want to write it all out days old. That is boring and yesterday's news, but I think it is important that I at least figure out the calorie difference for each day. I will do my best to not get behind again. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and giving input and tips! I am so excited about learning more!
Psalm 145:17
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Alyssa
Thursday, January 14, 2010
January 14, 2010
Hello again!!! After a couple nights of not sleeping well at all, I went to work and found out I was not going to get off at 2:15 as scheduled, but 5:45... my third open to close. I am thankful that I got the extra few hours... that is always needed, but I had every intent of catching up on some sleep with a nap and getting in a class at the gym... but so is life.
This morning I did not go to the gym early because I had planned to go tonight (since I was supposed to get off early). I took a banana with me to work... YUM! The delicious yellow fruit is rich in potassium, which I think most of us know, but what does potassium help in the nutrition dept? Potassium helps strengthen the bones in our bodies, which helps us have stronger and better workouts. Also bananas provide a great source of natural energy to get through the day and motivate the metabolism for results in weight loss. So next time you need a quick snack or an energy boost... grab a banana! Only 105 calories!
For lunch I had another one of my wraps that I described yesterday which is a total of 389 calories. Something that is important about this wrap is that even though it is somewhat high in calories, I am getting a lot out of it. First of all, it really fills me up. Second I am getting carbs, but not in white flour, it is entirely whole wheat and whole grain. I also am getting protein, vegetables, and calcium. I add the mustard for a bit of extra flavor, but it doesn't add too many calories. I really like this combination for a wrap! It is just slightly more than the kids pita I had from pita pit.
With it I had a small salad with bleu cheese dressing, which adds about 65 calories in dressing to the 0 calorie salad.
And I had a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese (45 calories).
Again the skinny cow truffle bar (100 calories) followed the meal, making my entire lunch 599 calories.
I did get a bit hungry while I was still at work, and I heard from the Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels, say that snacking throughout the day only adds unnecessary and unneeded calories to our day, so it is better to eat 3 meals with one small snack... add that to my program at Gold's that says no snack should be larger than 200 calories. This meant that I didn't have a lot of wiggle room for choosing a snack. So I wrapped a piece of cheese in a piece of turkey, which was perfect to calm my growling belly and not add too many calories to my diet. This was 139 calories snack. Again with protein and calcium instead of sugar and preservatives.
Came home from work exhausted... and shared a bit of a pinini my dad had made. I have no idea how many calories this truly was, but I would guess around 200 calories. I had a couple of carrots to tie me over as well.
At the gym I did 25 minutes on the elliptical at level 11. This was more difficult for me tonight. I was able to finish at about 3.35 miles and 320 calories burned. I again ran 5 min normal paced and 5 minutes pushed pace.
After the elliptical I worked on weights and resistance on my legs. I did 2 reps of ten per leg of the one-legged squat (see previous blog for details). I also balanced on the half stay ball and did 40 squats with 7.5 lb hand weights. I continued on several of the other machines that specified in leg resistance doing 20 reps of each at a challenging weight. Total calories burned at the gym was probably about 600 calories.
For dinner I had a protein shake from Gold's. It was made with ice, 2 scoops of the chocolate APEX supplement, and 2 small scoops of peanut butter... YUMMY!!! This is a 280 calorie meal replacement; Mike, the trainer said this is one of better shakes you can get at Gold's.
Days Summary:
Calories Consumed: 1323
Calories Burned: 1200
I am still not quite getting to where I need to be to see major changes. I am going to have to continue to experiment to find ways to cut calories and burn more. Thanks for being a part of this journey. I am so appreciative of all the encouragement and all the tips! Keep it coming!
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Alyssa
This morning I did not go to the gym early because I had planned to go tonight (since I was supposed to get off early). I took a banana with me to work... YUM! The delicious yellow fruit is rich in potassium, which I think most of us know, but what does potassium help in the nutrition dept? Potassium helps strengthen the bones in our bodies, which helps us have stronger and better workouts. Also bananas provide a great source of natural energy to get through the day and motivate the metabolism for results in weight loss. So next time you need a quick snack or an energy boost... grab a banana! Only 105 calories!
For lunch I had another one of my wraps that I described yesterday which is a total of 389 calories. Something that is important about this wrap is that even though it is somewhat high in calories, I am getting a lot out of it. First of all, it really fills me up. Second I am getting carbs, but not in white flour, it is entirely whole wheat and whole grain. I also am getting protein, vegetables, and calcium. I add the mustard for a bit of extra flavor, but it doesn't add too many calories. I really like this combination for a wrap! It is just slightly more than the kids pita I had from pita pit.
With it I had a small salad with bleu cheese dressing, which adds about 65 calories in dressing to the 0 calorie salad.
And I had a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese (45 calories).
Again the skinny cow truffle bar (100 calories) followed the meal, making my entire lunch 599 calories.
I did get a bit hungry while I was still at work, and I heard from the Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels, say that snacking throughout the day only adds unnecessary and unneeded calories to our day, so it is better to eat 3 meals with one small snack... add that to my program at Gold's that says no snack should be larger than 200 calories. This meant that I didn't have a lot of wiggle room for choosing a snack. So I wrapped a piece of cheese in a piece of turkey, which was perfect to calm my growling belly and not add too many calories to my diet. This was 139 calories snack. Again with protein and calcium instead of sugar and preservatives.
Came home from work exhausted... and shared a bit of a pinini my dad had made. I have no idea how many calories this truly was, but I would guess around 200 calories. I had a couple of carrots to tie me over as well.
At the gym I did 25 minutes on the elliptical at level 11. This was more difficult for me tonight. I was able to finish at about 3.35 miles and 320 calories burned. I again ran 5 min normal paced and 5 minutes pushed pace.
After the elliptical I worked on weights and resistance on my legs. I did 2 reps of ten per leg of the one-legged squat (see previous blog for details). I also balanced on the half stay ball and did 40 squats with 7.5 lb hand weights. I continued on several of the other machines that specified in leg resistance doing 20 reps of each at a challenging weight. Total calories burned at the gym was probably about 600 calories.
For dinner I had a protein shake from Gold's. It was made with ice, 2 scoops of the chocolate APEX supplement, and 2 small scoops of peanut butter... YUMMY!!! This is a 280 calorie meal replacement; Mike, the trainer said this is one of better shakes you can get at Gold's.
Days Summary:
Calories Consumed: 1323
Calories Burned: 1200
I am still not quite getting to where I need to be to see major changes. I am going to have to continue to experiment to find ways to cut calories and burn more. Thanks for being a part of this journey. I am so appreciative of all the encouragement and all the tips! Keep it coming!
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Alyssa
Wednesday, January 13
UGH! Another early morning... not only that, but another late night! Today I knew was going to have to be a day away from the gym. I had to work open to close at Wells Fargo, which isn't terribly bad, but I would have to get up at 5:45am to get to the gym or go after youth group at 9. Neither seemed capable for me today. I think I might be OK to take a day off.
So I tried to eat really decent.
Because it was such an early morning though, I needed a coffee. I woke up with a headache and was just exhausted, and had to get through a day of work... so Starbucks... Here I come! BAD IDEA! So the Dutch Bros. Coffee I had the other day... not so bad as far as calories... But my All-time-favorite coffee drink is the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha! I got a grande (Which got my through the day 8:45am-5pm) but had a staggering 540 Calories! YIKES!!!! With it I got their perfect oatmeal, which is actually very good for you. It has 140 calories when not doctored up by all the fixins, but I got it with brown sugar which adds an extra 50 calories, making is 190. All together my Starbucks trip not only cost me too much money, but also way too many calories! 730 calories to be exact. I guess no more favorite coffee drink... bummer! If next time you see me and I am in a foul mood, its because 1) I haven't had coffee and 2) I cant have my favorite feel good coffee.
For lunch... MUCH better choices were made. I went to the grocery store to find lunches for the next several days. If I tell you everything I got, the next few posts wont be a surprise, but I think I did good.
I went to Albertsons... I think they are way too expensive, but they have a lot of healthy options.
In front of their deli there is a section of pita type breads. I found a flat bread that is similar to a pita but it is a wrap. I forgot the name of it, I will remember to tell you tomorrow, but it is only 100 calories per wrap! For my lunch I put lettuce (0 calories), 2 cheddar cheese slices (170 calories) fresh sliced turkey from the deli--2 slices (108 Calories), yellow mustard (11 Calories). With my wrap I had a salad (0 Calories) with Blue Cheese dressing (60 calories). And I couldn't resist some macaroni salad from the deli as well (105 calories). But I also heard great things about "Skinny Cow" it is a low calorie and low fat ice cream product. I got the chocolate truffle bars and they are only 100 calories also. So my total for lunch was: 654 calories. This was a little higher than I anticipated, but I am still proud of myself, because I am weaning out thing that I was eating before and finding substitutes for things that I still want to eat.
I went straight to youth group tonight and found myself at home a few hours later... very hungry. I had another bowl of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup and a piece of french bread. The soup was about 300 calories and the bread another 100 making dinner a whopping 400 Calories. But I did eat a 5 Nilla Waffers (I need to not eat sweets... I just love them.) which was 89 calories.
Today I ate 1873 calories... too high still.
I feel like I am a Guinea pig. I am trying new foods and finding which ones are better than others. I also am realizing how many calories I was eating before and shocked at how much I was consuming. I have a lot to learn and a lot of improvement to make. I am so glad to be writing everything down and keeping track of it. Thanks so much for doing it with me. I look forward to a new and successful day tomorrow.
May the Lord bring peace and direction into each of your lives.
Philippians 4:7--And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Alyssa
So I tried to eat really decent.
Because it was such an early morning though, I needed a coffee. I woke up with a headache and was just exhausted, and had to get through a day of work... so Starbucks... Here I come! BAD IDEA! So the Dutch Bros. Coffee I had the other day... not so bad as far as calories... But my All-time-favorite coffee drink is the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha! I got a grande (Which got my through the day 8:45am-5pm) but had a staggering 540 Calories! YIKES!!!! With it I got their perfect oatmeal, which is actually very good for you. It has 140 calories when not doctored up by all the fixins, but I got it with brown sugar which adds an extra 50 calories, making is 190. All together my Starbucks trip not only cost me too much money, but also way too many calories! 730 calories to be exact. I guess no more favorite coffee drink... bummer! If next time you see me and I am in a foul mood, its because 1) I haven't had coffee and 2) I cant have my favorite feel good coffee.
For lunch... MUCH better choices were made. I went to the grocery store to find lunches for the next several days. If I tell you everything I got, the next few posts wont be a surprise, but I think I did good.
I went to Albertsons... I think they are way too expensive, but they have a lot of healthy options.
In front of their deli there is a section of pita type breads. I found a flat bread that is similar to a pita but it is a wrap. I forgot the name of it, I will remember to tell you tomorrow, but it is only 100 calories per wrap! For my lunch I put lettuce (0 calories), 2 cheddar cheese slices (170 calories) fresh sliced turkey from the deli--2 slices (108 Calories), yellow mustard (11 Calories). With my wrap I had a salad (0 Calories) with Blue Cheese dressing (60 calories). And I couldn't resist some macaroni salad from the deli as well (105 calories). But I also heard great things about "Skinny Cow" it is a low calorie and low fat ice cream product. I got the chocolate truffle bars and they are only 100 calories also. So my total for lunch was: 654 calories. This was a little higher than I anticipated, but I am still proud of myself, because I am weaning out thing that I was eating before and finding substitutes for things that I still want to eat.
I went straight to youth group tonight and found myself at home a few hours later... very hungry. I had another bowl of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup and a piece of french bread. The soup was about 300 calories and the bread another 100 making dinner a whopping 400 Calories. But I did eat a 5 Nilla Waffers (I need to not eat sweets... I just love them.) which was 89 calories.
Today I ate 1873 calories... too high still.
I feel like I am a Guinea pig. I am trying new foods and finding which ones are better than others. I also am realizing how many calories I was eating before and shocked at how much I was consuming. I have a lot to learn and a lot of improvement to make. I am so glad to be writing everything down and keeping track of it. Thanks so much for doing it with me. I look forward to a new and successful day tomorrow.
May the Lord bring peace and direction into each of your lives.
Philippians 4:7--And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Alyssa
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 7... Tuesday
Well it has been a full seven days since I have started. I cannot believe I have already committed to a week. Today was one of those days that I could not get out of bed to go work out. I was exhausted. So as I pushed the snooze, I promised that I would be at the gym tonight.
I left for work with a banana. I think this is a great way to start the day. First of all it gets some fruit into my diet, second you can snack on a banana and make it last to leave you more full, and third, they just taste great! According to caloriecount.com this fruit gets an A- in nutrition with full serving of 105 Calories... 0 Calories from fat. Now let me be honest, I saw a Special K breakfast bar today, it had 90 Calories... but it was no where near giving me the same full and satisfying feeling that I look for in breakfast. So to me it is worth the extra 20 calories that will last a bit longer and are naturally healthy for me.
THANK YOU Mishayla Andrew! I was trying to decide what I was going to get for lunch (as I once again forgot my packed lunch) and was weighing out my choices to make sure it wouldn't weigh in on the scale. Just as I was getting ready to go to lunch, Shay sent me an encouraging email that helped me feel confident in the decision of my lunch.
I ended up going to Subway... eat fresh! I got their new Turkey Melt on a 6 in. whole wheat bun. It comes with provolone cheese, and obviously as many or little veggies you choose. I had mine with black olives and lettuce with yellow mustard as the condiment. The sandwich itself is 280 calories, the olives were 10 calories, and the mustard was 11 calories. Altogether it makes it 301 calories for the sandwich. I also had a 1/2 bowl of Subways chicken and dumpling soup... it is DELICIOUS!!! This was 170 for the bowl, but cut in 1/2 makes it 90, but I had a couple crackers in it, so I would average it at about 100 calories... Making my lunch a total of 401 calories!!! Not too bad!!!!
I did have a couple pieces of chocolate covered nut candies at my work today... I have no idea what kind of calories those might have, but I am sure at least 100 calories... I will make an educated guess for the total... they were good though!
For dinner I had some of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup... yum! Depending on the recipe, the soup averages at about 367 calories for a bowl, but again, I only at half. Since I don't know my mom's recipe I will round the 1/2 bowl up to about 200 calories. I also had 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich on white whole grain bread. The bread is 120 calories and the peanut butter is 100 calories (about a tablespoon and 1/2)... My dinner marks out to be about 300 calories.
I desperately did NOT want to go to the gym today... I was so tired from work and I just didn't have the energy to go. But as I was debating the whole car ride home from work, I knew that I had to... because you guys have been so encouraging! And I appreciate knowing that when I don't have the determination to do it some days, you all will encourage me... and sure enough! Melissa Duggan, helped me to be determined at the gym today.... She mentioned she had read the blog, and I knew I had to go and put in all I had while I was there!
I did 20 min on the elliptical... I did 3 miles in the 20 min!!! I was so excited! And I bumped it up from level 10 to level 11. Let me tell you, that doesn't sound like much, but I sure did feel it! I burned 290 calories on the elliptical (almost my whole lunch!)
I spent about 40 min doing upper body and arms today. I did the machine I did yesterday (still couldn't find the name of it). But if you look to yesterday's post I repeated the machine exactly, but added in two more pulls of the rope at 20 reps each. I rotated around different upper body and arm machines, each one I did for 20 reps. I based the weight of resistance on what was somewhat of a challenge on the first one I did.
I wrapped up my workout with the StairMaster 7000... OK I added the 7000... that makes it seem more intense...
12 min on level 7 on calorie burn mode. PHEW... my calves were burning after 3 min. That thing will tone your legs so quickly! I did a mile of stairs and burned 120 calories.
Coming home was a bit hard. I had the munchies BAD!!! I at 4 Nilla Wafers to try to get a sweet taste in my mouth and hope that was enough (70 calories) and then I munched on a snack bag lauren had (about 1 handful) and finally just decided I was wasting calories.
In total what I ate today was just about 1100 Calories. Much much better than what I did yesterday. YAY!
The Calories I officially burned today would be about 800 at the gym, and during the day probably another 700... making my calories burned 1500! This means I took in 400 less calories than I put out... which means with I can lose weight!
Thanks again for reading! May the Lord Bless you!
Alyssa
I left for work with a banana. I think this is a great way to start the day. First of all it gets some fruit into my diet, second you can snack on a banana and make it last to leave you more full, and third, they just taste great! According to caloriecount.com this fruit gets an A- in nutrition with full serving of 105 Calories... 0 Calories from fat. Now let me be honest, I saw a Special K breakfast bar today, it had 90 Calories... but it was no where near giving me the same full and satisfying feeling that I look for in breakfast. So to me it is worth the extra 20 calories that will last a bit longer and are naturally healthy for me.
THANK YOU Mishayla Andrew! I was trying to decide what I was going to get for lunch (as I once again forgot my packed lunch) and was weighing out my choices to make sure it wouldn't weigh in on the scale. Just as I was getting ready to go to lunch, Shay sent me an encouraging email that helped me feel confident in the decision of my lunch.
I ended up going to Subway... eat fresh! I got their new Turkey Melt on a 6 in. whole wheat bun. It comes with provolone cheese, and obviously as many or little veggies you choose. I had mine with black olives and lettuce with yellow mustard as the condiment. The sandwich itself is 280 calories, the olives were 10 calories, and the mustard was 11 calories. Altogether it makes it 301 calories for the sandwich. I also had a 1/2 bowl of Subways chicken and dumpling soup... it is DELICIOUS!!! This was 170 for the bowl, but cut in 1/2 makes it 90, but I had a couple crackers in it, so I would average it at about 100 calories... Making my lunch a total of 401 calories!!! Not too bad!!!!
I did have a couple pieces of chocolate covered nut candies at my work today... I have no idea what kind of calories those might have, but I am sure at least 100 calories... I will make an educated guess for the total... they were good though!
For dinner I had some of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup... yum! Depending on the recipe, the soup averages at about 367 calories for a bowl, but again, I only at half. Since I don't know my mom's recipe I will round the 1/2 bowl up to about 200 calories. I also had 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich on white whole grain bread. The bread is 120 calories and the peanut butter is 100 calories (about a tablespoon and 1/2)... My dinner marks out to be about 300 calories.
I desperately did NOT want to go to the gym today... I was so tired from work and I just didn't have the energy to go. But as I was debating the whole car ride home from work, I knew that I had to... because you guys have been so encouraging! And I appreciate knowing that when I don't have the determination to do it some days, you all will encourage me... and sure enough! Melissa Duggan, helped me to be determined at the gym today.... She mentioned she had read the blog, and I knew I had to go and put in all I had while I was there!
I did 20 min on the elliptical... I did 3 miles in the 20 min!!! I was so excited! And I bumped it up from level 10 to level 11. Let me tell you, that doesn't sound like much, but I sure did feel it! I burned 290 calories on the elliptical (almost my whole lunch!)
I spent about 40 min doing upper body and arms today. I did the machine I did yesterday (still couldn't find the name of it). But if you look to yesterday's post I repeated the machine exactly, but added in two more pulls of the rope at 20 reps each. I rotated around different upper body and arm machines, each one I did for 20 reps. I based the weight of resistance on what was somewhat of a challenge on the first one I did.
I wrapped up my workout with the StairMaster 7000... OK I added the 7000... that makes it seem more intense...
12 min on level 7 on calorie burn mode. PHEW... my calves were burning after 3 min. That thing will tone your legs so quickly! I did a mile of stairs and burned 120 calories.
Coming home was a bit hard. I had the munchies BAD!!! I at 4 Nilla Wafers to try to get a sweet taste in my mouth and hope that was enough (70 calories) and then I munched on a snack bag lauren had (about 1 handful) and finally just decided I was wasting calories.
In total what I ate today was just about 1100 Calories. Much much better than what I did yesterday. YAY!
The Calories I officially burned today would be about 800 at the gym, and during the day probably another 700... making my calories burned 1500! This means I took in 400 less calories than I put out... which means with I can lose weight!
Thanks again for reading! May the Lord Bless you!
Alyssa
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