UPDATE On What I'm having for lunch..

Ok, so I'm already getting thrown off..My bff has been home from out of town for the holidays.  She leaves tonight so we're going to do lunch.  We're going to a Brewery but I'm getting a Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad w/ no croutons, light parmasean cheese w/ my dressing on the SIDE.. and water w/ lemon.. I've already have my mind made up.  So everything else will remain the same except my lunch is changing. I'll figure out the calories on that later.   

Today is the Day!

Happy New Year Everybody!!!

I had a great time Monday night, we had a few friends come over.  I didn't drink too much, I was proud of myself.  I had about 3 cosmos.. NO WINE, I've learned my lesson from last time, mixing Wine and Vodka.  I had the biggest headache when I woke up the next day. 

Anyway, today is the day.. I'm actually excited about it.  I'm drinking my water, and planning my meals.  My daughter starts school tomorrow after being on a long break consisting of being off track and Christmas break.. I'm going to spend tonight getting her prepared and then I should be off to the gym around 9:00.  So tonight, I'll get in about 35 mins of cardio and tomorrow, I'm taking my cycling class.  I jotted down my measurements yesterday and posted them on here.. I'm going to have my BF re-take them to make sure they are correct.  Should I weigh myself?  I'll just go by my clothes for now.. Right now I'm in a fitted size 14/16... We'll see if in 12 wks if that changes any.  I know I'm about 219-220 so at the end of my 12 wks, I'm going to weigh myself then & re-rake my measurements to see where I'm at.  I do better not weighing myself often b/c I get obsessed and I'll get discourage if I don't see the scale moving like I want. 

I hope everyone has a good rest of the week...

So far, this is what I've eaten & what I plan to eat through out the day:

Breakfast:  1-Medium Banana-- 110 calories

Snack:        1-Nature Valley 'Oats and Honey' Granola Bar-- 80 calories

Lunch:         1-WW Smart Ones 'Chicken Rigatoni w/ Brocolli-- 290 calories

Snack:         1- Non-Fat String Cheese-- 80 calories

Dinner:         1-Cup of Beef Stew-- (Not sure of the calorie content, will add later on tonight.

Well I hope you all have fantastice, productive days.  TTYL!..

Goals, Goals, Goals

I figure if I'm going to be serious about this, I'll need to set goals and stick to them and HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE ON A DAILY BASIS!! 

GOALS:

LOSE 20 lbs in 12 WEEKS-- If I can manage to lose 1-2 pounds a week, I can make my goal or come VERY close.

MAKE EVERY CALORIE COUNT-- I plan to start off w/ 1500 calories per day, and I will fluctuate that weekly, I will not go below 1200 and I will not go higher then 1800, this will all depend on how active I am on a weekly basis. I am going grocery shopping tonight so I will be sure to load up on fruits and veggies and low cal/fat options.

WORKOUT AT LEAST 5 NIGHTS A WEEK-- My goal is to take ONE spinning class, and ONE Kickboxing class per week.  They are each 60 minutes.  On these days, I will not need to strength training b/c the class incorporate that into the routines.  The other 3 nights, I will switch between the elliptical and treadmill using high intensity for 35 minutes and then switch to strength training switching each day from lower body, upper body and center core.. I want to change it up so my body doesn't get used to the same thing and STALL. 

DRINK AT LEAST 64 OZ of WATER-- I will gradually increase this amount once I develope a tolerance of "taste" for it, eventually landing at 90 oz a day which is recommended if you workout and sweat a lot. 

PLAN MY MEALS ON SUNDAY-- For the entire week to come so there will be no spontaneous (sp?) eating.  When going out to eat, I will look at the menu online and have it in my head what I'm eating and get the nutrition info if possible.

WEIGH IN ONCE PER WEEK-- On Sunday mornings as soon as I get out of bed & will not become obsessed with it.  I want to eventually go by how my clothes feel but that will be after I meet my first goal of 20lbs. 

BLOG EVERYDAY-- My time is limited at home w/ the kids and all, I will make sure to record the previous nights info the next day while at work.  This way I can see what I'm doing, hold myself accountable.

I'm going to the gym today and get my free assessment.  Hopefully they will take my measurements so I can know where I'm starting.  If not, I will find my tape meaurer somewhere around here and plug those numbers later on. 

Back to the Grind!

How was everybody's Christmas? Mine was GREAT!! I'm go greatful for my kids, my BF.. they are the cutest!! This was my son's first Christmas, he was completely oblivious to it all, he LOVES his new excersaucer though, he can stay in it for hours before getting tired.  My daughter got so much Hannah Montana stuff, it's rediculous.. If I hear, "The other side, the other side, the other side of me"..One more time, I'm jumping out of a window...Christmas eating wasn't a disaster for me, Thank God, I swear he works in mysterious ways..lol!  I wasn't tempted by all the southern cookin b/c my soon to be, step-mother in law isn't the best cook in the world so I was not at all tempted..lol! Mean, but so true!! I mean she knows how, but lately she's been "tired of cooking" so she half does it, or tries to find short cuts, so she ends up screwing up or burning something.. I think I had about a spoonful of burned Mac and Cheese and a slice of ham.. and I was done w/ the excpetion of a slice of choc cake, and lemon cake..Ok, so I'm going to the gym tonight.  I'm tired but I may be able to pick up a bit of energy from 30 mins of cardio. Anything will help.. I don't want to start w/ a "after the 1st of the year mentality" so I'll start back right now..I'll be more productive if I don't think of it as a "diet" or "new years resolution".. It's a total life change that I'm doing.. I'm going to make my daughter and BF make some changes too..especially by incorporating more veggies into our meals.  I'll be back tomorrow for more blogging.  I just found this pic of Beyonce (I love her) and hopefully I'll just as good in my HOD jeans, like she does..lol!

Happy Holidays,

Chandra

A Fabulous Weekend

I had so much fun this weekend.. I love having friends over to share drinks and laughs!  I didn't fret over what I ate or how much I drank.. It's the holidays, I've decided to be Merry b/c this weight loss thing has been stressing me out and I've been thinking too much about it.  I haven't worked out either.. But I guess that's what Jan 2nd is for.. b/c on the 31st I'm getting TORE up and on the st, I'll be recovering so the 2nd sounds good! Nonetheless, I won't quit, I still have my goal in eye site.. I'm just taking a few days off. 

I'm starting ALL over..

Today I went to the Dr. to get some meds for my UTI and I weighed in at 219lbs.  Yes, that's 2 more pounds then what I thought I was.. So I made the decision to start ALL over.. I'm going to take my measurements, start my workout sessions and pick food choices all over again.  TOM is here, and I'm extra aggravated and bloated.. I feel like I want to explode.. I had a rediculous day.. I left work early after being totally non-productive so I can go to my appt.  My Dr's office is located near a shopping center and one of the busiest streets in my city so there was MAD traffic.. These people totally disgust me, all this fuss and non-sense over gifts..It's SO not the meaning of CHRISTmas..but anyway, it took me forever to get to the DR and took me an eternity to get out.  I was pissed b/c my DR pretty much rushed me out, I guess she was anxious to go on vacation too.. My freakin co-payment is $20.. I had to wait in line to give a urine sample.. Kaiser has gone completely down hill.. They hire any and everyone and they treat people like Shyt!  Then I had to wait 15 mins for my prescription.  I couldn't believe my weight though, yet I came home and had 5 slices of Mountain Mike's Pizza and later on I had 5 nuggets and a bacon cheeseburger from Wendy's.. Yes, I'm officially a nut bag.. I feel really sick after consuming all that food..It's like my stomach is extra bloated and to top it all off, I'm not going to the gym tonight.. Usually by now, I can convince myself to go for it.. I don't have the mind set right now.. So I'll go around 8 tomorrow morning and trust me if I don't, I'll blog about it so I can come back and read how much of a loser I've been.. I did manage to get my 64oz of water in though..that's like the only thing I've followed thru on..

Until next time...

Pizza..Pizza..

OK so last night, when I got off of work, I was STARVING.. I had a Sammie and a bowl of broccoli cheese soup again for lunch and by 7pm, I couldn't take it.  I had to stop by Costco for a couple of things and came out w/ 2 slices of pizza.. YEP.. I did HORRIBLE yesterday and I still haven't been to the grocery store..I didn't even workout last night, but it's cool b/c I planned that.  I'm going tonight and so far, I've had the will power to say NO to the cookies in the office.. Yesterday I had more then my fair share of cookies... 2 and a half to be exact and some fudge, not much but I still could of used those calories on good ones.  I'm hungry right now, but I'm going to have a bowl of cereal, I'm going to walk to the mall at lunch and grab a salad on the way back.. Don't know what I'm having for dinner tonight, but it needs to be low cal.  I go to the Dr. today so I should ask her how many calories I need to be consuming, I'm not exactly sure. I don't think I'm taking in enough which could be the reason why I'm so tired.. blah..  I'll be sure to drink my 64 oz of water.  Tomorrow is my cocktail party, I know I'm not going to drink too much b/c I'll have to get up early Sunday morning to see my daughter in a Christmas play at my mom's church.  And I won't eat much of the WRONG stuff b/c I've been telling everyone about what I'm doing to lose the weight and get in shape so I won't want to contradict myself..LMAO!..But anyway, don't know if I'll have time to blog this weekend.. Have a safe and blessed weekend..

I'm confused... HELP!

Ok, on ediets.com, I did a health assessment and it told me to safely lose 1-2 lbs per week, I'd need to consume NO MORE then 1100-1300 calories per day.. However, I stumbled upon this website called thedailyplate.com and it had me log my weight and all that info in, and it said to lose 2lbs per week, I can consume up to 2,095 calories per day?  That seems like a alot to me... Does anyone know if that's right or not?? Is that a little excessive?? I like the site b/c you can log what you eat and it adds the calories up for you.. But I'm not so sure about that calorie intake figure it gave me.. Any pro's out there who knows or know where I can find that correct info online?? As well as log your exercise and it tells you how many calories you've burned.. Someone check it out and tell me what you think!

Ok, so I'm HECKA tired...

I'm taking tonight OFF from the gym.. I busted my butt last night on the elliptical and treadmill and I've YET to experience this new found energy from working out that everyone talks about.  I'm tired as hell, ya'll.. I've got to get some house work done anyway.  Today is also my 8 yr anniversary, NOPE not married, just in a really long relationship..It's like we're married though, we have two kids..lol!  That day will come sometime in 2008, and I'll be slimmed down and ready for it...Tomorrow night, I'm back to the gym for some strength training w/ my cousin again.  That will make 4 nights at the gym this week.  I think 4 is my maximum, as long as I know I give my all while I'm doing it, 4 nights will be good for me.  I had the sandwhich like I intended for dinner w/ a few chips and I was good w/ the exception of some beef jerky before I got home.  I drank another 64oz plus another 8 oz while at the gym.. I'm going to the store BEFORE I get home tonight to get some fruit and granols bars for my snacking purposes... I already notice a "small" difference in my waistline.. I have total "mommy" belly, the result of having too kids.. It's all soggy and if I were superficial, I'd save for, or finance a tummy tuck, but that's not a risk I'd take.. last I heard vanity was really vain and a deadly sin.  So no thanks, I'll work it out the old school way..    One of my co-workers just gave me a "goodie bag" of baked goods.. All Chocolate.. YEP, my downfall, the ONE thing I can't say NO to.. It's sitting here calling my name, I know I'm going to have a little bit..the earlier the better so I have the rest of the day to burn it off.  Oh and I also got a cute lipgloss set from 'Benefit', I'm a girly girl that way, and it's cool that they know it.  I have a question, what do I get them in return?? I have not one clue, I think a starbucks gift card would be cool. 

But anyway, I'm off to do some work.. Have a good day, guys!

-C

I feel so.... WHOMP

I'm tired today! I worked out like a mad woman last night.  Last night was the first night since I've started my "lifestyle change", that I actually broke out my IPOD.. Man it was so motivational and fun actually.. All I need to here was "Walk It Out" by UNK and it really got me movin.. I didn't go until 10 b/c I was watching the ever so beautiful Beyonce on BET... I just knew in my heart I wasn't going to the gym b/c I kept telling myself over and over basically trying to pysch myself up.. But I've been determined so I followed thru and went.  I did 35 mins of elliptical, would have done more, but I only set the timer for 35 mins so once I finished that, I moved on to weights for upper body.  Tonight, I'll do 40 mins of cardio and then work on my lower body.  Tomorrow will be something new for cardio and I'll work on my core, or mid section...whatever it's called..lol!  I'm actually thinking of taking this kickboxing class tonight.. We'll see how I feel though.. Right now, I'm suffering from a UTI and I feel like, WHOMP, whomp, whomp!  I have TONS of work to do today and like yesterday, I'm not feeling too productive.

I've decided to try and pre-plan my meals so I'm about to eat breakfast right now so the rest of my meals should be the following..

Breakfast:

• Special K w/ 2% low fat milk = 140 Cals.

Lunch:

• 1 Sanoma Turkey Sammie from Quizno's. 200 Cals
• 1 Cup of Broccoli Cheese Soup from Quizno's. =150 Cals

Dinner:

• Turkey Sandwich(sp?) on Wheat w/ lettuce, low fat swiss cheese and Mustard and tomato. =223 Cals

I didn't go to the store again, so I have to improvise and make due until I feel like going to the grocery store...

And my goal is drink ANOTHER 64 oz of water.  I can't believe I did it yesterday, so my goal is to drink 64 oz 5 days a week.  I totally sweated it all out last night though.. It wasn't bad at all. 

OH, I haven't weighed myself since Friday and it said 217, I really don't want to do so until Friday of this week but I really could do w/out.. I'd rather just know that I'm losing weight from how my clothes feel.  I'm totally the obsessive type when it comes to weight loss.  I'll check the scale everyday and if it doesn't budge, I'll get upset and emotinally eat so NO thanks.  I am however going to do a fitness assessment thru my gym, so I'll take my measurements and probably weigh and measure myself once a month.  I'll def keep you all reading my blog posted..