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
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, Jan 11
Today was wonderful! I had the day off from both Wells Fargo and Red Robin... which meant hopefully a lot to accomplish.
The start of the day was a little sleeping in instead of working out... not too bad in my opinion. A girl needs to sleep past day break sometimes! I was so thankful that today I was going to spend the morning with a wonderful friend and have fellowship with her about life over the last few months. We decided to have coffee for breakfast... Dutch Bros. to be exact.
I had a medium milky way.
Calories: 325
Calories from fat: 10.6
Honestly, not as bad as I thought it was going to be!!!
Because coffee fills me up pretty fast I wasn't too hungry when 2pm rolled around and I wasn't too hungry. So to follow the rule to eat when you're "not too hungry" so you don't over eat when you are very hungry, I made an egg salad sandwich with a glass of milk.
1 hard boiled egg: 76 Calories
1 tbsp. of mustard: 11 calories
1 tbsp. of relish: 21 calories
2 pieces of bread (white whole grain): 240 Calories (120 each)
1 c. skim milk: 160 Calories
Total lunch: 508 Calories
I spent part of my afternoon at the gym... bet you thought since I slept in I wasn't going today! Psych!!! The first 30 min was free weights.
I did:
The start of the day was a little sleeping in instead of working out... not too bad in my opinion. A girl needs to sleep past day break sometimes! I was so thankful that today I was going to spend the morning with a wonderful friend and have fellowship with her about life over the last few months. We decided to have coffee for breakfast... Dutch Bros. to be exact.
I had a medium milky way.
Calories: 325
Calories from fat: 10.6
Honestly, not as bad as I thought it was going to be!!!
Because coffee fills me up pretty fast I wasn't too hungry when 2pm rolled around and I wasn't too hungry. So to follow the rule to eat when you're "not too hungry" so you don't over eat when you are very hungry, I made an egg salad sandwich with a glass of milk.
1 hard boiled egg: 76 Calories
1 tbsp. of mustard: 11 calories
1 tbsp. of relish: 21 calories
2 pieces of bread (white whole grain): 240 Calories (120 each)
1 c. skim milk: 160 Calories
Total lunch: 508 Calories
I spent part of my afternoon at the gym... bet you thought since I slept in I wasn't going today! Psych!!! The first 30 min was free weights.
I did:
- 2 reps of 20 1 legged squats (refer to previous post about these)
- 2 reps of 20 weight hand-offs around the waist (refer to previous post about these)
- 2 reps of 20 squats with weights between legs and over head (refer to previous post about these)
- 50 toe raises-- I take two 12lb weights, balance my weight on the balls of my feet and raise onto my tiptoes, then back to the balls of my feet at a rapid pace-- work the calf muscles and brings balance to your workout
- 30 air punches--two 12lb weights. punch each hand with weights straight up into the air opposite of each other. 3 sets of 20 (I typically do 20 toe raises, 20 air punches, and repeat).
- Lastly I did a machine that I haven't done before. I don't know what it is called, but I really liked it. Next time I go I will look at what it is called, but for now I will just describe it. It has a rope attached to it and a handle on each side of the rope to hold onto. The base that the rope is attached to moves higher and lower depending on what part of your arms, back, shoulders, and even legs and abs you want to work! The resistance of the rope was set for 25lbs. First I had the rope high so I had to pull is straight down my belly, I did this 20 times. I then moved the height so it was parallel to my chest and pulled it toward me 20 times. Next I put it very low so I had to pull up toward my shoulders, again 20 times. Then I put it slightly above my head, turned my back to the machine and pulled it across my shoulders at a downward angle, 20 times. I will try this machine again, It really has a lot of potential!
THEN... from 5:30 to 6:30 I did body combat. I have done a lot of the Les Mills Body classes before, and some I liked and others I didn't. This one was new for me. It is exactly what it sounds... combat... a lot of punching, kicking, jabbing, jumping, etc. Basically it was 60 min. of intense anger management... while burning A LOT of calories!!!! I really enjoyed this class. It didn't take as much coordination as some of the others, and it was something that I was able to do without feeling like I was going to die or get stuck in a muscle cramp. I also liked the pace and the challenge it had. It is definitely a class I would suggest to anyone looking for something fun and intense for a good workout!
For dinner I had another blessing to spend time with a great mentor and friend that I haven't seen in a while. We went to Chili's... I tried to be good, but it was SO hard.
This is what I had... Honestly I thought I was ordering somewhat decent, but now that I look at the items online, I realized how far off I was.
- 1/2 a smoked turkey sandwich (no mayonnaise): 465 Calories
- French Fries: 520 Calories
- House Salad: 140 Calories
- Bleu Cheese Dressing: 160 Calories
- Total: 1285 Calories
However, the calorie listing was for an entire basket of french fries, which I did not eat, and the bleu cheese for an entire serving, which I didn't eat. So I would average this meal at about 980 Calories.
For dessert we shared a Denny's Apple Crisp (Chili's closed a 9!!) Splitting it in 1/2 gives me 361.5 Calories from the Apple Crisp.
My days total Calories were 2479.5--- This is actually shocking to me because I thought I did decent. I am learning so much about what kinds of food I am taking into my body. It really is no wonder that I gained the weight that I did. I am learning so much by keeping this blog. I have a lot of new habits to make, I need to look at food completely differently and find what is actually good for me to eat, not just assume that I am making the right choice.
I believe that at the gym I burned approx. 1000-1500 Calories. The approximate calories burned in the class I took average around 800-900 Calories, and the weights that I did would push it up a couple hundred more calories. Throughout the day I probably burned around 500. At most this would put me at 2000 calories burned today. This is not enough to lose weight. I need the intake of calories to be below the output of calories by a decent to significant amount if I am going to lose any weight.
Thank you for being a part of this experience with me. I am truly learning so much by writing this all out, and I hope you are too. Please feel free to share your tips and struggles or comments... God bless
Alyssa
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday Day 5
Well today is the day that I put Randall on a plane and send him 3,000 miles to the other side of the country. It is very hard for me to do that, but God is good and will bless the time we have apart.
Before I sent him off to study hard we decided to go to breakfast with my family. Although it was great it theory, breakfast is killer for me... I love sweet things like syrup, muffins, powdered sugar, etc. Honestly, I looked over the healthier choice menu... but it looked so fake and gross. It was imitation eggs and fake meat... gross. So I ordered what I liked... knowing the consequences of it, and tried to portion control. 1 pancake (gave the other to my dad), some hash browns with ketchup, over-easy eggs, and 2 pieces of toast. Seriously... THAT IS TOO MUCH FOOD!!!! I am staying committed to writing down everything I eat, but I only realize how much food that is when I type it out here for the whole world to see. So I am going to try a new habit... still writing it down, but I am going to write it down before hand so I can honestly see how much food I am about to consume and make a decision on it before it hits my belly... or better yet my thighs and butt.
So from now on... food is going to be written about... even if its on a little napkin before I eat it. Thanks IHOP for showing me what a pig I am and that I need to change that.
Around 4pm... after a generous nap, I realized I was hungry again and popped in 2 of the microwave bean burritos and sprinkled a little extra Colby Jack cheese for flavor with a small dab of sour cream. Again... I looked at what I ate and the amount of calories I consumed after I ate it... bad idea. But I should have only had one (each one was 240 calories alone with 60 calories from fat! 8 calories for sour cream (1 teaspoon) and 120 calories in cheese with 10 calories from fat!) This equals a 608 calories meal with 76 calories from fat! This was more than a full meal, and I was considering it light... I have a lot of rethinking to do!!!
***TIP*** I read in the booklet I got from the Body Success Challenge that any snack that we eat should be less than 200 calories. Something I definitely need to learn from. Otherwise rather than a snack I am eating multiple meals a day.
I decided to go to the gym today, which I typically don't go Sundays because I work, but after the total of food I have already eaten today... I HAD TO GO!!!!
I am really really sore from yesterday's work out with all those squats. My legs feel like led and can hardly move quickly. So I am going to work on burning calories and getting the joints moving freely again.
I stretched a lot... quite a bit of lower body and back stretches. About 15 min.
Because of the soreness, I decided to do the elliptical, 25 min. on Random mode and level 10 intensity. Rather than doing 3 min. maintain speed (around 7.5) and 1 min. max speed (11.5) I tried doing 5 min pushed speed (about 9.0) and 5 min. max speed (11.5). This was very difficult but it felt good on my legs. I finished my 25 min with about 3.5 miles ran on an elliptical and 320 calories burned. I know I am getting stronger to be able to maintain those speeds and get those results. It might be time to increase the intensity and time.
For dinner I wasn't quite as hungry so I tried eating Pita Pit's kids sized pita. A normal sized Grilled chicken breast pita without any condiments or cheese is 374 calories and 19 calories from fat. I had lettuce (no calories), olives (approx. 10 calories), and yellow mustard (approx 11 calories). With it I had a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese @ 100 calories. In total it would be 495 calories, but because I had a small pita I would estimate it at about 400 calories.
I was craving something sweet after my meal (as I usually am) and I found nilla wafers in the pantry I had the serving size value, which is 8 cookies at 140 calories and 50 calories from fat. This makes my dinner's grand total 540 calories with about 73 calories from fat. Much better than my "lunch/snack" of burritos and way healthier anyhow.
***TIP*** My small pita was only $3.50 and it was the perfect size!!!
Thanks for following! I was able to google all the calorie intake just by typing in what I ate and the approximate amount if you are looking for how much your intake is or how much something is worth.
Please keep the comments coming... thanks Dionna for letting me know about white cheese over yellow cheese!!!
God Bless,
Alyssa
Before I sent him off to study hard we decided to go to breakfast with my family. Although it was great it theory, breakfast is killer for me... I love sweet things like syrup, muffins, powdered sugar, etc. Honestly, I looked over the healthier choice menu... but it looked so fake and gross. It was imitation eggs and fake meat... gross. So I ordered what I liked... knowing the consequences of it, and tried to portion control. 1 pancake (gave the other to my dad), some hash browns with ketchup, over-easy eggs, and 2 pieces of toast. Seriously... THAT IS TOO MUCH FOOD!!!! I am staying committed to writing down everything I eat, but I only realize how much food that is when I type it out here for the whole world to see. So I am going to try a new habit... still writing it down, but I am going to write it down before hand so I can honestly see how much food I am about to consume and make a decision on it before it hits my belly... or better yet my thighs and butt.
So from now on... food is going to be written about... even if its on a little napkin before I eat it. Thanks IHOP for showing me what a pig I am and that I need to change that.
Around 4pm... after a generous nap, I realized I was hungry again and popped in 2 of the microwave bean burritos and sprinkled a little extra Colby Jack cheese for flavor with a small dab of sour cream. Again... I looked at what I ate and the amount of calories I consumed after I ate it... bad idea. But I should have only had one (each one was 240 calories alone with 60 calories from fat! 8 calories for sour cream (1 teaspoon) and 120 calories in cheese with 10 calories from fat!) This equals a 608 calories meal with 76 calories from fat! This was more than a full meal, and I was considering it light... I have a lot of rethinking to do!!!
***TIP*** I read in the booklet I got from the Body Success Challenge that any snack that we eat should be less than 200 calories. Something I definitely need to learn from. Otherwise rather than a snack I am eating multiple meals a day.
I decided to go to the gym today, which I typically don't go Sundays because I work, but after the total of food I have already eaten today... I HAD TO GO!!!!
I am really really sore from yesterday's work out with all those squats. My legs feel like led and can hardly move quickly. So I am going to work on burning calories and getting the joints moving freely again.
I stretched a lot... quite a bit of lower body and back stretches. About 15 min.
Because of the soreness, I decided to do the elliptical, 25 min. on Random mode and level 10 intensity. Rather than doing 3 min. maintain speed (around 7.5) and 1 min. max speed (11.5) I tried doing 5 min pushed speed (about 9.0) and 5 min. max speed (11.5). This was very difficult but it felt good on my legs. I finished my 25 min with about 3.5 miles ran on an elliptical and 320 calories burned. I know I am getting stronger to be able to maintain those speeds and get those results. It might be time to increase the intensity and time.
For dinner I wasn't quite as hungry so I tried eating Pita Pit's kids sized pita. A normal sized Grilled chicken breast pita without any condiments or cheese is 374 calories and 19 calories from fat. I had lettuce (no calories), olives (approx. 10 calories), and yellow mustard (approx 11 calories). With it I had a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese @ 100 calories. In total it would be 495 calories, but because I had a small pita I would estimate it at about 400 calories.
I was craving something sweet after my meal (as I usually am) and I found nilla wafers in the pantry I had the serving size value, which is 8 cookies at 140 calories and 50 calories from fat. This makes my dinner's grand total 540 calories with about 73 calories from fat. Much better than my "lunch/snack" of burritos and way healthier anyhow.
***TIP*** My small pita was only $3.50 and it was the perfect size!!!
Thanks for following! I was able to google all the calorie intake just by typing in what I ate and the approximate amount if you are looking for how much your intake is or how much something is worth.
Please keep the comments coming... thanks Dionna for letting me know about white cheese over yellow cheese!!!
God Bless,
Alyssa
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday January 9,2010
Hello Everyone! Welcome to day 4!
Today is Randall's last full day here in Boise, and depending on all the "pit-stops" he decides to make to remember Boise by... it may be difficult to resist the temptation of declicous food.
Today was the BIG DAY!!!! At 10:30 this morning I woke up, tried on 2 bikini swim suites back and forth to decide which one made me look fatter... revealed my fat parts more... and which one I felt more uncomfortable wearing and being seen by another person in. Well neither one of them was flattering... and I felt completly horrible in both. You may be wondering why I am doing this... it is because it is picture day at Gold's Gym for the 2010 Body Success Challenge. The entire competition is based on the before and after picture. The judges determine who made the most progress in their 12 week weight loss journey based on 2 single snapshots... the dreaded before pictures and the hopefully wonderful after picture. So, Mike the Trainer said to acheive this properly I needed to wear a swimsuit (to show off the most of my body to see the most change), and I needed to push my tummy out (not hard), slouch my shoulders, double my chin, keep my legs close together, eat a little before hand and be a white as possible... check, check, check and check! I dont think He realized how easy all those tasks would be for me... except standing in a swim-suit...
When I walked into the room with the professional photographer, he said to me... "Oh you're not as big as some of the other girls." This could be taken in many different ways... 1) A compliment, he has been taking a lot of pics of a lot of overweight people. 2) He noticed that I am big... just not obese. 3) He doesn't think I have a chance in the competition, I don't have as much to lose. So you know what I did?? I stuck my belly out at him as far as I could!!!
After the picture I had all the measurements taken: This may bore you... but I suppose this is part of the journey, before and after. Here they are:
Weight: 169 (I guess I gained a couple lbs... crud!)
Neck: 13 in.
Chest: 38.5 in.
Upper Arm: 11.5 in.
Forearm: 9.75 in.
Waist: 36.25 in.
Hip: 45.75 in.
Thigh: 23.25 in.
Calf: 15.75 in.
Whoa... I need these two programs more than I thought.
Sidenote: I would like to encorage anyone who is maybe struggle with their weight to go into their gym and ask a fitness specalist to measure you and take your weight and body fat. Most places will do it for free because they want you to hire them as a result. But it will at least, like it has for me, open your eyes to where you really might be. I have been really understating how overweight I have become. Seeing these numbers I realize there is not a better time than now to fix this. Also, if you work out at Gold's, the Body Success Challenge is only $49 and it comes with a lot of perks to help in your weight loss journey (tans, supplements, vitamens, etc.)
After looking at the numbers and seeing myself in a bikini, I couldn't just walk out of the gym. I spent the next hour doing free weights.
Today is Randall's last full day here in Boise, and depending on all the "pit-stops" he decides to make to remember Boise by... it may be difficult to resist the temptation of declicous food.
Today was the BIG DAY!!!! At 10:30 this morning I woke up, tried on 2 bikini swim suites back and forth to decide which one made me look fatter... revealed my fat parts more... and which one I felt more uncomfortable wearing and being seen by another person in. Well neither one of them was flattering... and I felt completly horrible in both. You may be wondering why I am doing this... it is because it is picture day at Gold's Gym for the 2010 Body Success Challenge. The entire competition is based on the before and after picture. The judges determine who made the most progress in their 12 week weight loss journey based on 2 single snapshots... the dreaded before pictures and the hopefully wonderful after picture. So, Mike the Trainer said to acheive this properly I needed to wear a swimsuit (to show off the most of my body to see the most change), and I needed to push my tummy out (not hard), slouch my shoulders, double my chin, keep my legs close together, eat a little before hand and be a white as possible... check, check, check and check! I dont think He realized how easy all those tasks would be for me... except standing in a swim-suit...
When I walked into the room with the professional photographer, he said to me... "Oh you're not as big as some of the other girls." This could be taken in many different ways... 1) A compliment, he has been taking a lot of pics of a lot of overweight people. 2) He noticed that I am big... just not obese. 3) He doesn't think I have a chance in the competition, I don't have as much to lose. So you know what I did?? I stuck my belly out at him as far as I could!!!
After the picture I had all the measurements taken: This may bore you... but I suppose this is part of the journey, before and after. Here they are:
Weight: 169 (I guess I gained a couple lbs... crud!)
Neck: 13 in.
Chest: 38.5 in.
Upper Arm: 11.5 in.
Forearm: 9.75 in.
Waist: 36.25 in.
Hip: 45.75 in.
Thigh: 23.25 in.
Calf: 15.75 in.
Whoa... I need these two programs more than I thought.
Sidenote: I would like to encorage anyone who is maybe struggle with their weight to go into their gym and ask a fitness specalist to measure you and take your weight and body fat. Most places will do it for free because they want you to hire them as a result. But it will at least, like it has for me, open your eyes to where you really might be. I have been really understating how overweight I have become. Seeing these numbers I realize there is not a better time than now to fix this. Also, if you work out at Gold's, the Body Success Challenge is only $49 and it comes with a lot of perks to help in your weight loss journey (tans, supplements, vitamens, etc.)
After looking at the numbers and seeing myself in a bikini, I couldn't just walk out of the gym. I spent the next hour doing free weights.
- I started with a one-legged squat (put my right foot--toes--on a bench and extend the leg until it is only slightly bent. Then with hand weights begin doing squats with all your weight on the left leg. Pump the handweights in same motion. 10 each leg for 3 reps)
- Next I did arms-- Take one 10lb handweight start in right hand, rotate right arm with weight behind your back, and swing it around to your front, exchange weight to left hand and swing left hand behind back and bring it back to front to exhchange with right hand. 20 times, 3 reps
- Next I did dumbell squats--Again a 10lb weight held with both hands. Legs shoulder width apart, squat with dumbell between your legs, and as your rise swing dumbell out and up over your head. As you squat again, bring dumbell back down between your legs. 20 times and 3 reps
- Finally I did sit ups on a stay ball. Place the ball on the small of your back and toes against a wall. Use your abs to sit up. 20 times, 5 reps. Also try touching your elbow to the opposite knee. 20 times 5 reps. Third, Lay on a flat surface, bench or floor, and lift your legs and chest towards each other using your abs, again 2 times, 5 reps= 300 situps!
After my gym workout I went to lunch with Randall at NY Deli. I had a cup of chili (no cheese, some crackers) with a egg and cheese wheat bagle.
Although I wouldn't classify it as exercise, I know it does burn some calories, Randall and I walked around the mall for a couple of hours.
For dinner we had his craving before he left... Arctic Circle. I had a crispy chicken sandwich, no mayonaise, but added cheese with frech fries and a small milkshake. THIS WAS NOT GOOD!!!
Now that Randall in going back to Boston and there isn't a need to go out to dinner... I can focus more on eating healthier! The Challenge is on!!! Please let me know some good alternatives you might find to some of your favorite foods, or ways you are working out! God Bless!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Day 2 and 3
Well day 2 and 3 have passed and I have not been able to log onto the computer... so I will give a brief synopsis of what the last couple days have been like.
Maybe this will scare anyone who reads this away, or maybe it will encourage you or help you... but I am going to log the food that I eat and the exercise that I do daily, and I am doing this for 2 reasons. The first is because I have to have accountability. If I am typing out each calorie I took in and each that I burned, it may be a realization of what I can change and do better. Also knowing that there might be people reading each thing will challenge me to do my best because I don't want to embarrass myself by eating 3 brownies after a heaping helping of burgers and fries... that wouldn't make for a very good weight loss story. The second reason is because maybe you are in the same predicament I am in... habits are hard to break, and food is just too good and exercise is hard. If I start seeing results, maybe you could follow the pattern and we can do this together! So hopefully unlike "How to lose a guy in 10 days" my food and exercise log won't bore you or disgust you. (And I am not worried about Randall knowing, because if I haven't got rid of him after 3 years... I don't think him knowing everything I eat will shoo him away quickly!)
So my last blog was on Wednesday... this is what happened since then.
Thursday I went to the gym and worked out on the elliptical. I really enjoy using the elliptical mainly because it doesn't hurt my knees and back as much as the treadmill. I prefer having the elliptical set on the "Random" mode because there are several resistance levels within the time that spend on it. I spent 25 sweaty minutes on it, and burned approx. 280 calories and distanced at approx. 3 miles.
I have learned from watching other people exercise on the elliptical that there are some very effective and difficult exercises. I have challenged myself with these observations, so hopefully they will also challenge you.
1. Find a speed that pushes you past a comfortable limit that you are able to maintain (for me I try to stay at or above 7.5)
2. Every 2 or 3 or 5 minutes put your legs into a slight squat and use your heels to move the elliptical as fast as possible for 1 min.
3. Increase the amount of time by 5 min and the resistance level by 1 every couple days to a week that you use the elliptical.
These are just a few tricks that I have found to make the elliptical harder and more challenging for me. If you know of other tricks, please share them for me and other readers to use!
Thurs. I also did a 30 min. core class at Golds. It seemed simple enough while I was doing it, but Friday I really felt it. Some of the exercises that we did during that class that I really liked were:
1. laying in sit up position with my legs slightly apart. Extend my arms out with my hands clasped and doing quick crunch pulses. Shoulders never touching the group and hands going through my legs.
2. PLANKS... oh the dreaded plank!!! Get in almost a push up position, rest your upper body on your elbows, your legs straight out and on your toes (no knees!) touch your knees, things, and butt cheeks together and lower your hips so that your legs and elbows are parallel. Tighten your abs and wait for the burn to begin!!! Its almost like a wall-sit for you abs.
Thursday's meal plan wasn't so great. Although it is going to sound like an excuse... and it is... it is a big struggle. Randall is here visiting, so we have gone to his favorite restaurants and gone out with our friends to eat... so the temptation is harder than ever and I am just trying to portion control.
We had Mongolian for lunch... stir fry. Mine is filled with noodles, pineapples, and carrots with sweet and sour sauce.
For dinner... the all delicious but horrible for you... Texas Roadhouse. I limited myself to 1 roll (it was so difficult!! I really would have loved to have had several). I had a house salad with blue cheese dresses on the side so I could dip my fork into it rather than dousing the salad with dressing. And I ordered potato skins. I only ate 3 because I filled up on the salad and saved the rest for leftovers (which my dad ate... I guess I am thankful that he did so I wont).
Now onto Friday....
I had a breakfast burrito that is filled with eggs and sausage with a little salsa (these are unfortunately very high in calories and fat... so I don't think I will be eating them anymore).
Because my dad ate my leftovers... and I had to run errands during my lunch I stopped at taco bell (Mike, the trainer, told me this is a good option if you have to get fast food. Stick to the basics though he said) so I got a bean burrito... hopefully will help with my protein a little, a cheese wrap up, and fiesta potatoes. After eating it I realized I should have gone without the potatoes... just in case I go again, it is good to know I can do without them.
After work I challenged myself to go on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Recently I have only been able to do it for about 12 min. So this was going to really stretch me. I set it on Random Cardio (the speed and the resistance automatically changes) and at an incline of 2 (the incline also changed as the speed and resistance did, it is important to know that it will increase and decrease, so if you have it set on random, it will change for you automatically). This workout was really hard for my legs and feet... I really almost quit... but I knew I could push past it. When I hit 7 min. left I thought my legs were going to give out and the time clicked by slowly and finally I was finished! I did a bit of stretching before I left.
As I was walking out a friend of mine who works at Golds stopped to talk with me and I shared with him my struggle of getting enough protein, so he asked if I would try one of his protein shakes. It was made with the APEX chocolate protein mix (2 scoops) and peanut butter (2 scoops) mixed together with ice and water... unlike other protein shakes this was DELICIOUS!!! It is a meal replacement and only has 220 calories and a days worth of protein! Excellent! They cost $3 each for Golds to make it for you, or you can buy a HUGE jar of APEX and make them yourself for $28 and make different types and flavors. I think I am going to try to do that to stay away from the breakfast burrito and lessen my appetite for lunch!
I would like to thank you again for reading... I am really going to try to not combine days anymore like these two because the blog gets really long and I forget what I ate and did. Please feel free to comment for others who are reading and myself! Also if you have any good recipes, workout tips, or suggestions, please let me know!
Thanks and I will let you know how Today (Saturday) goes tonight!
God bless!
Alyssa
Maybe this will scare anyone who reads this away, or maybe it will encourage you or help you... but I am going to log the food that I eat and the exercise that I do daily, and I am doing this for 2 reasons. The first is because I have to have accountability. If I am typing out each calorie I took in and each that I burned, it may be a realization of what I can change and do better. Also knowing that there might be people reading each thing will challenge me to do my best because I don't want to embarrass myself by eating 3 brownies after a heaping helping of burgers and fries... that wouldn't make for a very good weight loss story. The second reason is because maybe you are in the same predicament I am in... habits are hard to break, and food is just too good and exercise is hard. If I start seeing results, maybe you could follow the pattern and we can do this together! So hopefully unlike "How to lose a guy in 10 days" my food and exercise log won't bore you or disgust you. (And I am not worried about Randall knowing, because if I haven't got rid of him after 3 years... I don't think him knowing everything I eat will shoo him away quickly!)
So my last blog was on Wednesday... this is what happened since then.
Thursday I went to the gym and worked out on the elliptical. I really enjoy using the elliptical mainly because it doesn't hurt my knees and back as much as the treadmill. I prefer having the elliptical set on the "Random" mode because there are several resistance levels within the time that spend on it. I spent 25 sweaty minutes on it, and burned approx. 280 calories and distanced at approx. 3 miles.
I have learned from watching other people exercise on the elliptical that there are some very effective and difficult exercises. I have challenged myself with these observations, so hopefully they will also challenge you.
1. Find a speed that pushes you past a comfortable limit that you are able to maintain (for me I try to stay at or above 7.5)
2. Every 2 or 3 or 5 minutes put your legs into a slight squat and use your heels to move the elliptical as fast as possible for 1 min.
3. Increase the amount of time by 5 min and the resistance level by 1 every couple days to a week that you use the elliptical.
These are just a few tricks that I have found to make the elliptical harder and more challenging for me. If you know of other tricks, please share them for me and other readers to use!
Thurs. I also did a 30 min. core class at Golds. It seemed simple enough while I was doing it, but Friday I really felt it. Some of the exercises that we did during that class that I really liked were:
1. laying in sit up position with my legs slightly apart. Extend my arms out with my hands clasped and doing quick crunch pulses. Shoulders never touching the group and hands going through my legs.
2. PLANKS... oh the dreaded plank!!! Get in almost a push up position, rest your upper body on your elbows, your legs straight out and on your toes (no knees!) touch your knees, things, and butt cheeks together and lower your hips so that your legs and elbows are parallel. Tighten your abs and wait for the burn to begin!!! Its almost like a wall-sit for you abs.
Thursday's meal plan wasn't so great. Although it is going to sound like an excuse... and it is... it is a big struggle. Randall is here visiting, so we have gone to his favorite restaurants and gone out with our friends to eat... so the temptation is harder than ever and I am just trying to portion control.
We had Mongolian for lunch... stir fry. Mine is filled with noodles, pineapples, and carrots with sweet and sour sauce.
For dinner... the all delicious but horrible for you... Texas Roadhouse. I limited myself to 1 roll (it was so difficult!! I really would have loved to have had several). I had a house salad with blue cheese dresses on the side so I could dip my fork into it rather than dousing the salad with dressing. And I ordered potato skins. I only ate 3 because I filled up on the salad and saved the rest for leftovers (which my dad ate... I guess I am thankful that he did so I wont).
Now onto Friday....
I had a breakfast burrito that is filled with eggs and sausage with a little salsa (these are unfortunately very high in calories and fat... so I don't think I will be eating them anymore).
Because my dad ate my leftovers... and I had to run errands during my lunch I stopped at taco bell (Mike, the trainer, told me this is a good option if you have to get fast food. Stick to the basics though he said) so I got a bean burrito... hopefully will help with my protein a little, a cheese wrap up, and fiesta potatoes. After eating it I realized I should have gone without the potatoes... just in case I go again, it is good to know I can do without them.
After work I challenged myself to go on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Recently I have only been able to do it for about 12 min. So this was going to really stretch me. I set it on Random Cardio (the speed and the resistance automatically changes) and at an incline of 2 (the incline also changed as the speed and resistance did, it is important to know that it will increase and decrease, so if you have it set on random, it will change for you automatically). This workout was really hard for my legs and feet... I really almost quit... but I knew I could push past it. When I hit 7 min. left I thought my legs were going to give out and the time clicked by slowly and finally I was finished! I did a bit of stretching before I left.
As I was walking out a friend of mine who works at Golds stopped to talk with me and I shared with him my struggle of getting enough protein, so he asked if I would try one of his protein shakes. It was made with the APEX chocolate protein mix (2 scoops) and peanut butter (2 scoops) mixed together with ice and water... unlike other protein shakes this was DELICIOUS!!! It is a meal replacement and only has 220 calories and a days worth of protein! Excellent! They cost $3 each for Golds to make it for you, or you can buy a HUGE jar of APEX and make them yourself for $28 and make different types and flavors. I think I am going to try to do that to stay away from the breakfast burrito and lessen my appetite for lunch!
I would like to thank you again for reading... I am really going to try to not combine days anymore like these two because the blog gets really long and I forget what I ate and did. Please feel free to comment for others who are reading and myself! Also if you have any good recipes, workout tips, or suggestions, please let me know!
Thanks and I will let you know how Today (Saturday) goes tonight!
God bless!
Alyssa
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Day 1
Today is the official start to my personal challenge. I have exactly 6 months from today that I will be marrying Randall... and I want to look good! Besides getting married, there are a few other reasons I am wanting to lose these 30 pounds within the 150 days before my wedding.
Number 1, which really related to 2,3,and, 4. LUPUS. I was assumed to have lupus as an infant because of all the immune deficiencies I struggled with, and at the age of seven I was officially diagnosed with the disease. Not until my late teenage years did I start to feel the struggle and affects of this disease. To give you a brief synopsis of lupus, it is an immune disease that cannot differentiate between the real parts of your body and the intruding bacterias and sicknesses. So your immune system is wearing itself down fighting off and trying to destroy things that are good and belong in your body and is too weak to fight what does not.
When I began feeling the struggle, I was put on a lot of different medicines to try to help, but because of those "helping drugs" I gained 25 pounds in 1 month! College didnt help much either, I was working 50+ hours at a job, then classes and school work... lets just say I lost my moxie for keeping myself in shape and working out. I also was eating restuarant food everyday and lots of it... wow, looking back I sure wish I had made some different choices.
So back to the list of reasons to lose this weight. #2: I want to be athletic again. Lupus has put such a wear on my joints, and I am constantly exhausted and tired from it... but when I work out, my joints are so much better and I have so much more energy and I feel like an athlete again. I also coach lacrosse and I want to be a good example to my team and other players by being athletic again.
Number 3: The little black dress, or the yellow polka-dot bikini... I want to wear it and look good! I want to go shopping for the clothes that look good on the rack and will look good on me.
and Number 4: As a Christian I need to be a good steward of the body I have been given and use it for the work of Christ and not myself. I know I can do better representing Christ when I am not eating the things that slow me down or are bad for me...
I dont know who may be reading this blog.. maybe no one.. maybe I am the only one who will see it. But at least I am accountable to writing it down. I will be keeping track of my journey... the hard parts and the joyous parts on this blog... And if you're out there reading this, Here's how you can help: Encourage, motivate, and share with me your story of weight loss, lupus or other diseases; tell me about what you need prayer for or what your giant is in your life. I would love to hear your story as well.
Here's how I am starting:
Today I signed up at Gold's Gym for 2 things. The first is for body bootcamp... and yes I think it is as scary as it sounds! My mom and I are going to be going to bootcamp, with Mike the trainer 2 times a week (mondays and thursdays) for an hour each session. This is a high-intensive workout designed to lose weight and build strength. The second is for the Body Success Challenge... 12 weeks to lose as much weight as you can and look as good as you can. I am hoping my dad will join me in this challenge.
And since I am going to be sharing the whole journey with you... I am going to end this blog by telling you the starting weight and body fat percentage: 167pounds and 31% body fat... Wow... it is harder to type out and realize it in front of me...
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
MissAlyss!!!
Number 1, which really related to 2,3,and, 4. LUPUS. I was assumed to have lupus as an infant because of all the immune deficiencies I struggled with, and at the age of seven I was officially diagnosed with the disease. Not until my late teenage years did I start to feel the struggle and affects of this disease. To give you a brief synopsis of lupus, it is an immune disease that cannot differentiate between the real parts of your body and the intruding bacterias and sicknesses. So your immune system is wearing itself down fighting off and trying to destroy things that are good and belong in your body and is too weak to fight what does not.
When I began feeling the struggle, I was put on a lot of different medicines to try to help, but because of those "helping drugs" I gained 25 pounds in 1 month! College didnt help much either, I was working 50+ hours at a job, then classes and school work... lets just say I lost my moxie for keeping myself in shape and working out. I also was eating restuarant food everyday and lots of it... wow, looking back I sure wish I had made some different choices.
So back to the list of reasons to lose this weight. #2: I want to be athletic again. Lupus has put such a wear on my joints, and I am constantly exhausted and tired from it... but when I work out, my joints are so much better and I have so much more energy and I feel like an athlete again. I also coach lacrosse and I want to be a good example to my team and other players by being athletic again.
Number 3: The little black dress, or the yellow polka-dot bikini... I want to wear it and look good! I want to go shopping for the clothes that look good on the rack and will look good on me.
and Number 4: As a Christian I need to be a good steward of the body I have been given and use it for the work of Christ and not myself. I know I can do better representing Christ when I am not eating the things that slow me down or are bad for me...
I dont know who may be reading this blog.. maybe no one.. maybe I am the only one who will see it. But at least I am accountable to writing it down. I will be keeping track of my journey... the hard parts and the joyous parts on this blog... And if you're out there reading this, Here's how you can help: Encourage, motivate, and share with me your story of weight loss, lupus or other diseases; tell me about what you need prayer for or what your giant is in your life. I would love to hear your story as well.
Here's how I am starting:
Today I signed up at Gold's Gym for 2 things. The first is for body bootcamp... and yes I think it is as scary as it sounds! My mom and I are going to be going to bootcamp, with Mike the trainer 2 times a week (mondays and thursdays) for an hour each session. This is a high-intensive workout designed to lose weight and build strength. The second is for the Body Success Challenge... 12 weeks to lose as much weight as you can and look as good as you can. I am hoping my dad will join me in this challenge.
And since I am going to be sharing the whole journey with you... I am going to end this blog by telling you the starting weight and body fat percentage: 167pounds and 31% body fat... Wow... it is harder to type out and realize it in front of me...
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
MissAlyss!!!
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