My first day back :)

So, today was my first day back jogging/walking in almost a month, and it felt great!  I am so stoked that it was not horrible feeling, and I am ecstatic that I hardly felt any pain whatsoever.  I had a couple of tinges in my right ankle, but it does not hurt or throb, and it is not swollen.

And, on top of walking/jogging this morning, I took Cazzie to the park this afternoon, and I played on the slides and play set with her.  So, I got a little more exercise in by running around with her.  And, I at least plan to go running again tomorrow morning, and hopefully, I can convince her to go to the park again tomorrow.

*Isn't that bad when you have to talk your 9 year old niece into going to the park?* :)

Still losing weight :)

I have not worked out in almost a month.  I spent two weeks resting because of an injury, then this past week I spent time with my niece, and the weather has not been great for me to go jogging.  But, I am still losing weight. Yay!

So I hurt my ankles, but I believe they are completely healed.  This past week I spent time chasing my niece around and playing with her, and over the past week I lost around 3 lbs.  Now, I like to say it is because of her, but I honestly do not know why I lost it.  I cannot complain, though!

On top of the injury and spending time with family, I have been super busy with school, and I have been filling out invitations for my commencement.  I cannot believe I will be walking in less than three weeks.  In addition, I have been trying to plan my graduation party.

Well, I hopefully will be jogging/walking again in the morning.  I have less than three weeks, and I want to lose at least a couple of pounds before my commencement.  I last weighed in at 181 lbs, and at 179 lbs, I will be considered overweight, not obese anymore.  So, my goal is to get to at least 178 lbs before July 16th.

Hopefully if I do get to go jogging/walking in the morning, it will not be too tough on me, since I have not been in a while.

*Wish me luck!*

The past two weeks

The past two weeks have been full of ups and downs for me.  I have had several things happen that please me greatly, while I have had some stuff happen that just turns my stomach.  Almost two weeks ago I beat my best time for jogging a mile and for jogging 3.4 miles.  Then a couple of days later, I beat both times again.  I was so ecstatic for these accomplishments.  I also received my Associates Degree last week in the mail, which overjoyed me.

So, I have been excited and proud of myself for what I have completed, but I am also upset with myself for some of the choices I have made.  I have been eating unhealthy foods and making poor choices with what I do eat.  In addition, I sprained my ankle jogging last week, so I have not exercised for almost a week because of the pain and swelling I have.  This has caused me to gain some weight, which of course makes me unhappy.  But, it also motivates me to get back to it as soon as I can to get back on the right track.

I am determined that I can do it, and I will do it.  I will start exercising again, eating healthy, and losing weight.  I will not let a couple of boulders in the road block me from my ultimate goal of becoming happier and healthier!

Week 8 Calorie Deficit, Exercise Journals, Measurements, & Totals for eight weeks!

For this week, I had some pretty stressful events in my life, which did affect me physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I did not workout as much as I would have liked to, but I am not giving up just because I missed a couple of days of exercise.

During this past week, I only worked out on three days, mainly because of the stress, sickness, and time restraints that were placed on me this week.  In addition, it is getting harder on me now to burn calories and get my heart rate up to what it needs to be for calorie and fat burning results, but I did lose over a pound, so I cannot complain too much because weight lost is always good for me! :)

I did eat a little more than I would have liked to this week.  So, my calorie deficit was only a little over 3,500, which is a pound of weight loss, so that is still good.

Over the past 8 weeks, I have lost over 13 lbs and 14 inches off my body.  It is such an amazing feeling to see these numbers and to feel and see the results on my body.  I have lost 4.5 inches off my waist alone, and I can tell the difference, majorly!  I am slowly shrinking, as are most of my numbers, including body fat percentage, bmi, weight loss, and most of the areas I am measuring.  I did not lose any inches over the past four weeks in my butt or chest area, but that is fine.  Also, I gained a half inch in my arms, but believe me, that is from lifting weights and gaining muscle, so I am STOKED!

In eight weeks, I have accomplished a lot more than I could ever write about or express in words.  But, for the items I can write about, here goes:
*I have gained so much strength, endurance, and confidence (which is the best)!
*I am able to jog and run now, which I could not do when I first started.
*I am continually surprising myself with how much I can do, including jogging for longer periods of time, climbing stairs faster and easier, and lifting heavier weights than I thought I could.

Listed below are the miles that I have tracked throughout the past 8 weeks, not including weight lifting, stretching, and other random exercises!

Walking/Jogging (Outdoors) = 68.9 miles
Treadmill = 4.5 miles
Bike = 4.1 miles
Total Miles = 77.5
Plus, countless miles on the stairmill and elliptical!

Week 6 Exercise Journals & Calorie Deficit!

This week I had a rehearsal and wedding to attend, so I did eat some things that I shouldn't have, but it is okay.  I am still having some weight fluctuations, also, but I feel so much better every week that I continue on my journey to become happier and healthier!

Week 5 Journals & Calorie Deficit!

Since I had birthday parties and Easter this week, I had some major weight fluctuations, but it is okay because Week 6 is a new week, and I will jump right back into my workouts and eating right!

Week 4 Journals & Measurements!

So, for week 4, I had a calorie deficit of 7,907, even though I went over my 1800 calorie limit on Saturday. 



For this past week, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit.  In fact, it is still fluctuating, and probably will continue to do so for the next week or so, until I finish my antibiotics.  I recently had to go onto antibiotics for an infection in my right hand (which is healing tremendously - Thank you Lord!), but antibiotics can cause some weight gain and fluctuations in weight because it can destroy the good and bad bacteria in our body, slow metabolism, and cause retention of fat cells.  So, for now I will have to deal with these weight fluctuations and just get back on the grind when I come off my antibiotics.

So, I have lost a total of 10 inches from my body in 4 weeks.  All of my measurements are decreasing (which is awesome!), and my BMI is slowly going down, too!

I have learned a lot over the past 4 weeks of my life.  I found out that I can eat what I want and still lose weight.  I have eaten everything from pizza, to cheese, to ice cream, to cookies & muffins.  In addition, I allow myself to cheat on one day out of the week, so that I never feel like I am missing out on my favorite foods.  I also found out that I do not have to kill myself in the gym to burn calories or lose weight.

For now, I am very happy with my progress.  I am steadily losing weight and inches, I do not feel starved or hungry, and I have a ton of energy now that I did not have when I started!

Week 3 Journals & More Weight Loss! :)

Calorie deficit for week 3.  I had a calorie deficit of over 7,000, which averages to about 2 pounds.  This is great - and, I had my cheat day, still on Sunday, in which I ate over 2,000 calories that day!

I had four rest days this past week because of the pain in my legs, which I am trying to work through and heal, but nothing seems to be working.  I did walk/jog 13.6 miles this week, even though it was only 3 days, so that is great.  In addition, I lost a total of 1.8 lbs this past week, so I am in a good position with my exercise, eating, and weight loss!

Now, after realizing I ate over 2,000 calories yesterday, I was a little worried about weighing myself this morning because I was thinking that I would have gained some weight because of my lack of exercise and extra calorie intake, but when I stepped on the scale this morning, I weighed 191.4 lbs, which is a total weight loss of 7.4 lbs.  This is amazing!

Next week, I will have updated pictures and measurements, but I did take a picture yesterday, so I will go on and post it beside an old picture of me!

Overcoming Struggles & Facing My Fears!

Yesterday morning, my cousin, Ashley, and I decided we were going to walk a trail that we normally walk (the greenway/YMCA trail), but this time we were going to walk it twice.  Now this was fine, but then we decided we were going to jog some intervals.

Well, it felt great when we finished.  And, it felt even better when we finished and beat our first time.  So, my best time for 3.4 miles (after gaining all the weight), is 40 mins flat!  This is amazing for me!  I am so proud of myself, and I plan to continue pushing forward and getting stronger and faster.  I am also planning to build my endurance, so that I can run for longer periods of time.

In addition, I stepped on the scale this morning, and I have lost a total of 5.8 lbs so far.  I cannot believe the progress I have made so far, but I am super stoked about it, and I do plan to continue on my journey!

Exercise Journal, Calorie Deficit, and Weight Loss

So, for this past week, I walked a total of 11.2 miles.  This is .4 more miles than the week before, which is great.  In addition, I did lose some weight, although it seems that I gained a little bit of it back, but I do believe that is normal fluctuations.  So, my weight loss for this week is 1.2 lbs, and my weight loss total is 3.8 lbs.  I hope that I can continue to drop at least 1 to 2 lbs a week, if not more.

This spreadsheet shows my calorie deficit for my 2nd week into my journey.  I burned a total of 2,000 calories, and I only consumed a total of 11,408.5 calories for the week.  This created a deficit of 7,055.5 calories, which should be about 2 lbs lost, when in all actuality, I only lost 1.2 lbs.  But, this is okay because I know the results will show in how much better my clothes fit, how much better I feel, and how I look.

So, I have some before pictures that I am going to post.  I created this collage to show my weight gain over the course of a couple of months.  Halloween 2010 I weighed around 185 lbs, November 2010 I weighed around 190 lbs, while I got up to around 200 lbs in February of 2011.  I am only posting these pictures to show my readers exactly what I used to look like, so that when I lose the weight and post new pics, you will be able to see the difference.  I am also posting these pics to hold myself accountable to my goals!

No gym membership - no problem! Rainy day exercises you can do at home!

Since it was supposed to be raining all day yesterday and today, I asked some friends on Facebook for some suggestions of exercises you can do at home.  My friends gave me great advice, and I now have plenty of exercises that can be done at home!  I also have some suggestions of my own, which have helped me in the past!  Some of the exercises require some equipment, but most of the equipment is fairly cheap, and it will pay off to have it!

YOGA - Yoga is a great way to build balance, strength, and flexibility.  You can do simple yoga moves to help you relax and relieve stress, and the stretching helps with flexibility.

WORKOUT DVD'S - These are great for individuals who do not have a gym membership or are not comfortable working out in front of others.  In addition, you can do these whenever you have time, and you can do them in the comfort of your own home!

WALKING/JOGGING IN PLACE - This is great for rainy days because you do not have to leave home.  In addition, it is a great way to do some cardio, if you do not get bored easily!

DANCE AROUND THE HOUSE - Turn on the radio, put it on your favorite music to dance to, and turn it up.  Dancing burns lots of calories and is a great cardio workout.  In addition, just dancing around the house can work several muscles at once.

CLEAN THE HOUSE - While this may not seem like fun, it will burn some calories.  So dust, vacuum, sweep, mop, clean windows, or do whatever needs to be done!  You can get some spring cleaning done on those rainy days when you cannot exercise outside!

You can also do some individual muscle exercises, such as bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, squats, leg lifts, crunches, arm swings, halos, planks, and push-ups.  Check out http://liztaylortraining.blogspot.com/ for some great tips and advice on these types of workouts, and she also has great info on many other topics, such as makeup, love, and your career! 

In addition, if you have a Wii or Xbox, I have heard that their workout games are amazing (I am thinking about purchasing the Wii for myself soon)!

Some equipment that may be necessary for some of these workouts:

DUMBBELLS - Dumbbells are great for weight training and targeting certain muscles.  Most dumbbells are cheap, and you can find the right weight for you.  If you do not have dumbbells or cannot afford them at this time, you can use water jugs (if they have handles) or canned goods.  While these may not be enough weight for you, it is still beneficial.

MAT/YOGA MAT - If you are working out on a hard surface, a mat is very beneficial.  It is useful for exercises that require you to lay on the floor, or for different yoga positions!

BODY BALL - The body ball is perfect to help with certain exercises that you may be limited with, such as push-ups, wall squats, crunches, and you can also use the body ball as if it were a bench in certain exercises, such as chest butterflies or chest presses!

KETTLEBELL - This kettlebell is amazing.  It allows you to do weight training and cardio, all in one.  The arm swings that I mentioned earlier are super cardio exercises, and they help build muscle all over.  After I get done working out with my kettlebell, all my muscles are sore.  There are several exercises you can do with the kettlebell, and they are all beneficial if you are trying to lose weight!  In addition, I only paid about $8 for this at Wal-Mart, and it came with a workout DVD and a chart of different exercises.

Other great accessories to have are a weighted jump rope (jumping rope is a great cardio routine), resistance bands (these are easy to use & you can do many leg exercises with them that you cannot do with dumbbells), and most importantly, a scale.  While the scale will not help you while you are working out, it is very beneficial to ensure that your exercises and diet are producing results!  Some individuals, especially women, think that the scale is their enemy, but it is actually your best friend, and when you start believing that, it will help you tremendously!

I would like to think Brandi, Renee, Amy, Liz, and Sarah for helping me find some new ways to exercise indoors!  If anyone else has any ideas that are not listed, let me know, and I will be glad to add them!

Food Journal, Day 1, March 28, 2011 *Lost another pound :)*

So, I wanted to post this, just so everyone can see how I am tracking my food intake on a daily basis.  I will not post these everyday, but this is my format for my spreadsheet.  It makes it super easy to calculate my totals because the spreadsheet enters the formulas for me!

As you can see, my calorie intake for yesterday was 1736.5, which is great because my calories needed to maintain my weight is in the 2300's, so that creates a deficit of over 600 calories.  This along with the walking that I am doing should help me to lose the 2 lbs a week that I want to lose, and hopefully I will lose even more than that!

Exercise Journal for 3-21 to 3-27

So, I created spreadsheets for everything to help me with my weight loss and exercise.  I have one spreadsheet for my exercise journal, one for my food journal, one for my calorie deficit, and one for all the nutritional information of the foods that I eat on a regular basis.  This will help me tremendously with my journey, and it makes it exciting for me.  I get super excited to enter my information into the spreadsheet and see how many calories I have burned, how many calories I have eaten, and what my deficit is for the day.

Well, for week 1, as you can see in the spreadsheet, I walked a total of 10.8 miles, burned around 2,180 calories, and lost 2.6 lbs.  YAY!  I am so stoked to continue my journey and to continue tracking my progress.

I have started creating my meal plans, and I have goals to eat in between 1200 and 1800 calories a day, depending on the day and how much I exercise.  In addition, I am using several different websites to help me with how many calories I need a day to maintain my weight, how many calories I burn during exercise (I do have a heart rate monitor that I also use during exercise to track my calorie burn), and the nutritional information for all foods that do not have this information on the labels.  If any of you would like to know these websites, just let me know.

Today, I have already had a great breakfast!  I enjoyed coffee, cinnamon & spice oatmeal, and a cup of strawberry halves.

This breakfast was only 228 calories, very filling, and extremely delicious.  In addition, I have cube steak in the crock pot, and I will be adding potatoes, corn, onions, and carrots to it for supper.  Most likely, I will also cook broccoli, so that I will have a very filling supper, with plenty of great veggies.

New Walking Plan & Recent Weight Loss

So, I gave up sodas for Lent, as I have posted before.  Well, I did this to become closer to the Lord, which I feel is working.  But, I also thought I would gain many health benefits by not drinking those sugar-packed sodas.  But, for the first two weeks, I gained 5 lbs.  Yes, I said 5 lbs!  How crazy is that!  Now, I believe part of it was water weight because I did increase my water consumption by almost three times what I used to drink.  But, 5 lbs, that is just ridiculous!

Now, this recent weight gain put me at my heaviest weight EVER!  On Monday, I weighed in at 198.8 lbs.  I hate to even post that, but I know by doing it, I am holding myself accountable.  When I saw this number, I almost cried.  I used to weigh in between 130 and 140 lbs.  This is where I want to be again, and very soon!  So this is my year to lose all the weight that I have gained due to medical and health problems, stress, and just plain laziness!

So, this past week I have started walking everyday.  I enjoy walking (outdoors, not on a treadmill) because it is relaxing, and I get to experience what the Lord has made and all HIS beautiful work!  I especially enjoy walking when I have someone that is willing to walk with me, but I am fine walking by myself every now and then (it gives me time to think and recuperate from everyday stress)!

Over the past four days, I have walked around 6.5 miles (I think it is more than that because of warm-ups and cool-downs)!  This is around 2 hours and 11 minutes of walking.  This is awesome for me!  In addition, I plan to continue walking at least 1 mile every Monday thru Friday!  I also hope to get some other activities in on the weekends, which can be more walking, playing with my nieces or nephews outside, football, soccer, or some other physical activity that will get my heart rate up.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning, just for the heck of it.  I have lost weight! YAY!  The scale stated that I now weigh 197.4, which is awesome because I am losing weight.  In addition, I had on clothes that I normally would not weigh myself in, so I know that this number is a little higher than what I actually weigh!  I am so excited to see the numbers on the scale getting smaller, and I plan to keep walking, so that the number on the scale continually goes down!

In addition to walking, I have went grocery shopping and picked up many healthy and delicious foods for me to start eating.  I actually bought some Greek yogurt to try, also, and I loved it (so this will become part of my normal diet)!  I will be creating a food journal and planning my meals ahead of time, so that I know exactly what calories I am consuming, and I have started an exercise journal to track how many minutes and what type of exercise I am doing each day!

I will begin to post these soon, and I will try to post them about once a week!  I also have new goals in mind because I have quite a few dates that are special to me this year, so I am going to post my new goals when I post my journal entries.  I will go on and post one main goal for me this year, and that is to lose 20 lbs by July 16.  This date is very important to me, as it is my Commencement ceremony.  I will receive my Associates Degree in Elementary Education in May, and I will be participating in the Commencement ceremony in Charlotte, NC on July 16!  I would love to be much thinner before then, so that I will feel comfortable walking in front of all the other students and parents that will be there!

So, for now I say, keep moving, eat right, and watch the number on the scale get smaller each day! :)  Have a blessed day!