Week 5 (Portion Control)

I'll just say I'll try!  The numbers on the scale are pretty much staying the same.  At least they are not going up.  I know I am not giving it my all this time around.  That in itself is frustrating to me.  I haven't been walking but I have been working in the yard, etc.  I guess I use that time as "cardio" and I shouldn't.  I need to try to refocus and stick with it.  I have pretty much realized I am only drinking diet coke when we go out to eat.  I haven't had it at home for a while even though we have it in the fridge.   I am also doing really well at not eating anything after 7pm.  I also have noticed that I am not snacking near as much as I was.  I seem to be doing better on the eating side of things so my guess is the numbers aren't going to change until I commit to the exercise!!

The Beginning of Another Week

Today begins Week 4 of my challenge.  The challenge is:  Eat a healthy breakfast.  So much for my chocolate chocolate chip muffins by Otis Spunkmeyer!  This morning I had 2 scrambled eggs, 1 piece of bacon and 8 oz of orange juice.  I think it is pretty healthy.  I wanted the bacon!...but limited myself to 1 piece instead of the usual 2 when I have eggs. :o)

I Am Not Quite On Track!

According to the scale!!!!....I am on track to lose only 13 pounds in my 10 week challenge.  13 pounds would be great, but my goal was to lose 15 pounds.  Apparently I need to step up my game!  I have been more lax about this challenge and I know it is because I have no one else working on it with me.  Again...it's all about my lack of will power.  However, I must say I have done very well with the goal of not eating ANYTHING after 7pm.  Even if I am hungry after that time, instead of eating a couple cookies, or bowl of cereal like I used to, I drink more water!  I also need to step up the cardio.  I have been so busy in the house the past week reorganizing, etc, that even though I keep busy, I haven't been walking as much as I should be.  Writing this down helps me realize that if  I make just a couple of easy changes to what I am doing, I may just hit the 15 pound goal!!!

My Wish!

If I could be granted just one wish, I would wish I could have my dad back with us!  It is hard to describe how much I miss him and I know so many people who have lost a parent understand the feeling.  I am so glad there is an eternal plan so I can be with him again. I am dreading tomorrow being Father's Day. Not that I will miss him more tomorrow than I do right now, but listening to the talks about fathers in church will be very emotional.

Week 3 is around the corner!

Tomorrow starts Week 3!  The challenge for Week 3 is to read something uplifting each day.  This is probably the easiest of all the tasks for this challenge.  Maybe because it doesn't take any movement to accomplish.  But, it does help mentally which is a huge part of the challenge.  To make it the 10 weeks, I need to stay focused and not only "move" my body, but strengthen my mind too.  I have only lost a pound but that is better than gaining one!

Week 2 is almost over!!

I am continuing with the 210 minutes of cardio for this week.  Today is Day 5 of the 2nd week.  I have 2 more days to do 25 minutes of cardio....easy!  My plan is to walk at least 60 minutes in the next 2 days.  I have been drinking more water and making sure I don't eat anything after 7pm.  I am totally addicted to cinnamon discs though!!!  I am hoping I get to a point where I just get sick of them and won't want anymore.  I crave them!  So....here is to another day!  (As a sidenote....Bob bar-b-qued flank steak today....so yummy!)

San Diego County Fair

We enjoyed the day at the San Diego County Fair.....74 degree weather and it was the perfect day to be out!  In the first 3 days I had walked 95 minutes of the 210 minutes of cardio for 7 days.  I need to figure out how many minutes I should put down as actual cardio from all the walking we did today....and we did A LOT!  I am feeling good and as of this morning the weight was down just a little when I stepped on the scale.  It makes me really know that some sort of exercise honestly does help weight to come off.  I have also been really good at not eating anything at 7pm, and I am finding that I don't have the desire to snack as often as I used to.  Things are looking pretty good for me so far in this challenge.  I know if I really put my mind to it, I could lose quite a few pounds and start getting toned, but I don't want to put myself in a position where I slip up then get upset with myself for messing up.  I'll keep going like I am and maybe over the next couple weeks if I see good progress I may step it up a notch.  I have also realized I have previously used the words that I need to be more motivated.  That is the wrong word.  I need to work on willpower and I am seeing that develop.

I'm Doing It

Yesterday started the 210 minutes each week for some kind of cardio.  Both yesterday and today I walked (today I walked twice).  Sometimes during my walk I feel like I have so much energy bottled up I honestly want to start jogging.  I have decided I'll hold off a little while on the jogging because when I did it a couple weeks ago, I noticed a dull pain in the side of my left knee area.  Eventually I want to try again though.  Bob walked with me today and we will walk again tomorrow.  We are going to the San Diego County Fair on Saturday so I know there will be LOTS of walking!!!

CARDIO!!

Today is the beginning of week 2 for the challenge.  Three days ago I had lost almost a pound....this morning the scale is showing I gained 1/2 pound.  My guess is because we were out of town the past 2 days (hotel living at it's best) helped cause this gain.  I can handle it though.

Week 2 is 210 minutes of cardio each week.  Adding this to what I am already doing should help the weight loss.  I have found it is pretty easy for the most part to not eat anything after 7pm (which was one of the goals I set for myself).

My Reward!

Day 7 of the challenge is to write down how I will reward myself.  I haven't given it much thought but hopefully some new clothes will find their way into the closet!  I think just knowing I accomplished the challenge is a huge reward!  Following through and trying to overcome obstacles in my life would be a big plus.

What Do I Hope To Accomplish?

For Day 6 of the challenge, I need to write down what I hope to accomplish in this 10 week challenge.  To sum it up...I want to be in control of me.  I want to learn to have self control over my food cravings when I get them.  I want to accept me for who I am no matter what.  I want to be the best I can and continue to love myself so I can always have the attitude to help and give service to others.  I am at a good place in my life right now but I know there is always room for improvement.

Three Fitness Goals :o)

I added the smiley face because this one will be a tough one to continue with.  I get so jazzed about getting some exercise in and I can't ever keep it going as much as I would like to.  I would think I could motivate myself enough.  People always say to be friends with those who will make you better....well I have thought about that quite a bit lately and I should be able to make myself want to be better.  I shouldn't have to hear it from others.  The motivation definitely needs to come from inside me!
1- Be more active!
2- Do more crunches!
3- Be able to jog more than 90 seconds by time this challenge is over!

5 Things That Make Me Happy

Today I need to write down 5 things that make me happy:

1:  Family!
2:  Church!
3:  Being married to Bob!
4:  Friends!
5:  Being a Grandparent!

There really are so many more than 5 and these may not even be in order....anything to do with family is an all time high for me.

Day 3: What Did I Eat!?!

Today's goal was to write down everything I ate, drank or chewed.....so here it is:
Approximately 32oz of water, 12oz 2% milk, chocolate muffin (yum), 1 can gingerale, 1/2 egg salad sandwich with 8-10 Lays Stax chips (they were broken but I know there was no more than 10 whole chips if I could have put them back together, 1 frozen chicken monterey burro with melted cheese and shredded lettuce.  As far as sweets go, I had one popsicle, 1 piece sugar free gum, 5 cinnamon discs (these are my downfall.  I am so glad they are small!)

I walked to the park, I walked/jogged to the park, I walked to the mailbox.  I have had tons of energy today and at 7:20pm I can still feel the energy!  To meet my pounds lost goal we figured I would need to lose approximately .2 to .3 pounds per day.  Since I wrote down one of the nutritional goals as no eating after 7pm I am done for the night.  Do I hear a "You go girl!" ??

Nutrition

Today my task is to write down 3 nutritional goals for myself.

1-  Do not eat anything after 7pm

2-  Drink less Diet Coke

3-  Eat more fruits and vegetables

This may sound really easy to some of you, but it will be a challenge for me.  The easiest of these three will   probably  be  eating more  fruits  and  vegetables...especially with  the  summer  months  coming, watermelon and cantaloupe will be great prices! On Monday of next week we will be attending a dinner party that doesn't get started until  6pm so my guess is dinner will probably be closer to 7:00....I already give myself permission to eat after 7:00 on that night.  And to drink less Diet Coke....hmmmmmm...I need to really work on that.  Sometimes it just tastes so good!

A New Beginning For 2011!

It doesn't matter if we are already almost half way through 2011...  I have thought a lot about the 10 week challenge I was involved with almost 1-1/2 years ago!  I just read through Kelli's blog looking at what each day/week's challenge was.  I have mentioned doing the challenge again a few times, but last night I decided I would start it again on my own.  It helped so much to have others in the challenge, but I know I can do this.  I also know I can talk with and/or email my daughters and they will give me encouragement. The first week is journal writing:

Day 1:  Three goals I want to accomplish

Day 2: Three nutritional goals

Day 3:  Write down everything I eat, drink or chew today

Day 4:  Five things that make me happy

Day 5:  Three fitness goals

Day 6:  What do I hope to accomplish in this 10 week challenge

Day 7:  What will I reward myself with at the end of this challenge

I decided if I write on my blog again each day, it will make me more accountable for my own actions and help me acheive the goals I want to reach.  With that said....3 goals I want to accomplish are:

1:  Feel good about me!  Be honest with myself and who I am!

2:  Lose at least 15 pounds!

3:  Build up my business!

In the 2010 challenge one goal I decided on was to lose 10 pounds.  I lost 14 pounds.  If I work even harder I know I can lose at least 15 and hopefully more!  Everything about me during the first challenge was so much better.  The way I looked, felt and how I handled situations.  I had great energy, I slept better, my skin looked really healthy and I just felt great overall.  I have kept the weight off and I know that part of that has to do with the sickness and death of my Dad.  I still need to lose quite a bit more and this challenge is what I need.  Anyone that wants to join in or follow along on my journey, is more than welcome.  And if you want to leave a comment for inspiration and encouragement, that is totally welcomed!  You can also scroll back to the beginning of this blog and read about my accomplishments and thoughts during the 2010 Challenge.  Check in on my daily to see my progress.  I hope to hear from you!

http://makemebetterin10.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-beginning-for-2011.html