Tae Bo (low-impact, please!)

WOW!!! Every muscle in my body is sore!!! The low-impact Tae Bo class was SUPER hard, but amazing!!! I loved it! I'm going to try adding the Mon/Wed class to my exercise routine. I think I'm really going to LOVE exercise when I can move as freely as I would like. Today is stretch (yoga) class. It is my favorite part of the week. The stretching feels so good, and at the end, John (Tae Bo instructor/husband of the aforementioned guru) gives us foot massages and Krista (guru [photo on the right]) gives us head rubs. Amazing!!! ahhhhhhhh...................

Photos

I forgot to add my one-month photo. I'm going to try to post last month's and this month's as well...

A New Day

I had a better afternoon after talking to my health guru...she said I was doing fine and that maybe changing up my workout routine would help. Soooooo...I'm going to try the low impact Tae Bo class this evening. We'll see how it goes. I'm a little anxious about it, but I really like the instructor (who is the spouse of the guru, by the way.) He reminds me of Bob (from The Biggest Loser) because he is very encouraging and makes you want to work for him. I'm a John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus author) rather than a Dr. Phil (tell it like it is with no filter or compassion) kinda girl! I do better when encouraged rather than chastised. I'll let ya know how tonight goes! :)

Frustrated!!!

It will have been one month, tomorrow, since I began this journey and while I am proud of myself for staying strong and not "falling off the wagon," I am HIGHLY frustrated with the amount of weight I've lost. I got on the scale this morning and it showed only a 10 pound loss. I was really hoping for 2o, but would have settled for 15. I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I'm drinking tons of water, no sugar, incorporating fiber, exercising...what else can I do??? I've been eating about 1500 calories (give or take....I have a hard time getting them all in!) I have been under 60 grams of fat a day. I guess what I'm saying is that I need help!!! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! :( Grrr.....

7 lbs!!!

It's been a crazy-busy week, but I wanted to let those few of you following to know that I've lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!!! I'm pretty excited! I feel like I'm off to a good start, but understand it's not always going to be this good. My goal is 20 pounds for the month, but I'll be totally okay with 15. Okay...going to bed now...I've just returned from the weekly trek to Wal-Mart and I'm bushed!

Weights

I went to the gym this morning to find that the instructor was ill, so her friend, a dancer took the class for her. We were suppose to do weight circuits today and I was pumped about it! I feel like I can feel my muscles growing when I pump iron. No such luck! The dancer wanted to teach...you guessed it...dance. I DON'T DANCE!!! Don't get me wrong...I would love to be able to, I'm just not good at it. Well, all the other ladies (mostly older gals...like in their 60's and 70's) were, shall we say, slow in learning the steps and my heart rate was not amused. Finally after about 20 minutes, I left and went to the weight room to try to figure out the machines on my own. I did 2 reps of eight on each limb and did 2 circuits. I hope I didn't use to much weight. We'll see tomorrow.

Off to make dinner. Ciao!

Fiber, Anyone?

Okay...so today, I visited a nutrition consultant and we looked at my livestrong food log. She said I needed more fruit, veggies, and fiber and less sodium. I LOVE salt. I crave it! It's hard for me to not eat it. This is something I'm really going to have to work on. Fiber...ewww! I think of Metamucil powder in water when I think of fiber. Veggies have a lot of fiber, but how what kind and and how do I prepare them? I don't like broccoli, and I like my raw veggies with dip. Give me your ideas, PLEASE!

I'm feeling tired this afternoon. I should probably get my walk in, now when I need a little boost of energy, but I don't have anyone to keep the kiddos. I have a shoot tonight so I need to be sure I'm back in time to get my walk in then watch The Biggest Loser. I'm making the guys whole wheat spaghetti with low fat ground beef. I think I'm gonna nuke a chicken breast with some brown rice and maybe some snap peas.

Going to get Caleb. Love to all!

Jogging? Me?

Okay...so it was only for 1 minute at 3 miles per hour, but I JOGGED!!! I haven't jogged since high school! It was raining cats and dogs this morning so I decided I would walk on the treadmill at the gym. My in-laws have been awesome about keeping Asher on the days he doesn't go to Kid's Day Out, so I arranged for them to keep him an extra hour today. When I got to the gym, I got on the treadmill and started out slowly. About 5 minutes later, I kicked it up a little more and added some elevation. About 4 minutes after that, I set it at 2.5 mph and started pumping my arms (I looked like a dork, but for some reason, it helped me keep my pace!) For my last minute I set it at 3mph and started my jog. It felt...good! I thought the joints in my knees would be jarred, but I guess the treadmill absorbs more shock than the street. Anyway, it was short, but sweet. After that, I rode 2.5 miles on the stationary bike. Next was low-impact aerobics for newbies to exercise. Not my favorite, but necessary. :)

I've already eaten dinner and still have about 1100 more calories I could eat (because of the a.m. exercise.) I may indulge in a sugar free ice cream bar later, but other than that, I'm done. I'm allowing myself 1500 calories a day. (It was suggested for me to do 1800, but I have a hard enough time getting in the 1500. Maybe it's because of all the water I'm drinking.) I'm not hungry. I get snacky sometimes, but just because I'm use to doing it, I think. I snack on good stuff, now. I really need to get in more veggies.

I guess that's all for today. I'm waiting for Brian to get home so I can go walk. Thanks for reading!

(And thanks for the recipe and menu ideas, T! I'm gonna call you soon! Love you!)

:)

P.S. Brian decided on Sunday that he is ready to start as well! I'm so proud of him (remind me of that when he is leaving me behind in the dust :) !!!) and excited that we can do this together!

The Weekend

It's the weekend and I can already tell that these are going to be the most challenging times for my new healthy lifestyle. Saturdays are the only days Brian and I get to sleep in, and I cherish that time! It's also our tradition to all sit down and eat breakfast together on Saturday mornings. Now, I have to prepare the guys meal first, then mine. They are not on the band wagon yet. Caleb, whether he knows it or not, is about to embark on this journey with me. He's in the middle of TAKS season, so I thought it best to wait until the summer to start him. Brian is just not ready. I'm not going to hound or nag him about it because I don't like to be hounded myself. The little boys are pretty picky, but they are just going to have to get use to our new food choices. I feel bad about not getting my morning walk in, but maybe it's okay to ease up a little on the weekend. Or maybe not. I'm going to have to do a video workout because the gym is closed on the weekends. I feel like I'm wading out into such uncharted territory. This is all so new to me. How much is too much? Can there be too much? Is it not enough? I know it's not going to melt off overnight, but I want to be a s proactive as possible. I'm also learning how to eat new things, and you all know how picky I am. Pray that God will change my taste buds so that I can enjoy the new things. So far, so good, but I haven't ventured off too far from "normal." I'm learning how to vamp my usual menu into more healthy alternatives.

We are off to the park now. Have a great weekend! :)

livestrong.com

I know a super important thing to do on this journey is to log everything that goes into mouth. When I did Weight Watchers, I HATED doing it. I had to use my little slide and figure out points for everything, then log it on little note pad. Well, Krista (fitbyfaith.net...my "next biggest inspiration from post #1) told me about livestrong.com. It allows you to log everything on-line (since I'm on often during the day, this is perfect!) It figures everything for you...serving size, calories, fat, sodium, fiber, etc. It also gives you a place to log your water consumption. I love it! It's so much easier to keep up with my caloric intake. There is a pie graph (funny, huh?) which breaks down your fat, carb and protein intake, and a place to log your exercise too! Did I mention how much I love it??? :) It's a no brainer!

I've really been enjoying my walk in the evenings...you know...the one by myself. I love my little family with all that I am, but I'm really enjoying some time every day to myself. I put my ipod shuffle on and listen to mostly Steven Curtis Chapman and I enjoy listening to God's word speak to me while I walk. For those times when I find myself lagging, I forward it to Darth Vader's theme from Star Wars...it gives me a definite cadence. Dum dum dum, dum da dum, dum da dum...I know...my boys have me hooked as well. It's not super fast, but when you've been sedentary for so long, 2 miles an hour is okay. As I condition myself, I'll have to find a faster song. Any suggestions? :)

Getting Started

Well...after 17 years of being over-weight, out-of-shape and generally tired, I have decided to take control of my health, take responsibility for my actions and get up off of my considerable sized keester and begin my journey to a healthier me. My biggest inspiration has been "The Biggest Loser" which I have just this season begun to watch. My sister kept telling me that it would inspire me, but I really didn't believe her. I wasn't in a frame of mind to change my life yet. Well, we got our local channels, allowing me to watch and I have been hooked since episode one. My next biggest inspiration is a person who began her journey right about the place where I am. She is now uber fit/healthy and has a gym that helps people become healthy as well. I've been visiting that gym for about a week now, and believe it or not, I'm really enjoying it! I've also begun walking 3 miles a day (1 1/2 in the morning with Asher and 1 1/2 in the evening by myself.) In addition, I have been off of refined sugar for 1 week!!! That is HUGE for me! Brian and I drank a WHOLE GALLON of sweet tea a day! That's right...A DAY! I since started drinking water (100 + ounces a day!) That is also huge for me. I never use to drink water and now it is all I drink. I tried Crystal Lite and tea sweetened with Agave, but I don't really care for it. These are a few changes that I hope will soon just become a way of life. I'm posting a start photo mostly to keep myself accountable. If you're reading this, I've charged you with keeping me accountable as well. Do it! Ask me what I ate today! Ask me if I got all my walking and gym time in today! That will keep me on my toes! Pray for me as well! I know God is giving me the strength to change! I feel Him infusing me with the strength to do what I need to do. He's so good! :) I'll sign off now! Thanks for traveling with me! :)