Yesterday was a very social day for our family.We had a couple friends drop by with their children.So, there were seven children here (counting all of our children) and four adults.We had a cookout and lots of goodies to snack on.The kids had a great time and so did the adults for that matter.Beer and wine were included in the festivities for the adults.
You may wonder how I did on plan.Well, I did great.I took the time to count my calories and I believe I only went 23 over my allotted amount.I do not have my food journal by me to confirm this, but I know I did quite well.
I had plenty of opportunities to go hog wild on the food scene.I even had the opportunity to drink more than my fair share of wine, but I did not.I had one small glass and did not finish the second glass my girlfriend poured for me.As she was pouring it, I thought to myself, I do not want to draw attention to my diet program.I allowed her to go ahead and pour it and then I took a few sips and set it aside.I did it so naturally that she did not even notice I did it.How cool is that!
When I keep a food journal, I am aware of how many calories I am eating.It really is an eye opener.My serving sizes are appropriate, but they are so small in comparison to the portion sizes that the average person serves up for themselves.For example, I have popcorn packets that are pre-measured.The packet is 100 calories.Tools like that really make it easy for me to stay on track.If I have snacks that come in bulk, I count out my serving size.I am getting better at being able to eyeball my serving sizes too.After you count out enough of them, you can see that one serving is generally about a small handful of a munchie. I have a calorie counting book for foods that are prepared but have no labels to confirm the caloric content.The whole food journal deal really keeps me on track.I know when, how much, and why I am eating.
I also fit chocolate into my daily intake.I have a very small portion of it.This keeps me from binging at a later date.Over all, I do not eat much in regard to empty calorie foods.My body needs energy that will get me through the day.I do however believe that by implementing a small serving of my daily cravings is keeping me on track.
I did have quite a few challenges yesterday.I did find myself wanting to just go ahead and not think about what I was eating, but I did not.Though everyone around me was eating all throughout the day, I knew what my caloric intake was and that I needed to be careful not to consume too many.This is very easy to do in a social setting.When I felt the urge, I told myself NO, you will have more calories tomorrow.You do not need to consume anymore today.
Hubby told me how sexy I am getting.He loves the tone my body is developing.Swimming has really made the difference in how my body looks.Walking is a nice activity, but I do not get the over all body tone I seem to get from swimming.It feels great to have my cloths getting looser by the day and seeing some definition coming about in my legs, arms, stomach, hips, thighs……..man the list goes on.My WHOLE body is transforming before my vary eyes!
Walking is still part of my plan.But, I swim three days a week for 60 minutes. I absolutely love how I feel when I am in the water.Supplementing my exercise routine with walking adds some variety.I know as time goes by, I will be trying out other forms of exercise too.I am a work in progress!
Yesterday was a very social day.My sister and my nephews came for a visit.We cooked out.And, then the neighbor called and invited our family next door for a camp fire at 8:00 p.m.We accepted the invite!Then, my friend Pat stopped by with her daughter Izzy.Needless to say, my day was filled with friends and family.It was a wonderful day!
I was hungry yesterday.I did have to fight off temptation.I wanted to go off my plan, but then I just could not do it.I wanted to stick with it, so I did.Now I feel great that I made it through yesterday, because there were so many treats I wanted to cram my face with and did not.It is not that I cannot have food, I just cannot consume too much of it.I kept track of my calories and spent them wisely.I made sure I had quality food instead of junk.I allowed myself one of my sisters chocolate chip cookies. (75 cal.)It was HARD to stop at one, BUT I did.The cookie is not a bad food; however, eating too many of them would be.
I think of my body like a bank.Currently, the balance in my account is high.Slowly I am making withdrawals from my account.I deposit 1200 calories a day into my account.I use up more than 1200 calories per day; therefore, the withdrawals are going to be steady.
I am thinner this year than I was last year at this time.I am working my plan.I may have made adjustments, but that is what life is all about.The key is to never let the dream die.I have never lost the focus.I know I will be thin again.
I found a cute lime green shirt in my closet.I bought it prior to becoming pregnant with Aria.I was taking off the baby weight from Cruze, at the time.The shirt says INSPIRED.I absolutely love it.I also love the fact that I can wear it again!I could not wear it this time last year.
Well, today is another day.I will be making another deposit of 1200 calories to my account.My activity level will require more calories than I deposited; therefore, today another withdrawal will be taking place.This type of deficit in my account is a welcome event!
Yesterday I swam 20 laps in a row. I still stood up at the end of each lap to turn around; however, my goal is to swim 20 laps in a row and then do the flip to turn at the end of each lap. I will work up to that. (That was only part of my workout, I do interval training in the pool for the remaining 50 minutes of my workout.)
I was with one of my friends yesterday. I stayed within my caloric range. I know she thinks I am a bit of a fanatic at times. I try my best to not make it obvious that I am on a mission to drop the excess weight, but it IS obvious. My habits are not what they used to be as of a year ago at this time. I am a different person. Well, maybe not so much that different; but rather, I have been working my way back to my slimmer self at a pace that works for me. My slimmer self has never left the building.
I am going on day four of counting my calories. It has not been as bad as I thought it would be. I guess this is due to my being ready to take this step. I did not rush into it, but rather have been working things in gradually.
Today I swim. Yesterday I walked three miles. This week I will have exercised four days out of seven. (once I get in the workout today) I swam three of the days and walked one of them. It has been a busy week.
I am exercising again.This is a good thing.I do however; need to make some more adjustments to my plan of action.I am ready to start to address how many calories I take in daily.
I believe to lose weight at a healthy rate that I will need to consume at least 1200 calories per day.On 5/24/06, I started this plan.
I have gone over my journaling in my hand written journal.My initial plan was quite aggressive. (4/3/06)I figured if I eat less, exercise more, and cut out the alcohol, that I should be able to get down to 150 lb in two months.At that time, my starting weight was 181 lb.
As I continued on with this plan, I realized I was not ready to take on all of those changes in one swoop.I then focused on one piece of the puzzle, to exercise.My cloths have gotten looser, but I on 5/21/06, I weighed in at 185 lb.
Okay, so I am four pounds heavier and my cloths are looser.So, now I am ready to address another piece of the puzzle.I have to have a minimum standard for my exercise routine.My minimum standard is to exercise at least 4X per week and to consume 1200 calories per day. (5/24/06)
Tonight is my night to swim.I am looking forward to my workout.Counting calories is not an easy task.I am doing my best to make this process as easy for me as possible.At this time, I am reading the nutritional labels and trying to keep what I eat as simple as possible, in order to make counting calories a possibility.In time, I believe I will become much better at it.
My new STG is to get down to 165 lb by 7/26/06.This would represent an average of 2 pounds lost per week, after all is said and done.
I swam for 60 minutes today.I am going to continue to swim for 60 minutes per session, three times per week, combined with walking 60 minutes the other three to four days of the week.I will do this for 8 weeks and see what a difference this routine will have on the scale.It took me three weeks to work up to this level, and I will count this as my fourth week.If the scale has not moved much in eight weeks, I will add an additional day of my swimming routine to my weekly exercise routine.I will continue to adjust my workouts until I see my body losing some excess fat.
As of now, my cloths fit better and I feel great mentally!
My workout this evening was heavenly. I kept the little ones going all day long, gave them baths and had them all tucked in by the time It was time for me to leave for the gym. This way, my daughter would be able to watch them and get her homework done. I swim from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
The workouts are getting easier too. The lifeguard told me I had a very nice stroke. That comment made me feel really good. When I am swimming, I feel like I am back in high school again. I feel young and limber. There is nothing like it……….the feeling…..I swim because it makes me feel good……….and it tones my body. Three times a week for 60 minutes, is my current schedule. This evening I really had my heart pumping. God I feel good!
On the other four days of the week, I walk three or four miles (per session), and I allow myself to take a day off if I want to. I have worked up to my goal of exercising 6 to 7 days a week, 60 minutes per session. It took me three weeks to reach this goal. I just cannot believe how fast my body bounced back, after I had let my exercise routine slide for a few months.
After my workout, I headed to the grocery store. I bought all healthy foods too. I did not have any desire to buy any junk. I was on a natural high from my workout……..and junk food did not look the least bit appealing to me.
I am so happy I got to workout today. I really needed to relieve some stress, and now I feel great!
Yesterday I swam laps at the YMCA.I swam for 60 minutes.During my workout, I noticed that my body was able to take on more of a workout than when I first began this workout routine last week.I have been exercising regular since the last week of April, but I started out by exercising three times per week.It is kind of hard to remember exactly how I did it without looking back at my online calendar, but I know that during last semester, I let my exercise routine go to the back burner.I was actually maintaining my weight loss, until I started to have too many mixers during the week……oh, and then I started to eat too many calories……….yep, things got out of whack.
Back to my initial train of thought………..while swimming, I started doing various strokes.It felt good.My body felt great, and I started to think about buying myself a swim cap, a Speedo swim suit, and the fact that I needed my goggles.My swimming routine started out as only 20 minutes per session, and now it is 60 minutes.I do much more than the kick board and the breast stroke.The life guard commented on what a long workout I had.He said I would sleep well that night.When I got home, my body felt so good.I felt relaxed and I could feel the sensations throughout my body………my muscles……..they felt like they had a good workout.I remember this feeling when I was on the swim team in high school.It took me 8 weeks of swim practice, to get my body back into shape.It only took me 3 weeks for the tone to subside, once swim season had ended.Oh how I loved how my body looked when I was swimming on a regular basis.
Last week I wrote down the days of the following week that I would go and swim.So, this week I walked on Sunday, Tues, and Fri, and I swim on Tues, Thurs, and Saturday.Monday was my day off.I will have to remember to bring my swim goggles to my next workout session.Swimming free style feels great, but without the goggles, my eyes can’t take the chlorine.Oh, and the back stroke………that was my specialty in high school…….I have not lost the touch.The only stroke I do not care for is the butterfly.So, for now…….I do the kick board, back stroke, breast stroke, and free style.The hot tub before and after my workout, is the bonus.
I just got home from the YMCA. I swam for one hour and I feel refreshed and relaxed. I can feel my body getting into shape. I can swim 60 minutes with ease. I am quite excited, because I know swimming will really tone up my body.
