I'm Back!

This week I started sending my mom my food journal!! Yep! Its a great way to get re-motivated! Can't let my mom down, Right?! I have been "stuck" at the same weight since the middle of February and I'm hoping it will start going down a little faster now that I am writing down all my points again and faithfully going to the gym everyday.

My new favorite food is Flat Out Fold Its, they are like mini wrap buns! oh so good! Tonight I made a taco sandwich out of it!

I will try to update on the blog more often!

Yes, I am still here....

Yes, I have fallen off the wagon.... I have been so busy with work lately that watching what I have been eating has been literal - I watch myself eat EVERYTHING in site.  Ugh.  Exercise... what's that again?  I'm hoping to get in some walks now that it's getting nice outside.  Why can't losing weight be easier?

its been awhile!!

I know its been awhile and YES I'm still working out everyday and journaling my food! My contest ended a couple weeks ago and I ended up losing 13 pounds for the contest. My partner lost 10 and as a team we lost 4.95%. We ended up tying with several others for 4th place, which didn't get us any money. Oh well it was really motivating to know I needed to get in the gym and workout and it helped me get in routine of getting up at 445 AM.

This morning I biked 5 miles and went on the ellpitcal for 20 minutes. It was a good workout. Once it gets lighter outside i will try and "jog" to the gym, workout and then have a nice cool down walk home!

I tried the HG choc chip softies, they only have 1 point and they are quite large. You can tell they are healthy when eating them, but the choc chips help :)

Cadbury Eggs

Ok... I am not doing well at all and it is b/c I love cadbury eggs... the hard shelled ones. I was bad and bought a really big bag yesterday. I ate probably half the bag between yesterday and today. It's embarrassing to say, but I might as well admit it. I had to give the rest away so I would stop eating them. I exercised last night, but my eating has been out of control. I feel so stressed with the house and school. I am praying that the next 3 months fly by so I can be out of school for 3 months and not feel guilty for exercising when I should be studying. I know I'm not trying at all with this weight loss thing. You can tell b/c I have only lost about 1 or 2 lbs since we started several weeks ago. I feel stuck in this yucky body with not enough willpower to do anything about it. Ugh..

10 ways to get yourself to the gym today, tomorrow, next week and next month.

Got this email today... I like #9 the best :) 10 ways to get yourself to the gym today, tomorrow, next week and next month. A gym membership helps you get in shape only when you use it. Here are the 10 tips from fitness experts to get you off your butt and into the gym: 1. "Plan to go to the gym when your favorite TV show or game is on. This way you'll be able to watch it [from the treadmill] without your family interrupting you." --Marc Boudouris, CSCS, trainer Five Seasons Sports Club in Indianapolis, IN

2. "Find a gym that meets your needs and makes you feel welcome. If you join a place that intimidates you, chances are you won't go very often."

--Kristin Story, CSCS, trainer at S.T.E.P.S., Inc. in Nashville, TN

3. "Find a picture of someone in your family whom you don't want to end up looking like. On the days you don't feel like exercising, look at the picture until you change your mind."

--Lou Schuler, coauthor of The Men's Health Home Workout Bible

4. "Write down your reason for getting fit and keep it in your pocket or tape it to your dashboard in your car so you can't ignore it."

--Jeffery Katula, PhD, exercise physiologist at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

5. "Invest in a good set of workout clothes and shoes. Not only does it make working out safer and more comfortable, but it also instills a sense of pride and commitment. And you'll feel obligated to justify spending the money."

--Justin D. Miloszewski, CSCS, trainer at Breakthru Physical Therapy and Fitness in Medford, NJ

6. "Don't just plan on going to the gym at some point in the day. Make an actual appointment with yourself and schedule the start and stop time. If you fail to specify the time, and you don't get to the gym, it's easy to delude yourself into thinking that you simply postponed your workout. A specific start time will make you more likely to keep the appointment."

--Charles Staley, president of Staley Training in Gilbert, AZ

7. "You want to be in shape, and you've got to stay in shape so you can take part in activities with your kids as they grow up. So you can crawl, run and play ball with them." --Gunnar Peterson, CSCS, personal trainer based in Beverly Hills, CA.

8. "Don't psych yourself out by thinking each visit to the gym has to be a hardcore workout. If you're stressed at work, just jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes so that you feel energized when you leave the gym, not tired."

--Geoffrey Myers, CSCS, trainer at Redline Sports in Laguna Beach, CA

9. "When debating whether you want to go to the gym or not, ask yourself two questions: What happens if I stick to my plan? What happens if I don't?"

--Bill Hartman, CSCS, creator of Inside-Out: The Ultimate Upper Body Warm-upDVD and training manual

10. "Give your TV remote control to a friend who will return it to you only when you show up at the gym."

--Neil Fiore, PhD, author of Awaken Your Strongest Self

Info off of www.weightwatchers.com

Gained 1 pound back :(

Last week was just too successful I guess because I gained one pound back. I had a lot of factors not going for me last week. I will do better this week, promise :) This is the first week in 8 that I have gained so that is good news! Found a new snack that is only 2 points. New Wheat Thin Flatbread crackers and 3 Pepper Hummus spread. 2 crackers and 2 T of spread for 2 points! Cant go wrong there!

15 pounds lost!

This will be week 7 of our weight loss journey! I know my sisters have been stressed out lately... I want to encourage them to keep going and they WILL see results! As of saturday I lost 15 pounds since we started in January! Feeling great! Still continuing to get up at 4:45 AM and going to the gym, this has really helped my weight come off!

We took the boys to a hotel for the weekend and didn't eat very well saturday evening through Sunday... hard to when you get a free breakfast buffet and free pizza w/ sodas! My body felt very tired and weighed down on Sunday, so needless to say it feels good to be back into my routine again today. Had a great Monday morning workout!!

My clothes are getting loose and I'm feeling thinner in my upper half of my body... guess we will see what the next few weeks bring! :)

We are having Mashed What?!

So I was brave tonight and made Mashed Cauliflower instead of Potatoes... it def tasted like cauliflower but was bearable... We had Minute Steak w/ healthy request cream of Mushroom and Chicken... didn't have many points so far today so thought I could have a few more tonight! Drew knew something was up with the "potatoes" He said I put too much gravy on them and made a funny face, once I told him what they were he stopped eating them!! Then I made him try another bite and he acted like he was gonna gag! HA! So Im not sure I will be making them again for the family!

Stress

It looks like my sisters broke the rule of blogging every Sunday! I was just logging in b/c I thought for sure they had already done so on Feb 8th.... shame on you girls! Well, I'm sad to say that this week is not going well as far as following a regular food/exercise schedule. I had night class tonight from 6-8:30pm, so I really didn't have time to work out because when I got home I had to study for my two classes tomorrow. I have two tests (back to back) next Monday, so I really need to get my butt in gear and study hard for the next 5 days. I am finding that my biggest weakness beyond not have a lot of time to exercise is that I'm feeling so stressed that I go directly to the candy jar at work and pig out on miniture chocolate bars. I went to renew my license today so that it would have my new address on it and OMG..... when she said the weight that I had on my driver's license I just about dropped my jaw.... ummmm it was like 28lbs lighter than I actually am!!! But I didn't correct it (LOL).... because hopefully I will be at that weight by the end of the year. I've decided that I will not be taking 3 classes next semester, so once the first week of May is here I will be a HAPPY woman. I love going back to school, but man, it is a lot to handle when you have a full time job. I keep worrying about so many things and I know that doesn't help with my weightloss. I was just watching the biggest loser while working out a few days ago and Jillian was saying how this one girl was so stressed that she wasn't losing weight. I'm behind on the shows, so don't tell me who got kicked off this week!! I don't know how to calm myself down and not get so stressed about things that are not under my control If anyone has ideas let me know. Ok... it is way past my bedtime as I am trying to be up by 5:30am each morning.... which is probably another thing stopping me from losing weight because you're supposed to get a good night's rest too.... something I haven't had in quite some time. Ok... later tater.

Endurance is the price tag of achievement...

Had a tough week, had a meltdown and then God spoke to me thur my devotional email this morning. (See Below)

I lost 1 pound this week and I will take that instead of gaining. Its been a stressful week at work and this following week doesn't sound like it will be any better. BUT I will not let it ruin my weight loss goal, I WILL NOT let food temptations knock me down this week. It's not an easy road to follow but its the road I am choosing to stay on until the end.

Why don't we see more of God's promises fulfilled in our lives? Because we overlook the process. It is in the process of reaching the promise that we become discouraged and quit. Success in any venture lies in holding on, even when others let go. We demand instant gratification and if we don't get it we leave our jobs, our churches, and even our families. But there's a process we must go through, regardless of our level of faith. There are no shortcuts. We've got to pay full price; it never goes on sale. Endurance is the price tag of achievement: '… in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart' (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).

Hang in there - what God has in store for you is worth any price you have to pay.

Just not motivated this week...

For some reason this week is just not going so well.  Having sick kids doesn't help.  Not being in my regular schedule just makes it harder to stay on track.  Haven't been working out either since my DVD player is broken!  I know... excuses, excuses.  I just needed to have a little pity party.  I will get back on track when life starts getting back to normal again!

Been a While

Hello
I haven't written in a while b/c I haven't had a free moment to even breathe!
I haven't been doing nearly as well as my sisters. I just moved into a new house
and am slowly getting used to my schedule between work and school. It is hard to
Lose weight when you live with another person who isn't totally motivated to lose weight.
How do you do it ladies? I got on my eliptical before class tonight for the first time in
a long time. I could only go for 20 minutes b/c I had to be at class at 6pm. Ugh... I need
to get this weight off!

only lost 1 pound this week

I only lost 1 pound this week, although its better than a gain, I hoped for more. I went to the gym faithfully 5 early mornings and did the elliptical for 35-45 minutes each time.

This weekend we went out for Stacy's birthday and today we ended up going to Pizza Ranch... yes I know, not a good choice! Not gonna make any excuses except that we had a busy day!

Back on track tomorrow, am going to stay within my points and try and boast my workouts a bit. Hoping to lose at least 2 pounds this week but 4 would be nice :)

Almost the end of January & still hanging in there...

 the year is off to a good start.... I am down 6 lbs and have changed my eating & exercising habits and I am sticking with it.  I have been letting myself indulge a little on the weekends because I NEED pizza and to not have to cook once in a while!  I am keeping it in check though apparently since I'm still losing weight.
I discovered some hash brown patties that you can actually put in the toaster for 3pts.  They make for an easy breakfast - just cook up some egg beaters/veggies to go with it & it's very filling!

Week 4

Today will be the 4th week since we've have started our weight loss journey. For me its going pretty well, been losing a steady amount of weight each week. I am officially down 9 pounds since we started! YEA! If I keep it up I will definitely make my goal for October. This is the part where it gets tough and I just need to keep chugging along.... Last week I went to the gym 4 out of the 5 week days. This week it will be all 5 days and I might even go today! I have been focusing on ALL cardio (elliptical). My partner for my weight-loss challenge is a trainer and she said to just stick to cardio because it burns the most fat. I will add weights after I'm down at least 20 pounds. Its getting to the point when I don't workout I feel sluggish. I crave going to the gym! Its a great feeling!

If I try any new foods this week I will post a picture, otherwise I plan to update on Sundays.