Weightloss progress - week 2

Down 2.4 lbs this week to 185.8. I stuck with the 1400 calories, but I only did EA Active 1x this week. However, I did move a queen and full bed - which is a lot to do by yourself - I swapped rooms, box springs and all & put the queen be together. I also carried 10 12 packs of water and a 32 pack of water downstairs. I'm not feeling discouraged because of my lack of exercise, but I do need to do it, because it will help my weight loss and health.

How to Cheat a Little, Not a Lot at the Holiday Party

I thought this was an excellent post at Calorie Count and had to share it.

By carolyn_r on Dec 14, 2010 10:00 AM in Tips & Updates

By Carolyn Richardson

It’s that time of year when companies go out of their way to sabotage your healthy nutrition plans.  The annual holiday party almost never involves a focus on healthy food and drink, so we all need a refresher on denying eating every item served at this free for all feast.  We have all heard the adage everything in moderation, but a good holiday party defense for overeating, or shall we say over-cheating, has to be specific to be effective.  Put on your warrior hats boys and girls: we can survive the biggest temptation the rest of this year has to offer.

Big Spoon, Little Spoon
Use a big spoon to eat the foods that will make you full, and the little
spoon for the delectable ones that will only please your taste buds.  Big
spoon vegetables, meat dishes, and fruit salads.  Little spoon macaroni and
cheese and dressing, as well as any sauces like cranberry sauce and gravy.

Make One Plate Enough
While most will treat the holiday party as a buffet, do not go for seconds.
While there is no scientific research to back this, I can personally say
that the second plate is always filled with the less healthy faire that I
cannot get enough of and has absolutely nothing to do with my hunger.  Use
the time that everyone is standing in line for seconds to mingle and
socialize.  Ask for a mineral water at the bar with a hint of fruit in it
and make like your drinking.  One plate is enough any other day.

Eat Now, Drink Later
The college student in you knows this rule, but as an adult you may have
forgotten that to keep you from drinking too much, and to assure you stay
hydrated and sober, eat first, and drink later.  The UK’s Food Agency
website, gives some practical tips for controlling how much you drink which include avoiding salty snacks like chips and salted nuts and adding water and
non-alcoholic drinks throughout the evening.

Desert the Dessert Table
Give yourself a cut off for sampling desserts.  I did say sampling.  When it
comes to desserts, do not get a full serving of any of the desserts that are
high in sugars and low in nutritional value, rather sample a few small
slivers of each one and cut off revisiting once you have had a taste of each
one.  This will be hard as you see your co-worker going for his third piece
of pie, but the mirror and the way your body feels will be thanks enough
come the next morning.

The Countdown
Prior to the party, consciously plan to leave at a certain time.  As the
party is winding down, it’s easy to let boredom invite you to enjoy another
plate.  And quite honestly, after 3-4 hours in one place, you may genuinely
have a corner of your stomach that would like to eat.  Avoid this by
planning to leave before this happens.  Most, if not all of these people
will be at work the next business day, there’s no reason to be the last
person there.

Source

Week 1

Well, I did it. I kept under or around 1400 calories. Wednesday was a little hard, I had a work Christmas party and something happened where we ended up going out to eat. Just for fun, I weighed myself, and I had only gained 1/2 lb. from Wednesday morning to Thursday.

I missed one day of exercise last week, which I was kicking myself over, but then realized I shouldn't beat myself up about it. I can make it up.

Overall, I'm down to 188.2 lbs. That's a total of 2.8 lbs. That's a great first week!

Great Article: 5 reasons to use your muffin tin

An interesting fact early in the article: A recent study from Cornell University compared recipes in seven editions of The Joy of Cooking published from 1936 to 2006. Researchers found the average calories per serving increased for 17 of the 18 recipes analyzed due to a shift to larger serving sizes and higher-calorie ingredients.


http://caloriecount.about.com/5-reasons-use-your-muffin-tin-b478350

My Plan

I've done some reading online about setting up an exercise plan, so I'm going to outline it here. I need goals, a time frame, structure and to maintain the program, plus adjusting when I hit a plateau.

The following categories are from: About.com

Set your goals

• Goal weight 130-140 lbs.
• Exercise at least 5 days per week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) Wednesday will be the only consistent day off (I watch a TV show on Tuesday that goes off at 10).
• Calorie intake: 1400 calories

Set a timeframe for your goals
Reach goal weight by July 31, 2011 (that's 34 weeks from today), which equals just under 1.5 lbs. (1.47) per week...which is, I believe, a healthy weight loss goal, and what is recommended for optimum health.

Figure out how to meet your goals with an exercise program
Exercise. EA Active More Workouts has a 6-week challenge. I believe this is a good routine that they have, it's just a matter of me making the time to do it. The Wii is hooked up to the TV downstairs, but we have another TV, I just need to make an effort to do the exercise, probably in the a.m.

What I need to do: adjust my bedtime and wake up time. Workouts tend to be 20-30 minutes, plus stretching. I will say that I need a minimum of 40 minutes for exercise. I will also need to eat something before (carbs: toast and fruit) and after my workout (protein; eggs). So that's at least another 20 minutes before exercising and at least 10 after. We're at 1 hour and 10 minutes now. I only need about 10 minutes in the shower and about 20 to get dressed and do my hair, we're at an hour and 40 now. Might as well make it 2 hours, because I also have to make lunches, but that usually falls in the 20 minutes to get dressed and do my hair. I need to leave by 7:30 a.m., so I need to get up at 5:30 a.m. I need to be in bed no later than 9:30 p.m., which won't be too much of a stretch because I go to bed at 10 now (but I read for about 20 minutes).

Structure your program
EA Active More Workouts

Maintain your program
Minimum 5 days per week, only consistent day off will be Wednesday each week.

Daily Routine
Set alarm for 5 a.m.
Eat carbs (toast and fruit)
Exercise
Eat protein
Shower
Get dressed
Make lunches
Do hair, etc.Work

The following is from: About.com

BMR Calculator
The how to: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Mine: 655 +  821.3 + 291.4 - 169.2 = 1598.5

Calculate Activity

• If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
• If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent****I'm choosing this one as I start my exercise routine
• If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
• If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
• If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

BMR x 30%
1598.5 x 30% = 2074.02

I just downloaded the free app Calorie Counter which will sync with the website Calorie Counter. I don't have to have internet access when I put it into my iPod, and it will still sync up once I have access again. :)

Tired

I'm tired of complaining about my weight, to myself, and not doing anything about it. My jeans are starting to get tight and I REFUSE to buy the next size. Time to get off my butt and do something about it. Stop writing about it in this blog and do it! :)

What I really need is a weight loss accountability partner.

Photos

It wouldn't let me post it as a picture, sorry, you'll have to click on the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/profete/4046301733/in/set-72157621721051963

http://koningstuff.tumblr.com/post/1139679569/chris-thornley-illustration-2

The Holidays

It's that time of year...food, food and, you guessed it!, more food. I think I did pretty well on Thanksgiving. The number on my scale didn't change too much in the wrong direction...so that's something, right?

At Christmas time, more than any other time of the year, we all start to think of others rather than ourselves... I know! Go figure! On the radio station I listen to, KLOVE, they've had a few new songs - when I say new I don't necessarily mean just released, I mean songs that they haven't played before. Two of those songs are You Are More by Tenth Avenue North and What Love Really Means by JJ Heller

You Are More Video:


What Love Really Means Video:


I noticed today that both songs start out very similar, You Are More starts out with a girl crying in a corner and What Love Really Means starts with a boy crying in the corner...this is not my point here. My point is that both songs bring tears to my eyes...really makes me think of others. We really need to get out of our own little world and think of others...put them first, before ourselves. I know it's hard, it's a daily struggle for me, especially in marriage. It's not easy to put my husband and what he wants before my needs and what I want.

We are selfish, we learn it at an early age. We struggle with it all through our lives, some of us never stop being selfish and never will. Others try, even if we fail, we continue to try. It's not an easy journey, or easy to do. So, try to go above and beyond this Christmas season. Give back, give to a stranger, do something nice for your neighbor.

KLOVE, the radio station I mentioned earlier, does Make a Difference Monday. They encourage listeners to do something nice for someone, even a stranger. Buy that person behind you coffee. I've been doing my grocery shopping at Aldi lately. In case you don't what Aldi is, it's a grocery store where you pay $0.25 to get a cart (which you get back) and you bag your own stuff, helping them keep their costs lower, passing on the savings to consumers. Anyway, what I've been doing lately is if someone is in need of a cart when I'm returning mine, I just hand off the cart. They always try, and often insist, on me taking the $0.25, but I don't. I just hope that they're doing something too, small things can make a difference. It doesn't have to be anything big. I'm only doing $0.25 a week, but who knows what it's doing for that person I passed the savings on to.

Some Motivation to Get Off My Butt and Get Moving

Drew Carey: No More Mr. Fat Guy

by Robert Moritz

published: 09/26/2010

Drew Carey is just a shadow of the man he used to be, and that’s the way he likes it. The former star of The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the current host of The Price Is Right has given himself until Oct. 31 to achieve the ambitious goal he set last November. He is aiming to reach 170 pounds—92 less than the desperately unhealthy 262 pounds he used to weigh. Not only has he succeeded in changing his body, he has changed his life.

Sitting down for breakfast at a West Hollywood diner recently, Carey, 52, ordered his new “ usual”: scrambled egg whites with a side of fruit. In the old days, he’d start his mornings with pancakes and an egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich, washing it down with four cups of coffee sweetened with eight-plus packets of sugar. Now he quenches his thirst with bottomless glasses of water. And he’s loving it—really. “The hardest diet I was ever on was the one when I was fat,” Carey declares. “You can only wear fat clothes, you don’t feel good, your sex life gets damaged, you don’t have energy for anything. It’s horrible.”

Photo Timeline: Drew Carey's Battle of the Bulge

Through better nutrition, daily exercise, and good old-fashioned willpower, the famously funny fat guy from Cleveland with the 44-inch waist and XXXL shirts has given way to a good-looking, fit, and happy 185-pound guy in a short-sleeve shirt (size M) and 34-inch pants. The incredible shrinking Carey rhapsodizes about the divine experience that is healthy living, especially his enhanced clarity of thought and renewed vigor. “This is how you’re supposed to feel every day,” he says. “This is what I should have felt like my whole life!”

But the comedian is the first one to point out that he’s lucky to have made it to this moment. “I always thought I was going to die before I was 60,” he says matter-of-factly. “My father died of a heart attack in his 40s. I’m not an idiot. The writing was on the wall.”

A former Marine reservist who once aced the Corps’ physical-fitness exam, Carey has been battling the bulge ever since he left the military in his 20s and hit the road to do stand-up. As he describes it, his “slow creep” upward commenced with a “That’s okay” uptick from size 32 to 34; led to an “Uh-oh, I better start doing something” alarm bell at size 36; and, finally, entered the rationalizing “I’ll just go out and buy bigger clothes” phase when he reached sizes 38 and 40. “If the weight gain had occurred overnight, you’d think, What happened to me?” he says with a sigh. But because it was gradual,  “you just get used to being sick.”

Exclusive Photos: Drew Carey Flaunts His New Frame

Nine years ago, however, Carey got a reality check when he experienced chest pains that were diagnosed as heart disease. He underwent an angioplasty and had a stent inserted in one of his arteries. At the time, it motivated Carey to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and he exercised and lost weight. But when his mother became terminally ill in 2002, his new routine fell by the wayside. Shuttling back and forth between his home in Los Angeles and her hospice in Cleveland, he grew depressed, stopped working out, and haunted diners. “I was miserable,” he recalls. “I remember being in Vegas and ordering a burger. When it didn’t kill me, I started eating one every day and went back to my old habits.”

Fast-forward 2555 hamburgers to November 2009. At 262 pounds—his heaviest ever—Carey was poised to bust the seams on his 44-inch pants, a symbolic barrier for him since it was the largest size carried by the Gap. He had also developed a litany of weight-related health conditions, including type-2 diabetes. But it was Connor, fiancée Nicole Jaracz’s 5-year-old son, who gave him the incentive to get serious. “I couldn’t keep up with him,” Carey admits. The comedian would be left breathless and sweating after just a few minutes of playing. “I’d be like, ‘Connor, I can’t,’ and he’d say, ‘C’mon, Dad!’ That was a terrible feeling. I thought, I’m never going to see him graduate high school.”

Carey sent a plaintive e-mail to Marc Vahanian, the trainer he’d worked with after his 2001 surgery. It said: “Are you still in the lifesaving business? Because I need to have my life saved.” Vahanian started Carey on a fitness routine and in February referred him to Dr. Chris Renna, who has 30 years of experience in preventive medicine. Renna devised a customized nutritional and behavioral program. “Drew was at a crossroads, and the distance between where he was and serious medical problems was really very short,” the physician says. “His behavior had brought him to the precipice.”

Video: Go Behind the Scenes of Drew's PARADE Photo Shoot

For the first two weeks—a detox period—Carey’s diet was restricted to lean protein, lots of vegetables, limited fruit, few starches, vitamins and nutritional supplements, and at least 64 ounces of water a day. The austere menu left him “wanting to chew my arm off,” he says, yet he stuck with it. By week three, Renna had analyzed Carey’s blood-test results to prepare charts of “ core,” “neutral,” and “avoid” foods. The “core” list alone has a huge variety of choices—over 230 items including mahi-mahi, lamb, goat cheese, and rice.
At the same time, Carey began a six-days-a-week workout program. Starting with 30 minutes of light exercise (keeping his heart rate below 126 beats per minute), he progressed over the next six months to 45 to 60 minutes of daily aerobic activity on a treadmill or an elliptical machine, his current regimen. After a few rough weeks, Carey got inspired, both by his rapid decrease in weight and by the increase in compliments.

In March, he broke the 250-pound barrier.   To celebrate reaching this first milestone, he went to Neiman Marcus and asked a personal shopper to pick out clothes, a ritual he repeated when his waist shrank to 42 inches and then to 40. He especially relishes the memory of the day he passed the 38-inch mark. “That was a big deal, because it’s the cutoff size at many stores.”

Soon Carey was looking forward to his morning workouts, something he attributes to his renewed energy and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the future. “When I was working out, instead of being like, ‘I’m so tired,’ I thought, I’m going to do a 10K run, and this is how I’m going to feel at mile three and mile four,” he recalls. “I could see myself in the clothes; I could feel the breeze. That way, I wasn’t just on a treadmill going nowhere. I had a goal in mind.”

Before & After: 9 Celebrity Weight-Loss Wonders

Carey’s weight kept dropping at the rate of about three pounds a week. After 10 weeks, his doctor told him that his diabetes symptoms had reversed and that he no longer needed to take medication. In June, Carey went on vacation to Africa and carried Connor on his shoulders without breaking a sweat. Finally, on Aug. 15, he tweeted from the finish line of a race: “Just ran my first 10K in almost 25 years. Sub-60. Then I had my first ice cream since January. :)”

But then Carey followed the cone with an entire pepperoni pizza and a cupcake. The next day, he ate another pizza, leaving him a few pounds heavier and feeling sick. He learned a valuable lesson from his relapse which he posted above his bathroom mirror: “Eating crappy food is not a reward—it’s a punishment.”

According to Carey, being healthy doesn’t mean banishing the occasional cupcake or slice of pizza from one’s life. “It’s no problem if you’re eating well all the time. But an entire pizza? I might as well think that hitting myself in the face is a reward,” he says, adding that for his next celebration he’ll treat himself to a massage or a quiet day with a book.

Photo Timeline: Drew Carey's Battle of the Bulge

Carey attributes his remarkable success to two factors: his decision to commit 100% (“ Working out and eating right isn’t an extra thing I do. I told myself, ‘I’m going to make this part of my job’”); and having the support of Nicole and Connor, as well as an experienced team to help him. While he acknowledges that he is wealthy enough to hire an array of specialists, he believes that anyone can find an affordable nutritionist and gym and join a local or online group like Weight Watchers. “You just have to be willing to reach out,” he declares.

As for his next goals, Carey is thinking about running more races, maybe even a marathon someday, and is toying with the idea of re-taking the Marine Corps fitness exam.

But ultimately, Carey’s most profound triumph can’t be seen in a number on a scale or a belt size. Rather, it’s the gift of a long and healthy future. The message was poignantly brought home in July after his 64-year-old brother, Neal, died of a heart attack.

“I felt like I could have been attending my own funeral,” Carey recalls somberly. At the burial, he turned to his brother Roger, 58—another slim-down success story who went from 240 pounds to under 200—and said, “Man, let’s make sure we don’t gain our weight back. We don’t want to end up like Neal.”

Carey is determined to keep his end of the bargain. “Connor doesn’t make fun of Dad’s belly anymore,” he proudly reports. “I look in the mirror and I feel like I’m in my 20s again.” He savors a final bite of cantaloupe and adds, “I feel like I have my whole life back. I could live to be 100 now.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________

A Tale of Two Diets
When Drew Carey decided he wanted to drop to 170 pounds in November, he faced a daunting task: He weighed 262 pounds and had a 44-inch waist. To reach his goal, he needed to exercise and completely overhaul his fat- and sugar-fueled diet. Here, from breakfasts to beverages, is his before-and-after.
 

The Old Drew

The New Drew

Breakfast An egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin with pancakes; or steak and eggs with toast, hash browns, and pancakes Lunch A turkey club sandwich or tuna melt with French fries; or an entire pepperoni pizza Dinner Spicy chicken fettuccine with a cream-based sauce and bread Snacks A bag of Doritos with ranch dressing Beverages Gallons of Pepsi and multiple cups of coffee with two sugars each

Breakfast Scrambled egg whites with a side of fruit Lunch A turkey burger (without cheese), steamed broccoli, and a green salad with balsamic vinegar Dinner Grilled chicken breast, a steamed green vegetable, and a green salad with balsamic vinegar Snacks An apple, a handful of grapes, or a sugar-free popsicle Beverages At least 64 ounces of water a day

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Drew Carey’s Fitness Formula
So how did he do it? Hard work. Drew Carey’s new workout regimen consists of a cardio and strength-training mix, resulting in six days of exercise nearly every week. Here’s an inside look at Carey’s routine from the last week of August.

Monday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: 45 mins

Tuesday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: Three 15-minute intervals

Wednesday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical, plus weights
Time: 30 mins, plus time with weights

Thursday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical
Time: 45 – 60 mins

Friday
Type: Bike, treadmill, swimming, water jogging or elliptical, plus weights
Time: 30 mins, plus time with weights

Saturday
Type: Long, slow distance jogging/running
Distance: 7 km

Sunday
A well-deserved day off!

Source

Interesting

Some interesting photos I've seen lately.

Poster

Going Through The Motions in My Own Little World

I sometimes think that I am self absorbed, "population me". I talk to a friend and only half listen, interjecting what's going on in my life (because that's way more important) and not really paying attention to what's going on in theirs. I pride myself on being a good listener (unless I'm so absorbed into something and not paying attention), so this is difficult for me to admit.

I heard this song, "My Own Little World" by Matthew West, and thought, that's how I feel sometimes. The world revolves around me, and all I have to do is look up and help the person standing next to me and it won't just be about me..."my own little world is not about me."

This song ties in a bit to my previous post "Damaged goods - what will you become?" Listen to the chorus of the song, "What if there's a bigger picture? What if I'm missing out? What if there's a greater purpose that I could be livin' right now? Outside my own little world."

Matthew West "My Own Little World"

Matthew West is a great artist, I highly recommend his music. Another song that often convicts me, which ties into being self-absorbed, is The Motions. The song talks about just living your life and the routine of things, not feeling anything (emotionless), "'Cuz just okay's not enough, help me fight through the nothingness of this life." Listen to the chorus: "I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day without your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking what if I given everything, instead of going through the motions."

"The Motions"

I apologize, I had problems embedding the videoes.

Damaged Goods - what will you become?

I'm borrowing part of my title from this devotion from Proverbs 31 ministry. It's over a week old, but I just read this last night and it really stuck with me. The message in this devotion is really good and a small bit of it can relate to my nephew's blog post about Support Your Troops. Quoting from the Proverbs 31 devo, "Look around you. Is there someone in your life, your family or your church that you consider "damaged goods"? Don't miss an opportunity to reach out to them, to love them. You just might find a friendship that is good...and sweet."

Anyway, what stuck with me, from this devo, was the part about not living the life I dreamed of as a kid. This message was also repeated at our church last night, when a missionary from Gabon Africa spoke about her calling and when she knew that she had to go into the mission field. I'll get into more detail momentarily.

I don't normally talk about my faith, I kind of keep it to myself - afraid you'll judge me, call me a Bible thumper or something like that - but I'm going to step out in faith and hope that you'll still keep reading, despite if I get preachy. I don't mean to be, and if you know me, you know it's not like me to be preachy.

Back on topic... The message at church was that this girl felt God was calling her in high school, to go into missions. When it was time for college, she knew she had to do something to make a difference. I'm not exactly what kind of doctor she is, but she's at the Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa (as I mentioned earlier), serving God as He called her to do when she was younger.

I often think about what I was called to do. I grew up in a Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and they have an all girls group that was called Calvinettes. I believe I was in 6th grade when they decided to pair us up with an adult to be kind of our mentor, friend, whatever it was called. My mentor was a woman at our church who did the Sign Language for one deaf lady, which I thought was really cool.

I used to help out in nursery and I always felt bad because I could not communicate with the deaf mother when she came to pick up her daughter. She was hard to understand and I felt I had to talk slow and loud (cause that helps, right?), so she could understand me.

Anyway, by the time I went to college, I knew I wanted to work with the disabled, afterall, I had worked 7 years at a residential facility for the handicapped and loved my work. Special Ed was my declared major going into school. Part of the reason I chose the school I went to was because their education program put me in the classroom one day a week as a teacher aid...I hated it! I was in a regular classroom of 30 kindergartners...I just wanted to play with them and could not teach them how to write the letter B - I mean it's really not that hard, is it? Well, obviously, I realized that I did not have the patience for teaching. I changed my major to computer programming - figuring there's good money there...you really need some serious math skills there - something I lacked. I went one semester undeclared, then transferred schools to go into Speech Pathology. I didn't do very well in Phoenetics, and really the only reason I went into Speech Pathology was because I could take Sign Language 1 & 2, that was the right reason, wasn't it? Needless to say, I changed my major again, to English, which is what I ultimately got my degree in.

After graduating from college, I moved half way across the country to IL, from NJ, in case you didn't already know that.

After getting a job as an editorial assistant/production editor, I realized I wanted to do more than just rewrite press releases, so I changed jobs, where I would have the opportunity to write more articles. I was there for 1.5 years when I began to reconsider my career choice, sign language always coming to the forefront of my mind. September 2000, I was registered for classes at Harper College for Sign Language. I took 3 semesters of classes - although in October 2000, my now husband, proposed. I took 2 classes in the Spring semester, then the wedding in July and I never went back.

A year ago I was unemployed and considering going back to school for Special Ed again. But, again, Sign Language kept coming up. My sister asked me, what will make you happy? I remember when I was taking Sign Language classes, I was happy. I still catch myself signing sometimes. I know I still remember a bunch of stuff. Weird thing is, I'll be in my car, listening to the radio and I'll just start trying to sign the song on the radio, same thing happens at church (although I don't do full hand motions, but you can see my hands moving ever so slightly - I mean, I don't want to draw attention to myself). :)

Early last week on the KLove morning show, Lisa (one of the DJs) was talking about how in her daughter's dance class there is a deaf mom, if she hadn't taken some sign language classes, she would not be able to talk to this other mother. How learning sign language opened this door for her and how she doesn't have to alienate this mother because she can communicate with her.

So, to tie it all together, the devo, the sermon and the message on the radio continue to convict me that I am not doing what I was called to do. What were you called to do? Or, the more secular question, which applies no matter how old you are: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Some verses from last night's sermon:
I Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Matthew 4:16: the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Matthew 4:23: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 4:23 is what the mission of the Bongolo Hospital is - to follow and do as Jesus did in this verse.

Get Running

So, I weighed myself this a.m. and I was 188.2. I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself every day 'cause your weight fluctuates so much. So, I need to figure out what day of the week I'm going to weigh in. Maybe Friday, before the weekend weight gain and after I've had a chance to work it off? :)

I picked up this app, Get Running, for my iPod - it was only $0.99 - I haven't gotten any app for more than that on my iPod...what can I say, I'm cheap. Looks like a good app, reviews are good. I'll keep you posted.

Now I need to get running shoes and to figure out what days I want to run. I figured until I get that all figured out, I'll at least start walking, like they suggest at Get Running's website. Walk briskly for 30 minutes - I can do that! Taz will love it too.

One of these next posts will be a list of my goals. Like I pointed out in yesterday's post, my nephew has a blog and he has a post about goals, which got me thinking about what my goals are. So, they're not all exercise related, but you're going to hear them all anyway. Until next time.

Update - 3.5 months too late?

So, it's been about 3.5 months since my last post. Sorry.

I've been hearing a lot about this C25K (Couch to 5K) and my nephew now has a blog about running (you really should check it out). A few friends, earlier this year, trained and ran a 5K. I'm really starting to consider running. My golden retriever would love it. The app, C25K, is only $2.99 in the iTunes Store - it allows you to listen to your own music and gives audio prompts when it's time to change...perfect! You can't go wrong with something like that. First, according to my nephew, is to get a good pair of running shoes - they can be over $100, but shoes are important.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

My weight, yesterday, was 187.4. I certainly need to do something. I need to take a picture of myself in tight clothes - you know how people who want to lose weight always take pictures of themselves in baggy clothes to hide, well, I just hate that. I'm going to take a pic of myself in tight clothes and watch my progress as those clothes get too big.

Lacking Motivation

I've been lacking the motivation to exercise. I just can't get up at 5:30 a.m. When my alarm goes off, I know what I need to do, hit the snooze and roll back over and go back to sleep - continuing to hit the snooze for an hour until I have to get up and get ready for work.

I've had a Sailor and coke every night so far this week...and I have no idea why. Just because I've been wanting one.

I'm continuing to track what I'm eating - not in Lose it! - but i'm writing it down with the calorie count. So even if I don't do the math - and most days I do - I am keeping count.

Helfpul Tips I've Read

So, I have a ton of diet books, flyers, pamphlets, etc. and I took some time to start re-reading this stuff a couple of weekends ago. I'm going to share the things that I thought were useful in what I've read, and I'll site sources to, so if you want to check them out, you can.

I'll start with the book that came with EA Active More Workouts. It's by Bob Greene and is an excerpt from the book "The Best Life Diet"

TIPS
1. Change areas of your life that are troubled or in which you are unfulfilled so you stop turning to food for comfort.

2. Steps toward change:
a. Decide what you really want for your life.
b. Make an honest assessment of yourself and what you’re willing to change about yourself and your behavior.
c. Determine what you need to do to accomplish those changes.
d. Muster up the discipline needed to make it all happen.
e. Avoid getting discouraged along the way.
f. Find fulfillment out of each small step you take toward your best life.

3. Be honest with yourself and those around you. Take responsibility for your actions and your life. Think of the commitments you make to yourself as sacred, and honor them in the way that you honor your commitment to other people. Identify what it is you really want from your life, realize you deserve it and think positively about your ability to get it. Make your plan, have the inner strength to stick to it, and claim the life you deserve!
___________________________________________

That's what the book says, and here is what I have to say about each one as it relates to me personally.

1. Well, I am unfulfilled in many areas of my life right now. I would like to go back to school for sign language or some other field, healthcare activity director (something I saw a certificate in) seems like a field I would enjoy. I'm tired of sitting behind a desk and not making a difference.

2. a) There's a lot I want in my life: a change in career and a few other changes, which I probably shouldn't mention here.

2. b) I'm willing to change, it's just so hard. Many times I lack the motivation because I feel like the only one in my household that has any motivation...PERIOD!

2. c) I need to get up and get active. I need to not allow others to bring me down with them (as in lack of motivation). I need to focus on myself and be a little selfish, put myself first more often than I do.

I may come back and update/edit some of what I say here to clarify things or to add.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 19

I haven't worked out since Sunday. This morning my alarm went off at 5:15, I thought about getting up, but decided I wanted to sleep some more, so I hit the snooze button and didn't get out of bed until almost 7 a.m. - which is late!

I've been eating breakfast on the go, grabbing a granola bar and eating it between 9-10 a.m. Two weeks ago I had hard boiled eggs at the ready, which filled me up until 11 a.m. when I'd eat my snack to hold me over until lunch (which is at 1 p.m.).

I've been really struggling to fall asleep at night and I can't figure out why. Work is not stressful at all right now, but I toss and turn trying to fall asleep, I can't figure it out. Last night I took a Tylenol PM before going to bed - which could also explain why I didn't get up. :) I don't want that to become a habit to help me fall asleep. I go to bed because I'm tired, but my head hits the pillow and **boom** mind starts wandering, thinking about work. Oh well.

I've got some good stuff that I just posted in the Lose to Win Zone on VGEvo.com that I will be posting here with my answers/responses/thoughts, so stayed tuned! :)

P.S. I'm back on track with counting calories - YAY!

Tips from Weight Watchers

What you believe about your ability to lose weight is linked to what you do.

10 Tools that Weight Watchers talks about
1. Winning Outcomes – helps you identify exactly what you want to accomplish. A winning outcome is a goal that is positive, specific, something you can do on your own, and something that fits your life. Develop your winning outcome when you start your weight-loss journey. Review it from time to time to see if your goal has changed. Be sure to write it down – it will boost your chances of achieving it.

2. Empowering Beliefs – beliefs strongly influence what we do because they tend to live in our hearts as well as our heads. You’re more likely to succeed if you believe that: your weight goals are desirable and worth it; you’re capable of achieving your goals; you deserve to achieve your goals.

3. Anchoring – get in touch with your resources any time you need them.

4. Storyboarding – what should I do first, second, third, etc. to get closer to my weight goal? Shows the steps needed to achieve your Winning Outcome.

5. Mental Rehearsing – helps public speakers, actors and athletes prepare for a successful performance. It can help you achieve outstanding weight-loss results. Identify a weight-related situation you want to change; create an imaginary movie about that situation, reinforce what you want to do in the situation by role-playing; repeat as often as you need to so you can follow through successfully.

6. Motivating Strategy – gain the inspiration to keep moving toward your Winning Outcome. Imagine yourself at the end your weight-loss journey – how do you feel? Experience the good feelings that come from having reached your goal.

7. Reframing – every behavior gives you something you want. That’s true even for behaviors like overeating. This is a strategy to help you find better ways to get what these negative behaviors give you. Identify the behavior and what it does for you; ask yourself what else you can do and write down your ideas; choose at least three things you’d like to do instead of that behavior; next time that behavior is about to happen, try one of your alternative behaviors instead, if that doesn’t work, try another one on your list until you can find one to replace the behavior you want to break.

8. Positive Self-Talking – make a list of your accomplishments; look in the mirror and congratulate yourself aloud for all you accomplished today; replace negative thoughts/messages with positive ones.

9. Asserting – you improve your chances of succeeding at weight-loss if you know how to ask for what you need, while keeping in mind the other person’s needs and rights.

10. Switching – a habit is something you do without even realizing you’re doing it. It’s as if you’re on autopilot. Do you have a habit you’d like to change? Try switching! Identify the habit you want to change and switch it from another, better one.

Being able to remain active over the long term helps maintain weight-loss.

How do you do that?
1. Pick an activity you’ll enjoy. Enjoyment will lead to consistency and consistency will lead to results.
2. Look at your schedule. Will you be able to do this activity regularly? Think about months, not just this week.
3. Consider the costs. Gym fees can be expensive compared to walking around your local high school track or a mall for free. Then again, spending money for a gym membership may motivate you to go.
4. Evaluate your social style. Individuals who are less social may prefer the treadmill at home; individuals who are more social may prefer the gym. Walking, biking, and aerobics can suit both types.

Warm Up and Cool Down Exercises

So I thought I'd share the warm up and cool down exercises with you, so here are diagrams of what they are.

Warmup Exercises:
Hip Circles


Shoulder Rotations


Windmill


Cool Down Exercises:
Leg Over


Figure 4


Leg Up


Chest Opener

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 16

Burned 120.3 calories today. I skipped the push ups, so i could have burned many more calories, but I can't handle push ups.

One thing about this game over the first rendition is that there is a lot of jumping. I couldn't handle the jump squats in the previous game, now this one has skipping (a.k.a. jumping rope), ankle hops and more (those are the only two I can think of right now).

Good workout, i didn't sweat nearly as much as usual, but that's okay. I will not be around next weekend, so I have to get in an extra workout this week and next to make up for those two workouts.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 15

152.8 calories burned today. I started tracking calories again today, getting ready for the next VGEvo Lose to Win contest which starts tomorrow.

Weighing in at 184 today. woohoo!

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 15

152.8 calories burned today. I started tracking calories again today, getting ready for the next VGEvo Lose to Win contest which starts tomorrow.

Weighing in at 184 today. woohoo! Down 1.6 lbs. since I started

EA Active More Workouts - day 13

134.8 calories burned today.

I haven't been tracking my food, which I really need to do. I know when I do, I lose weight, so it's beneficial. Koli learned that on Biggest Loser this week.

One funny thing in the game is when you're doing reverse lunges with high knees. The trainer will say "high knee....high knee up." it's just funny!

EA Active More Workouts - day 12

Burned 130 calories today. I accidentally hit the restart workout button when I was getting up after stretching, needless today, i'm sure today's workout didn't count, so I'm now two days behind on 4 workouts per week, but I'll make it up.

I've really been struggling to get up in the a.m. and I've been tossing and turning all night. Don't know what's going on there, but I know exercise will help on both counts. Need the motivation to get up.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 9

Burned 139.3 calories.

Had my first soda yesterday since Lent started - it was Sprite, since I had dark sodas during Lent, only to help settle my stomach, and they didn't taste very good. So, I chose Sprite as my soda of choice. I'm not going to continue on the trend of drinking it, so once this bottle is gone, I'm not planning on buying it for myself again.

Tracking calories today, will post calorie intake for today, tomorrow.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 8

Burned 173 calories today.

it was an intense workout today. Going from the obstacle course - a lot of leg work (jumping, lunges, squats) - to skipping (a.k.a. virtually jumping rope) is really hard on the legs. Reverse crunches (lifting your legs towards your torso using your abdominal muscles) again today, I felt the workout...I'm sure I'll feel it in my abs tomorrow too.

Going to get back on track with tracking calories using Lose It for my iPod Touch. Now I'm going to vacuum and mop to burn even more calories.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 7

Weighed in at 185.4 this morning, that's down 0.2 since I started, but I also got my period today, so I'm not surprised at the minimal weight loss.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 6

Burned 113.8 calories today. I've burned a total of more than 500 calories since I started...that's one of the standard goals they give you when you start the 6-week challenge - I always forget to change them.

The workout was really good, very intense. My legs were killing me by the end of the workout. No pain, no gain, right? :D

EA Active More Workouts - day 5

I went over my calories yesterday (1700) and today (still need to figure that out). I didn't exercise - I was planning on taking the dog for a walk, but when I got home from grocery shopping last night, it began to pour. I wanted to get up early this morning and take the dog, but didn't - was too tired. Tomorrow's back on with EA Active More Workouts, so I need to be up on time - otherwise, I guess I can do it tomorrow night, but I would really rather do it in the morning.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 3

Calories Burned: 160.8
Calorie Intake:

Didn't really keep track of my calories yesterday or today. Plan to keep track tomorrow. 1200-1400 calories is my goal.

This EA Active seems to take longer to load than the previous game.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that my abs were feeling yesterday's workout today...The leg lifts really killed me today.

EA Active 6-week challenge: Day 2

Today I took the dog for a walk...it was raining, so we didn't do the full 3/4 mile. I burned about 91 calories on the walk (www.caloriesperhour.com and www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc).

I burned 113.9 calories on EA Active. One activity today was water skiing - kind of like roller blading in the original game. However, you squat to move the character on the screen, I was squating, but I didn't get any of the flags/goals of the left, can't figure that out, I even tried leaning in that direction and it still didn't work. Well, it's only day 2, I'm sure I'll master this by week 6.

I'm going to track my calorie intake, and report that daily. So tomorrow I'll report my intake for today - but we're celebrating Easter tonight with Terry's family, so I may go over with all the yummy desserts I made. :)

Back in the Saddle

Spring has sprung and so has me getting back into exercising. Wednesday night I started walking - 3/4 mile with the dog. Did that on Thursday and Friday...plan on doing it Saturday and Sunday.

I picked up EA Active More Workouts and played that today. Pretty good workout. I'm glad to finally see an exercise game incorporate warm up and cool down stretches - even if it is only 1 minute...it's about time people! So, i started with the 6 week challenge on medium intensity, set up my 4 workouts per week and now I just need to get myself up on Tuesday and Wednesday to do it (Saturday and Sunday are my other two days, so that shouldn't be a problem).

Starting weight as of this a.m. was 185.6

Exercise/Diet Update

It's been three months since I've posted anything. I loaned EA Active to my sister, so I haven't been able to do that. Since I've started working again, getting up at 5:30 is just not appealing. I have gotten back on track with counting calories, however I do struggle with that on the weekends. I also struggle with not drinking enough water on the weekends.

I hope to get back into keeping up this blog. As I do believe it helped me stay on track with my exercise.

The weather has been getting nicer, so that means getting outside and taking the dogs for a walk. Spring is so close!