Just want to post really quickly that I weighed in today for the end of week 1. And I am down 9.0 pounds!!  Ahhhhhh, the pay off is extraordinary! =D

I really haven't felt "deprived" on 1,200 calories very much so I am really feeling confident in my ability to keep this up. I already have a game plan for when I plateau (which I will, so it's better to be prepared!)- to eliminate carbs after 2:00pm.

If I can keep up my rate of loss, I should be at my first goal (199) in about a week. So, I will keep y'all posted!

I felt "off" today. Not sure if I am PMS'ing, or just had the Monday blahs. Maybe BOTH? I went to the gym today, which I tend to give myself permission to skip Mondays usually... so, that's a positive. But, after all the running around this morning, I got home, made lunch, sat in a chair and watched a couple of hours of TV and took a 45 minute nap. I haven't felt so drained in the afternoons since starting my changed eating habits, so it was somewhat disheartening. I used to get that way (afternoon slump) when I would load up on carbs for breakfast and lunch, and I haven't done that for 5 days.  Then I woke up with a slight headache, and had to take the kiddos to a class, so I drank some water and took some excedrin migraine. Feel lots better now, but still have a general feeling of "not great." I ended up eating about 200 more calories than my goal today, but I just felt deprived almost all day long. The one redeeming factor was I found a really great, sweet snack- a sugar-free dark chocolate pudding cup, a couple scoops of fat free cool whip and a cup of strawberries. Heavennnnn! =D And only about 150 calories! Those are definitely saved as some of my "favorite foods" now. LOL

Not sweating the 200 cals... it's still only 1400 for the day, which is TONS better than my old self! Hope everyone else had a more motivating Monday!

Had a great day today... significantly under my daily allowed calories (helps to make up for the slight overage at the luau last night!), and heard a great analogy at church today. One of our Pastors wives was talking about how her husband had to come spot her when she was trying to lift a barbell of too much weight, and how it just made her think about how Jesus is our spotter every day. He encourages us, lifts our heavy burden, gives us strength we don't have on our own... I absolutely related to that with regard to this weight loss journey I'm on. Outside of the obvious exercise aspect, just relying on my faith gives me the motivation, determination, and positive energy to keep pushing through. I weighed in this morning (informally because my scale doesn't match the gym's scale), and I was down 6+ pounds after the first 4 days. Including the luau last night! LOL However, I'm not getting all super excited about it, because it's a different scale, but also because I KNOW the weight will come off quickly for the first 2 weeks or so. So, I am treating it as an "expected" thing. I kinda want to keep that attitude all the way through. I know the last time I lost 29 lbs, I would get celebratory for milestones, and reward with a food-related treat. I'm not going to let myself do that until the END of the 40 lbs this time! Don't want to run the risk of getting sidetracked! Plus, that will be my birthday, so some birthday celebration will be in store. =)

Encouraging all of you to look to a power higher than yourselves when the willpower isn't there, and the stress is unbearable, or when you do slip up. The guilt won't get you anywhere, but refocusing WILL. My favorite scripture for the past few years has been (quite fittingly) Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

As Gold's Gym says, "Do you know YOUR strength?"  =)

So, I was always so aggravated with the various machines I used for their apparent inability to correctly calculate my calories burned. Treadmills are the WORST!!

So, I found this post online where you can plug in your age, weight, male/female, average heart rate for your workout, and then the duration, and voila! You get a much more accurate version of calories burned.

 

You will need a way to track your average heart rate (I use a wristwatch style heart rate monitor, and the ellipticals and treadmills at least do a good job of tracking that for you), but this makes it SO much easier! And this calculation shows how hard you REALLY worked when you get off the treadmill, beet-red face, drenched in sweatand the treadmill says you burned 213 calories. HAHAHA!!!

I am at the end of Day 2... 88 more to go! My goal to lose 40 pounds during this time seems very attainable right now. I had a little bit of a junk food withdrawal yesterday afternoon, but I chugged some water, forced myself to have a healthy snack, and started inputting food and calories on this website, so I got my mind in the "right" place. I know my willpower will fluctuate- it always does- but I am hoping that having my family totally on board this time, will be the wind in my sails.

In fact, I took all 4 kiddos with me today to do the grocery shopping... and I realized it wasn't typically "me" that had the temptation to buy the non-healthy foods. It was most often the kids, with me caving. I stood my ground today, and my 5 year-old wasn't real happy about it. BUT, we got some great fruits for him to snack on, and I did allow them to get a box of ice cream sandwiches (with my treat being the Skinny Cow Cookies & Cream Truffle bars) so he wasn't left behind. And I have a low-cal dessert to look forward to on the weekends. =)

I did my shopping a little differently this time, too. Usually, I take a list of meals I want to prepare, i.e spaghetti with green beans and garlic bread, or sloppy joes and tator tots. I always feel compelled to "build" a meal, fill in the gaps, make it like a dinner we would serve to guests coming over every night! This time, I focused on buying healthy "items"- i.e. huge bags of mixed veggies, a big bag of frozen chicken breasts, tubs of salad, lean steak cuts. I didn't have "meals" in mind. So, when I got home, I panicked a little, but then realized, it would be no problem to piece together items I picked up, add in a little rice for the kids, and presto... have a low-fat, low-calorie meal. And my older 2 even tried the sauteed peppers and onions, since there wasn't another "option." I know, for me, portion control is the biggie... we don't eat fried foods often, we eat a lot of salads, and veggies, but the main course I usualy make is "rich." High in calories, and then I eat a large portion (or two, if it's really good, or I'm really feeding that addiction!). The last couple of days, I have been measuring portions fanatically- I had exactly 1/2 cup of white rice for dinner, 3/4 cup of sauteed peppers and onions, and 6 oz. of steak (I picked up a food scale). I was very full, and my whole meal was less than HALF the calories of something i would typically prepare! Maybe after a week or two, I can add back in some of my favorite dishes (spaghetti with ground turkey), but make adjustments to portion, and get a healthier noodle.

In the mean time, I will stick to religiously counting calories, so that I really ABSORB the truth about portions and calories this time. Wish me luck!!

Saw this on Web MD and thought it was too relevant not to share.....

 

The number of calories you need each day varies depending on your body size and activity levels. Someone who needs about 2,000 calories a day should eat no more than 65 grams of fat a day on average. To determine your ideal daily dietary fat intake:

1. Take the number of calories you eat each day and multiply it by 30 percent (.30). For example: 2,000 calories x .30 = 600 calories from fat.

2. Divide your answer by 9 because there are 9 calories in each gram of fat. This will give you the number of grams of fat per day that should be your upper limit goal. Here, it's: 600 / 9 = 65 grams.

A person who gets 2,000 calories per day ideally should not consume more than 65 grams of fat. Some researchers suggest that even 65 grams of fat in a 2,000 calorie diet is still too much fat.

I haven't been on EP in a while... looks like almost 2 years ago. In those 2 years, I gained back my 28 pound weight loss... tried nutri-system last summer, been a loyal gym rat, and have watched a couple of really inspirational TV shows, "Heavy," and "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition."

Yesterday, I decided to enlist the help and accountability of my family- my husband and 4 kids. DH really understands the concept of "food addiction" now, and is on board for helping me overcome this addiction. The kids will be a different story- when we told them we were cleansing the house of all unhealthy foods, they got immediately excited about getting to eat as much as they can before it gets thrown out. However, none of my 4 kids is overweight- they all have their dad's body style and metabolism. So, I really am on my own in this.

I've been going to the gym for over 2 years (on and off), and have been going steadily for the past 4 months. So, the fact that I haven't sustained any weight loss points directly to the fact that FOOD is my problem! I've known I'm a carb addict- South Beach worked good on short-term basis' because I would break my cycle for a while. But, being a food addict is much, MUCH harderto conquer than most other addictions... at least with drugs and alcohol, once you stop using, you just don't use them anymore. With food, you don't have that option... you HAVE to eat to survive, therefore it requires much more than "steering clear" of the addictive source.

Anyway, I started again today. I've done great today- I am trying to keep myself on a strict 1,000-1,200 calories per day, at least for the first month.  That alone will cause some weight loss, so the fact that I have already created the exercise habits will make that part easier. My triggers are eating out, bingeing when I am extremely hungry, feeling like I "deserve" a reward, and impulsivity control. None of that is new to me , though. So, I've set a 3- month goal, which will be the time of my birthday, and a big reward will be looking GREAT on that day! =)

This has been the "first goal" I have had for going on 7+ years now. So, that's a BIG DEAL! Dropping under the200 pound mark is freeing, when you realize how far it puts you away from your ideal weight. I am almost 8 weeks into my exercise regimen now, and really feel like it is becoming a part of my life. The first few weeks were a challenge- in many ways. The soreness, the change of eating habits and portions, the drill of getting to the gym on time. But, now it seems to be comfortable to me. I missed 4 consecutive days of working out about 2 weeks ago (due to sick kids, weekend, etc) and I felt anxious about getting back. I felt that old feeling of fatigue trying to settle back in, so I knew it was time to get back... FAST!

At any rate, I am loving buying a size smaller clothes, and knowing I should be doing it again in another 2 months! Ha!! And hubby is even okay with it! :)

So, on January 30, 2009 I finally did it- I JOINED A GYM. I decided that it was time to quit making excuses, and trying to will myself to lose weight by yo-yo dieting alone. I also hired a personal trainer through the gym. I also joined the 12-week challenge they had going on, with the grand prize being a free one-year membership for the winner. I am determined to win it!

Over the past 3+ weeks, i have lost 11.6 pounds and 3.0% body fat. I started out on a very strict 1200-1500 calorie/day diet, and watching fat, carbs intake too. I was using a food journal religiously. i have backed off of that a bit, as I am trying to see if I can manage my eating and calorie intake without having to write down every little thing. That is a bit time-consuming. And, of course, I have fallen off the diet wagon a time or two, but I don't beat myself up for it. I just get back on, and know that I am still working my butt of (literally!) and doing WAAAAAAAAAY better eating than I was even a month ago!

I have been sore most days now for the past 3 weeks. Funny thing, I thought I hated cardio and hated sweating. I actually don't mind either now. Huh..... ;-)

My favorite cardio is the elliptical. It's easier on my knees/joints than jogging and burns way more calories per hour. I do PT sessions 3 times per week and do cardio those days too, usually for 30 minutes, and then cardio on the other two days of the week and then usually some sort of class on Saturdays if I can make it. I have really enjoyed the Body Jam class by Gold's as it incorporates cardio with actual dance moves and routines, so you don't feel like you are just pounding away at a step class. The Body flow (yoga/pilates/tai chi) class was also wonderful as strength training and also relaxation. I have typically been so sore that I haven't done it much yet- I hope that changes during month two!

I talked my parents into joining with me, and my neighbor/good friend also joined. So, I have a built-in accountability two-way with them. The thing was that I always had the knowledge of what I needed to do to lose the weight, with regard to exercise, I just never had the self-discipline to start it up or stick with it. Being accountable to a personal trainer and actually PAYING them makes that a lot easier! So I am grateful for the opportunity to do it this way- I really feel like this is my time- this is when I will finally shed the weight and self-esteem burden, and when I will finally accomplish this previously unattainable goal.

I am still so motivated about it, almost a month in, so this alone is a good sign!!!