Day 232 (day 1 / week 34)

Today I tried to make up for the lack of exercise I did during work. I was only able to do some random strength exercises, but not really any cardio.

I got up and did my 2 miles in about 45 minutes by myself (warm up and cool down included--368 kcal). I can tell that I haven't done this in about a week, because my shins and calves were sore. I haven't given up on the C25K so I did some of that today also--3 minutes walking, 1 minute jogging. My first mile took me 13 minutes! After that I slowed waaay down, although I still did some random jogging, just not as much, or for as long. I am wearing my new work-converted-exercise-shoes and they feel great! I feel like I have much more of a spring in my step.

After I got home I put in Turbo Jam's Turbo Sculpt, but got bored with being inside. I made it through 11 minutes (116 kcal) before deciding to go wake the Monkey Boy up, put him in his stroller and go for a walk outside. I was prepared for a fight (he hates his stroller lately), so I got everything together before hand so I could just dart out the door, but he didn't put up much of a fight at all. *yaay* In fact, the only thing he whined about was his shoes.He didn't want to wear his flip flops, but instead wanted to wear these:

He's such a funny Monkey :).

We walked for an hour and I think it was about 3.5 miles (724 kcal). It was hot, 90-92F, but could have been worse.

All in all, it was a good day for exercise :).











I don't have to work again until Sunday, so see you again tomorrow for another great day of exercise! I already decided it's going to be a great one! (things are how we make them :)).

Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

PS Have I mentioned that my scrubs are extremely large on me? The last time I wore them was 50 lbs ago! woo hoo!

day 175 (day 7 / week 25)

I want to start off and thank everyone for your kind words and encouragement. You all had such encouraging things to say and you all are right.

Yesterday was a bad day for me so I threw all my chips on the table to see what I had, and today I am going to make a new start with a different mentality (hopefully it will stick).

You guys are right, going into this I didn't have any number but 365 in mind. Now that it's been 6 months, yes I have lost weight and inches, and yes I can do things I couldn't before, but I am still obese, and people still see me that way. You wouldn't know by looking at me that I stay within a set caloric range and exercise daily. I feel like a thin person trapped inside of a huge disgusting body. People that know me don't even think I have stuck with exercising because I am still fat. My husband knows, because he is there. My own mother that I see on a weekly basis is even rude about it (I know I need to give her a word or 2, but it's hard to say something to her--she's my mom!). I could jog laps around every single one of these people that judge me, but no one knows this but me. Everyone (including myself) expects me to be skinny by now. I want to cry out that I am healthy, or get a custom made shirt to prove it (lol), but I won't ever be truly healthy until I am no longer obese and overweight. I need to get over this. You guys are right, if I am in this for the long haul, it needs to be about the healthy lifestyle first, and weight loss second. BUT (and this is a big butt...hehehe) the sad truth is that I need to lose weight in order to get there. I am obese. The only way this will change is if I lose weight. I never wanted this to be about losing weight, but in order to reach the ultimate goal of being healthy, I HAVE to.

The other day when I did the calorie calculation, I nonchalantly mentioned my goal weight--135, but it could have been easily overlooked (I meant for it to be that way). I even went as far as to say that I wanted to reach this by Jan 1, 2010, which is a very healthy goal if I lose 2 lbs a week (this is obviously not happening).To do the calculation you need to have a goal weight in mind, so I picked the highest weight in the recommended range (medical) for my height--102-135. Once I reach 135, anything is possible from there. On my sparkpage, I have weight goals written as well:

1) 200 lbs (done)
2) 180 lbs (although lately 190 has been a big goal)
3) 150 lbs
4) 135 lbs

...heck! Anything is possible NOW I just need to stop having wavering faith and just keep high faith that I can do this, because He gives me the strength to!

Ellie is right. It's not as simple as calories in and calories out. I say that a lot, and I am a douche. It has everything to do with quality of food. I need to work on this. Right now I just fit inside of a number, but if I want chips, I make room in my number bank so that I can have chips. I do this with ice cream too (sugar free, which my hubby really hates that I eat lmao) I still fit in the number. If I wanted to eat chips or ice cream all day long and still fit in my range, that would not be good. I don't do that, because I have learned (about myself) that when I do eat junk, it makes me hungrier and crave more junk (another danger zone). I do need to work on quality though. Better quality. This is a habit I want to stick around forever.

I also need to start watching salt. This is so easy to lose track of! Did you know that a recommended serving of salt is 1 teaspoon a day? I always knew salt wasn't great for you but I honestly thought it was a typo or a spoken mistake when I heard 1 tsp for the first time. I thought "maybe they mean 1 Tablespoon." WOW (not the world of warcraft wow either...lol). Watching Rachael Ray and all of the food network stars at play, blows my mind--they throw salt in their creations like it's nothing! I don't eat this much salt but I bet it's more than 1 tsp a day.

Anyway enough of that. I have a lot to work on and I feel so blessed that you guys are here to support me on my strongest and weakest days. You guys are my stars in a dark sky!

Today I woke up early, did my no computer thing *cry* and man I was SO sore! The standing oblique crunches that I did the other day kicked me hard. Yesterday the windmill lunge things made the lung/knee things from my first Quickfire Challenge kick in again. Today I am feeling everything...which is good. It means my body isn't used to this and it will adapt! Yaay!!! The quickfire for today was to do 100 total (in groups of 20-25) straight leg tricep dips on a chair--which I can't do yet, so I opted to do the 2nd--wall push ups. These feel harmless, but I'm sure I will feel them tomorrow. 5 sets of 20 or 4 of 25 (just get to 100 anyway you can).

Before this, I turned on the 30 day shred (level 1 day 24). I was way too sore to do that. I got about 10 minutes in and had to turn it off. I felt so stiff and could barely move the way she wanted us to. Then put on Turbo Jam's Turbo Sculpt and could only get through 5 mins of that, so I put on Ab Jam and did the 20 minutes. Turbo Jam made me feel a little better because a lot of the movements are very long and stretchy. 35 minutes in all, but I was feeling really sore. I do feel better now (not so stiff and sore), and want to go try to do the 30 day shred again. Hopefully the Monkey Boy will go down so that I can try again. I am calling today a (non)rest day regardless, just because being so sore, I need to take it easy. If I don't get back to it today, I am not going to beat myself up because I don't want to make things worse for tomorrow!

Thank you again for your support and help! I don't have the words to describe how amazing it feels to have someone help you up when you fall. It's just such a blessing!

Make today count! I am because you guys are helping me to! Every step of the way!

I can do this. I am a star!

day 125 (day 6 / week 18)

Today I did Turbo Jam's Turbo Sculpt and it felt great (I sweated a lot). I know it's gross, but I love when I sweat when I exercise--itt reminds me of the old days.

Today my hubby's grandparents, Gram and Papa, arrive from Texas for my sister-in-law's graduation ceremony from UNLV this weekend. I am so excited to see them! They are so much fun and there is always at least one smile in the room (Gram is really funny).

Even though there are times that we hate being here in Vegas for whatever reason, it makes it all worth it to be able to see our family like this. If we lived in Reno or Washington, it would have been a lot harder and probably more stressful. We don't have to worry now, and that is such a HUGE blessing!

This will be a busy week for me so I am going to make an effort to wake up even earlier to exercise (6am instead of 6:30-7).

I hope you all have a great Tuesday! Make it count! You can do it! You are a star!

I can do this. I am a star too :).

day 121 (day 2 / week 18)

Today is bittersweet for me. I am happy because I get to see how far along I am coming, but I am upset because my camera is on it's last lick. I have a digital camera (Sony, Cyber-shot) that my hubby bought, long before we ever started dating (so it's old), and it's what we have been using for all of our family pictures and outings, including my monthly photos. I also used it as our video camera. Today my hubby took my May 2009 picture. The camera works fine--takes great pictures. When I got it over to the computer to transfer the picture over from the memory card, the folder was empty. I put it back in the camera...the folder was empty. I think we took 3 pictures before we could actually get one onto the computer without the camera erasing it. I also had pictures in there from the last month, of my family, and another family (with their new-born). They had relied on us for the pictures, because they accidentally forgot their camera. I also captured some cute videos on it of my son and my hubby making each other laugh (it was hysterical). I feel horrible that I don't have these pictures for them! I usually take all of my pics (at most 15-20) off of the memory card, when I am doing my monthly picture.

They are all gone :(. I'm sad about that, but I guess there are worse things to be upset over, so I'll get over it. I just hope I get a job soon, so that we can replace the camera, so that I can take my picture a month from now. There is still a lot of time, so that is good :).

Onto the good news.

My measurements:

Measurements: (day 121 / 90 / day 10) (- "/# lost in current month)

Wt: 200.0 / 203.6 / 215 (-3.6#) (total lost 15#)
Chest: 39.5" / 41" / 43.75"(-1.50") (total lost -4.25")
Waist: 35" / 36" / 41.5" (-1.0") (total lost -6.5")
Hips: 44" / 45.5" / 47.75" (-1.50") (total lost -3.75")
Neck: 13.25" / 13.75" / 14.25" (-0.50") (total lost -1")
Under bust: 33" / 34.25 / 36.75" (-1.25") (total lost -3.75")
1" below belly button: 41.25" / 43.25" / 47.5" (-2.0") (total lost -6.25")
below my bottom (above my thigh): 40.25" / 42" / 44" (-1.75") (total lost -3.75")
R Thigh: 19.75" / 20.5" / 27" (-0.75") (total lost -7.25")
L Thigh: 19.75" / 20.5" / 27.5" (-0.75") (total lost -7.75")
R Calf: 13.75" / 14" / 14.5" (-0.25") (total lost -0.75")
L Calf: 14" / 14.5" / 15.5" (-0.50") (total lost -1.5")
R upper Arm: 10.75" / 11.25" / 14" (-0.50") (total lost -3.25")
L upper Arm: 11" / 11.5" / 13.5" (-0.50") (total lost -2.5")
R wrist: 5.75" / 6" / 6.25" (-0.25") (total lost -0.5")
L wrist: 5.75" / 6" / 6.25" (-0.25") (total lost -0.5")

Jan 2009

Feb 2009

March 2009

April 1, 2009
May 2009

I lost 10.25" overall and 3.6 lbs in April 2009. Yaay!

Onto the mentionables. I mentioned the first one yesterday. I cheated and got on the scale the day before yesterday, and to my surprise it said 200.4! I got on it again today (hoping it wasn't a fluke lol) and it said 200.0 on the dot. Twice! (I only stood on it twice lol). I havent seen that number in a LONG time. I'm so excited!

Onto the second (not as exciting as the first).

Did you notice that I am wearing a different shirt this month? My previous shirt is now too big for me to wear (it was a size XL). I miss my shirt--it was my favorite to wear, but I have to pull it in the back for it to give me any shape or it just looks like I'm wearing a tent (ok, over exaggeration) but then I have all this fabric in the back, and it just looks silly. The arms are also way too big. I swim in it. Yaay!

I am also wearing most of my pre-pregnancy clothing, which I haven't done for almost 3 years. The shirt in this picture I haven't been able to wear since before I got married 3 years ago--it's a size L--not a large from a plus size clothing store or anything just a plain 'ol regular LARGE. I am also wearing my old pants, and all (but 1 or 2) of my old shirts (14 or 15 shirts?). yaay!

Onto the boring stuff I have to mention...(lol)...Today I did Turbo Sculpt and used my sculpting gloves along with my hand weights. They just aren't heavy enough anymore. I also did Ab Jam except for the last 2 minutes because Logan turned it off lol. He was tired of Mama exercising and wanted his snuggle time.

I guess that's it! I still hate that I am not dropping pounds like everyone else I read about, but we are all different, and at least I am not at a stand still. It is also noticible that I am losing inches/weight, so that's all that really matters. I am not as disappointed as I have been in the last few months, because I can see it. Under my clothes, I look WAY different :).

I hope you all have a great weekend! Make it count! It's worth it--I'm proof! You are stars!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 118 (day 6 / week 17)

Today I feel much better. Got enough sleep, I ate and I'm not cranky and/or whining :).

I just finished Turbo Jam's Turbo Sculpt (39 minutes) and I'm glad I did. I was a bit hesitant at the beginning, but once I started to get into it, I found myself in the right state of mind :). Later this afternoon when I put the Monkey Boy down for his nap, I will do the 2nd part of what the workout schedule told me to do today--Ab Jam (19 minutes).

I can't believe that I am going into 5 months already (on Friday will start the 5th month). This year is going by too fast for me, and I am still a little sad that I haven't lost many pounds, but I really do need to get over it. I'm wearing clothes now that I haven't worn in 3 years (that's enough to turn my frown upside down). Anyway, if you are sitting on the fence or putting off until tomorrow what you can do today, just do it! Tomorrow will be here and gone before you know it! You'll feel much better if you just do it today. Now. Once you get it over with, it's done! Then you just start over again tomorrow :). You can do it! You are my stars that shine bright when I am in the darkness!

See you tomorrow and I hope you all feel as blessed as I do!

I can do this. I am a star too!

day 112 (day 7 / week 16)

I have to say that I am extremely pumped right now. I didn't start off this way. In fact, I had a mini tantrum before I exercised, because I REALLY didn't want to.

I had a lot on my plate, as far as exercise. Yesterday I did 43 minutes. Today I was scheduled to do practically an hour--58 minutes to be exact! In exercise years, that's a big difference! (lol I'm such a douche).

This is how you are supposed to feel after you exercise. For the last--I don't know--really ever since I started doing my own thing with Turbo Jam, I have been tired. Last week or the week before I started doing what it told me to do, and I feel great. Have you ever had that moment where you just kicked yourself and said "Why didn't I just do that to begin with?" (that's my life in a nutshell--I always have to learn the hard way).

Anyway, today I did Turbo Sculpt (39 minutes) and Ab Jam (19 minutes). On top of this huge accomplishment (yes, it is, because I REALLY didn't want to exercise today) I got in my 8 glasses of water!

I have to tell you guys about this stuff that makes me suck down my water like I should have been, the entire time. It started because our "bottled water" is tap water. Well, it's tap water in a 5 gallon jug and my mom's hubby refuses to believe he's being ripped off lol. It's free for us so I'm not complaining (really, I'm not. kekeke). Anyway, I have been drinking my 8 8-oz glasses of water a day for over a month now, but I struggle with it. Now with this new and improved tap water, I have been drinking literally twice as much (is it healthy to get in OVER 12-8 oz glasses of water a day??). We buy it at the dollar store (the 99 cent only store--blue and pink). It's called South Beach, Living on the go, Tide Me Over (strawberry banana) by Kraft. It's AWESOME because:

#1 it's sugar free. There is aspartame--as long as I don't grow a tail I'm ok with it lol.
#2 it has a whopping 5 grams of fiber... and
#3 there are 3 grams of protein in it!!!
It's 30 calories per packet, and there is 10 packets in the box (I know this pic says 7 packets but mine says 10 :)).

My reusable water bottle is 32 oz big, so I dump in 1/2 of the packet, and it's perfect. No minerally/stale taste, that the nasty vegas tap water tastes like. I was using orange slices, and strawberry slices, but it just doesn't help me suck it down like this stuff.

Anyway that's it. Sorry for the long post, but I have a ton of energy (I told you!)

Hope you guys have an awesome day and workout! If you struggle with your water intake, try those packets. They do wonders for me, although I'm in the bathroom all day because of it lol.

I can do this. I am a star.

day 98 (day 7 / week 14)

It feels really good to be back. I included a recipe today at the end of my post! So yummy!

Today I followed the manual thingy that Turbo Jam provided to me. Yesterday I did Cardio Party, so today it told me to do Turbo Sculpt (39 mins) and Ab Jam (19 mins). I really didn't want to do Ab Jam, but because I had already programed it into my WOWY, I did it anyway--talk about oxymoronic laziness (I just made that up lol). I was too lazy to just walk into the other room to cancel my WOWY session for Ab Jam, that I just did it anyways lol (too lazy to be lazy lol).

Tonight I am making Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew, a recipe that I found on Sparkpeople.com, and I wanted to share the recipe with you guys. It's low in calories, and I have all the nutritional info to go with it--cause I'm anal like that!

a serving is 3/4 cup.

This is a copy/paste from the site:

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped 1 16-oz can black beans 1 16-oz can kidney beans 1 16-oz can corn (drained) 1 8-oz can tomato sauce 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies 1 1.25-oz packet taco seasoning 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Mix everything together in a slow cooker except chicken. Lay chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. This is good eaten with cheese, sour cream, or tortilla chips.

Number of Servings: 14

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user GINGERFISH.
Number of Servings: 14

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 14
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 115.8

• Total Fat: 0.8 g
• Cholesterol: 7.9 mg
• Sodium: 782.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 17.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
• Protein: 7.8 g
  
  
  Ingredients Used For Nutrition Calculations:
  Here are the foods from our food nutrition database that were used for the nutrition calculations of this recipe.
  
  Number of Servings: 14
  • Onions, raw, 1.00 medium (2-1/2" dia)
  • Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Light Red Kidney Beans, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Black Beans, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Taco Seasoning, 12.00 tsp
  • Great Value Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, 2.50 cup
  • Great Value Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets (Frozen), 8.00 oz
  • Great Value Tomato Sauce, no salt added, 0.88 cup

This is Melissa talking now--I rinse and drain everything--corn, tomatoes (I use just plain diced tomatoes btw), beans--everything but the chicken, taco seasoning and tomato sauce (which would just be dumping that down the sink lol). It's better the 2nd day when the flavors have been able to meddle! I never challenged the nutritional info, because everything going in is healthy, so I don't care. Can't be much more than what it says it is :). For me, it varies with the chicken--how heavy my breasts are (LMAO!!!) or if I use chicken tenders instead.

I eat it with a salad (no dressing--still not a fan of it lol) and my multi-grain LIGHT Thomas english muffins that are 100 calories per muffin. So delish!! So yummy! So yummy! There's a party in my tummy! So yummy! so yummy!

Off to take a shower. Hope you guys enjoy the recipe :).

I can do this. I am a star.

Day 73 (day 3 / week 11)

Today I did 2 Turbo Jam workouts. I did Turbo Sculpt (39 minutes) and the 20 minute workout (20 minutes)--in that order.

Turbo Sculpt was a lot more difficult than the regular Turbo Jam videos. I think that I have gotten used to not using any hand weights (just the sculpting gloves) so using my 5# weights was heavy! I used my sculpting gloves instead and my legs hurt (good pain, not bad :)).

After doing Turbo Sculpt I was exhausted and didn't want to do the 20 Minute Workout, but I had already programed it into WOWY, so I figured, "what the heck, it's only 20 minutes." I LOVE turbo jam! I got a 3rd and 4th wind during that workout and am very glad that I followed through and finished it. I just hate that I did 59 minutes and not 60 lol (anal retentive much?). I'm just gonna call it 60. Multiple times throughout the day I will cradle Logan, and jog in place and make him bounce and flop around--he loves that and laughs super hard. Because I love to hear his laugh I do it often. I've done it twice today already. (His laugh makes my heart pitter patter lol).

I am trying to focus on my fiber intake because I don't think I am eating enough throughout the day (I may be but have never thought about it before). I will know for sure by the end of next week because I am tracking it now. I read on sparkpeople somewhere that a reason for lack of weight loss could be not eating enough fiber. I am 1/2 way there for my daily consumption today. I just want to see if I feel any differently by the end of the week, also.

I also feel like I might be getting sick (the stress of the move maybe?). I am going to start loading up on my vitamin C, echinacea and vitamins (I always forget to take my multi until I get sick pssht). Anyway off to go eat something.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and a great workout! Make today count!

I can do this. I am a star.