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