Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

One Week In - My Adventures With Fitbit

Watching the sunrise on a morning walk. Breathtaking!
I posted last week about being discontent in my own skin. I decided to make some changes. One of the major changes included a minor purchase. I began with a Fitbit Charge HR. If you are unfamiliar with the Fitbit and it's benefits, I'll give you a quick run down. This is how Fitbit is described via their website: "When it comes to reaching your fitness goals, steps are just the beginning. Fitbit tracks every part of your day—including activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep—to help you find your fit, stay motivated, and see how small steps make a big impact. Track activity, exercise, food, weight, sleep and more, for real-time information about your day and night. Sync stats wirelessly and automatically from your Fitbit device to your phone or computer" Everything is literally at the touch of your fingers. I can track caloric intake (and it keeps up with how many I'm burning according to my heart rate and steps). I can put in how much water I'm drinking. Oh, and my favorite part is that my Fitbit tells me how well I slept each night. I love that part.

Okay, I realize I'm starting to sound like a commercial and that is clearly NOT why I'm writing this post! I have not been paid a single thing by Fitbit or any affiliates. It's just a product that I have purchased and come to love. I like to share the love. <3

So, today marks a week of my new journey. I have been trying to avoid sugars and carbohydrates. I have averaged 11K steps a day which totals out to 5 miles!!! I am stoked about that. I have been motivated to get up early each day (before sunrise) and get at least half of my 10K goal under my belt. I enjoy the quiet time to listen to music and get my Jesus time in. Since I homeschool my kiddos, time to myself is rare. I do enjoy it. In 7 days, I feel better, I am excited to be moving, and I have shed two pounds. I know that's not much, but if I can do two pounds a week for the next 6 months, I'll be a happy camper. 

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Week One Wrapped Up

PhotobucketThe first full week of Twenty-Eleven has been great for me.  I managed to work out 4 days with EA Sports Active 2.  I really do love it, but it is surely a work out.  I have found that with this program's warm up and cool downs I am much less sore than I was when I worked out with the first EA Sports Active.  I enjoy being able to keep up with my heart rate with the heart rate monitor, although with my very last work out it stopped registering.  Hopefully it was just a minor glitch and will work fine next time.

Dieting with Weight Watchers new Points Plus has been a bit easier than I thought it would be.  Since fruits and (most) veggies are points free now it's harder for me to get all of my points in during the day, especially with my activity points added in.  I tried some new recipes and some old favorites.  Next week will be even more of a fun challenge!

Since Friday is my official weigh-in day, I thought I would go ahead and step on the scales to record any progress I might have had since Monday.  Boy was I ever glad I did!  They say that the scales don't lie, but I stepped back on and off for a couple more times just to be sure.  Low and behold I had shed 5 pounds in (less than) my first week!  What an awesome feeling that was to accomplish!!!

Needless to say the first week of my New Year, New Me program has been fabulous. 

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

New Year, New Me Day 2

Day two of my healthy new lifestyle started off great.  I was pouring my first cup of coffee at 5:30 and found myself singing.  YES, I said singing at 5:30 in the morning.  I felt great.  I was refreshed, and ready to tackle the day, no matter what was thrown at me.  Boy, did I ever eat those thoughts!!!

Against my better judgment I gave Emily chocolate milk because she threw such a fit wanting it.  Let me reiterate that this was against my better judgment.  I knew that she should probably not have milk since she was vomiting and had an upset stomach on Monday but she was kicking and screaming.  I will spare you the details but suffice it to say that I should not have given her the chocolate milk.  It was with a heavy heart that I stayed home with her again.

With that being said, I managed to get a work out in and had a great work-out partner to boot!  Day two of the 9 week challenge on EA Sports Active 2 brought back nightmares memories of the original EA Sports Active Personal Trainer and all of those squats that made me almost unable to walk for days. I must say I could definitely feel the burn after today's work out.  I am worried that I will feel it for a few days in fact.  OUCH!

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I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight and had a very skeptical husband. He was wondering what the "back up" was before he even tried them. We had Gina's Spinach Lasagna Rolls from Gina's Skinny Recipes. Of course mine didn't look nearly as beautiful as hers, and I did deviate a bit from her recipe because I didn't have any sauce on hand, but Emeril Lagasse helped me out with some of his original recipe sauce.  For a more enticing photo, check out the link to the recipe above.  Mine weren't nearly as pretty, but they did taste awesome!!  Although it was a little more prep work than I care to do normally, it wasn't too bad.  I've come to the realization that cooking healthy will require more work than the norm, but it is worth it to lose weight and know that I am feeding my children healthy food! The lasagna rolls had a great taste and fit into my points perfectly! I added extra since I deviated to the recipe but still ended dinner with a nice side salad as well as a slice of whole wheat toast sprinkled with olive oil and topped with  garlic powder. If you're looking for delicious recipes that fit into your Weight Watcher lifestyle, check out Gina's site. I will be trying out a few more later this week and I will let you know what I think!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Before She Eats

In my previous post, I touched a little bit on healthy eating. It's a daily struggle for myself and my family to stay on the right track and eat healthy because we live such busy lives. It's difficult to buy healthy foods when you're on the go so much but we try. It's just easier to pack up some fruit snacks in the diaper bag than actual fresh fruit.

Weight loss (or lack thereof) is a constant struggle for me. I yo-yo so much on my weight and I know that is not healthy. But, it seems like I'm either dieting real hard or NONE at all. It's something I need to gain control of. I can sit around and talk about it all day, but actually setting goals and sticking to them is my downfall. I have to take the reins and get back to the healthy lifestyle. Not only can I feel it in the waistline but I also feel it emotionally and physically. Being fatigued is no fun and it makes it even worse when you're eating things that aren't good for your body or your energy level!

I came across this video today and it reminded me so much of myself I wanted to post it here for you to see. Anita Renfroe is so funny and if you haven't heard her comedy, you're in for a real treat when you do! Sit back, relax and have a laugh! Then go grab a carrot stick and a glass of water. ;)

Friday, February 26, 2010

Fitness Friday - THAT Pair of Jeans

Do you have THAT pair of jeans? You know the ones I'm talking about. Those jeans that hang in your closet staring you in the face every time you open the door. They almost seem to mock you in your weight loss quest. Every once in a while you'll take them down and put a leg in them only to be disgusted that you still can't pull them up. It's probably that favorite pair that you wore before the birth of your last child. This is the case for me. I have a pair of jeans that I absolutely love. Since the birth of my third child I have not been even close to fitting into them. Most of my favorite jeans are so worn that they really need to be replaced. But, since I am steadily losing weight I hate to invest too much money into new jeans until I drop at least one pant size. This morning I woke up and realized that I forgot to put the load of jeans I had in the washer into the dryer last night. I had no clean jeans. Normally that wouldn't be a problem...just dig through the pile and get the cleanest pair and slap those bad boys on. Well, that was a problem because they were all wet! There was no time for drying, so I frantically searched the closet. Staring me right in the face was that pair of jeans. Those jeans that hugged me so brilliantly before the birth of my third child, that pair of jeans that refused to expand to fit my expanded figure. I boldly took them down out of the closet and began as I had so many times before to try them on. This time, I put my feet in and started to tug them up. Normally I wouldn't make it very far before realizing that I was getting nowhere fast and I would kick them off and hang them back in place so that they could mock me upon my next entry into the closet. On this day, something was different. The jeans didn't stall at my calves. In fact, they didn't stall at my thighs either, and met my hips with ease! I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my veins. I had actually pulled up this pair of "judging" pants.  I did not have to lay on the bed, hold my breath and pray that they would button.  They buttoned with ease!  Mock me no more, denim foe for I have conquered you!!! I managed to not only get these jeans on, but they were buttoned and zipped with ease! On this day, I can proudly say that I have dropped one pant size! Now, I suppose that my next move is to dig further in the closet and find another pair of judging pants!

As of today I have lost 15.5 pounds. I am currently doing the EA Sports Active - More Workouts 6 Week Challenge for my fitness regimen. If you're looking for an intense Wii Workout, I can promise you, this is it!!! It is a great all around workout. On Tuesday, when I was working out, I was doing reverse crunches. I really do think that my virtual trainer was trying to kill me. I was on the verge of tears. Okay, I was actually crying. I was digging deep, trying to do those last few reps. I was NOT going to give up now. Usually my kids will cheer me on, but this time they hovered over me asking if I wanted them to turn it off. My 4 year old said, "Mommy, are you dead?". I told him that I didn't think I was, although I sure felt like it at the time. The first thing that they said to my husband when he got home was, Daddy, the Wii almost killed Mommy today!!!

If you're also using the Wii Fit to get thin in twenty - ten, hop over to The Wii Mommies where you are sure to find lots of tips to help you reach your goal.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me along my weight loss journey.  I've had ups and downs, but with hard work and dedication I have realized that I can do it!  You can too!!! 

Monday, January 18, 2010

Monday Morning Diet Update

This is the beginning of Week 3 on the Weight Watchers program for me! I have been very happy with this diet thus far. I am doing the online version as some of you might remember from a previous post since I cannot attend meetings in my area. It is working out well for me since I have a Blackberry I can look up foods there and use the points calculator when I am shopping to make sure I am buying foods that will fit into my daily points! Since there is only cream for easy stretch mark removal and not for easy fat removal I guess I'll stick it out. I got a three month subscription, so hopefully in this three months time I can get the pounds off and learn a new way of eating.

The great thing about this lifestyle change is that not only am I eating healthier but my family is also. My children are opting for more fruit in place of fruit roll ups or snack cakes! We no longer have a "candy bowl" on the bar with easy access, but it is filled with fruits now including apples, oranges, and bananas! We've changed to low-fat everything and 2% milk. The changes have happened slowly, and we're still adjusting. But, so far it's been easy for everyone! I've gotten some great recipes online and some tried and true recipes from my Facebook friends. If you've got a great WW recipe, please leave it in a comment, or use my e-mail in the sidebar and e-mail it to me! I'd love to try it!

After two full weeks of dieting, and after seeing a small rise in the scale last week, I am happy to report that I am 5 pounds lighter! The EAS Active challenge for the Wii is also going very well. I continue to work out daily. Saturday seems to be my "rest" day for the week. But, every other day I am coming home for lunch and having a healthy lunch which is usually either leftovers or a Weight Watchers, Smart Ones microwave dinner and a salad followed by a great work out!