Food/Activity 6/29

Breakfast
Green smoothie: 1 cup spinach, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 2/3 cup orange juice
banana

Lunch
Salad: 2 cups romain lettuce, cucumber, tomato, 1 radish, red onion, carrots, 3 oz grilled london broil steak, 1 T raspberry vinegarette, 1 T bbq sauce

Dinner
1 cup fetticcini, 1 cup homemade spaghetti sauce (canned diced tomatoes italian style, italian sausage, zuccini, garlic)
Diet coke

4 homemade chocolate chip cookies (made with splenda!)

Activity
Biggest Loser DVD 35 minutes
Chasing my 2 year old in and out of the pool :)

I wasn't so hungry today. It could be the heat.  My cravings for crunchy/salty/sweet things isn't as strong today.  I wasn't tempted by the chicken mcnuggets and fries I got my kids for lunch.  And I didn't pig out on the cookie dough or cookies.  I feel like I'm more in control of my eating.  Yay!  Weigh-in is on Monday.  Here's hoping to see 287 on the scale!

Food/Activity 6/28

Breakfast
2 eggs, fried with non-stick spray
Toasted oats (cheerios) cereal, 1 cup
Nonfat milk, 1 cup
1 banana

Lunch
Crispy chicken strips, 3 oz
Raspberry vinegarette, 1 T
BBQ sauce, 1T
Iceburg lettuce, 2 cups
red bell pepper, 1/2 c
tomato, 1/2 cup
1/3 sliced cucumber
steamed broccoli, 1 cup
diet dr pepper

Dinner (out at a restaurant)
1 cup cooked Jasmine Rice
2 Cups moo goo gai pan with chicken (sugar snap peas, carrots, zuccini, broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, water chestnuts)
1 scoop mint chip ice cream with 2 T chocolate fudge sauce

Snacks
3 oz baby carrots
8 Nilla wafers
1 cup nonfat milk

Activity
30 minutes on elliptical--386 calories
5 minutes on bike--37 calories
15 minutes weights--squats, plank, bicepts, tricepts, chest, shoulders

Food/activity log 6/27

Breakfast
 Green smoothie: handful of spinach, oj, frozen mixed berries, 2 T Splenda

Lunch
1/2 c low fat cottage cheese with a sprinkle of ranch dressing powder
1/3 sliced cucumber, 8 baby carrots, 1/4 red bell pepper, 6 whole grain crackers
Steak salad: iceburg lettuce, red bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, red onion, steak, cilantro, 2T raspberry vinegarette

 Dinner
2 small wraps: small flour tortillas, turkey, low fat provelone, lettuce, tomato, pickle Carrots, watermelon, potato chips, diet coke

Snacks
1/2 apple
 2 90 calorie granola bars
 6 mini raviolis
Nonfat yogurt
PB and j sandwich
Milk, Potato chips
 Bowl of Cheerios with strawberries and nonfat milk
Diet dr pepper

 Activity
35 minutes elliptical 10 minutes weight lifting

Food/Activity Record 6/26/12

I know normally people write down portions and calorie count for all the food they eat...right now that task is very overwhelming.  So, I've decided to just list what I've eaten for the day, and how much I've exercised.

Breakfast
3/4 c cooked oatmeal oatmeal made with 1/2 c skim milk, 1/2 c applesauce, 1 T brown sugar, 1 diced strawberry (very yummy and filling)

Lunch
Turkey sandwich, 2 slices low fat provelone cheese, whole wheat bread, lettuce, small amount of mayo
handful of baby carrots and sugar snap peas

Dinner
5 slices london broil steak, basmati rice, broccoli, 1 pita, 2 T hummus, green salad with tomato and red peppers, ranch dressing, sprite zero

Snacks
1 bite of chocolate cake, doritos, diet coke, 90 calorie granola bar, apple slices

Activity
We walked around the zoo today for 2 hours, which includes a laaaaarge hill that left me breathless
30 minutes elliptical, 5 minutes rowing, 15 minutes weight lifting

I'm BIG and I Know It

Today is the first day of my weight loss journey.  Part of me is really excited and full of determination.  Part of me is scared of failure.  Another part of me is skeptical, since this isn't my first attempt at losing weight.  But something is different this time.  I am finally so tired of being tired, in pain, embarassed of my size, not fitting in regular seats, tugging at my clothes so they cover me appropriately, feeling insecure, feeling like I can't accomplish what I want because of my large size.

I also KNOW, without any doubt, that I am worth this work.  I am worthy of the time and dedication I know it will take.  I'm worth the hour at the gym, the 40 minute drive, the hour it takes to prep fresh fruit and veggies to snack on, the time in the kitchen making healthful meals rather than hitting the drive-thru.  I'm worth the extra money healthy food costs.  I'm worth it all! 

I would do anything for my children--put in hours and hours to help them with something.  Now it's time for me to spend hours and hours on me.  If I don't make these changes, then eventually, it won't matter how many hours I spend with my children, because I won't be healthy enough to truly enjoy them.

I'm going to post my stats, a good way to know my starting point.  I'm humiliated at how big I really am.  But the best news is that through hard work and a lot of determination, I will NEVER see these numbers again.  Today is the biggest I will be, ever again!  Hooray!

Weight: 290.6 pounds
Waist: 46 inches
Hips: 47 inches
Left arm: 15 inches
Right arm: 16 inches
Left thigh: 36 inches
Right thigh: 37 inches

*it SHOCKS and disgusts me that my thigh is the size of a man's waist.  Ewwww...

My Body Mass Index is 40.5. 
My ideal BMI is 20
My ideal weight for my height is between 133 and 179 pounds (quite a span).

Whew. Ok. I did it.  I know where I'm at now. 

What I want to achieve:

I want to weigh 150 pounds.  I want to have a BMI I 20.  I want to be able to run and jump and play with my kids.  I want to have the self-control to have a small treat and not over do it.  I want to control my portions.  I want to feel healthy and happy about my future. I want to fit into an airplane seat without squishing the person next to me or needing a seatbelt extender.  I want to fit into regular clothes (not plus sized).

Most weight loss programs suggest breaking down weight loss into more bite-size pieces.  Rather than saying, I need to lose 140 pounds by next summer, I should be saying, I am going to lose 5% of my body weight by July 26.  That's 14.5 pounds.

I just broke it all down...to lose 140 pounds in 12 months, I need to lose about 11.7 pounds a month, or 3 pounds a week.  When I look at it that way, my goal doesn't feel so unreachable.  I can totally do this!

I Am Worth This Work!

For most of my life, I've felt like other peoples' needs, wants, priorities, expectations, wishes, and dreams were more important than my own.  Without recognizing it, I've shoved myself in the corner, feeling guilty each time I've wanted to step out into the light.  No more!  I'm all grown up!  I'm ready to take care of me!  Of course I have many responsibilities I cannot neglect, but I'm bound and determined to stop neglecting myself.  I am finally ready to "trim the fat"--both literally and figuratively--from my life.  I'm finished with wasting my time on things that are much less important.  I'm ready to start working on me!

The main goal of this blog is to record my feelings about life, but more specifically my thoughts regarding a significant weight loss journey I'm about to undertake.  I also want to have a sense of accountability while on this journey.  By recording all I'm going through, my hope is to understand who I really am, what makes me truly happy, and how I can make the most out of each day through the lessons and hardships I know I will face. 

I plan to write each day, talking about the highs and lows, reflect on my life as it is right now and how I hope it to be someday.  I plan to record what I eat, my exercise routines, my hang-ups, my triumphs.  I will record my journey as I shed the pounds week by week. 

I'm excited about this!

Please stay tuned.  The starting line is tomorrow, June 26.