Week 2 Progress

I lost 2 lbs. this week!!!  I had some slip ups, but really kept close to my calorie count.  Knowing that I am going to have to record what I put in my mouth has deterred me from going crazy.

Stress Eating

This week I am only 212 calories over my weekly goal.  That is 40 % improvement over last week.  I've been committed to recording all of my calories each day, even if they are shamefully high in empty calories.

One pitfall this week has been the phenomenon of stress eating.   This week my baby was cutting 2 molars.  He was constantly crying and wanted to be held all day every day.  That will wear a lady down for sure.  Munch, munch, munch.

Midweek, we got a call for our first foster placement.  We are confident that God is going to be our strength as we take on this HUGE new responsibility.  However, getting all of the logistics worked out has proven to raise my stress level.  Munch, munch, munch.

Getting everything in order has made my week task heavy.  My big boy is VERY sensitive to frenzy and has, of course, been EXTRA naughty.  Munch, munch, munch.

But as an object lesson God made me keenly aware that eating did not help.  I recall a moment of sugary weakness this week when I just thought; "That just didn't taste as good as I thought it would."  It occured to me that that truth can be applied to many other things we try to use to comfort our souls.  Milky Ways do not care about me.  Fudgy brownies do not get heartsick when I am far from them.  Food was made to nourish and to be enjoyed.  It was not made to be a Savior.

Day 8

Made calorie goal. That is all.

Gotta Pray Just To Make It Today

Happy Halloween all!  Today's weigh in revealed....nothing.  I didn't lose any weight.  I didn't gain any either, but that's not the point.   However, I am REALLY committed to getting to a healthy weight.  If last week was bad, I just have to tweak my approach and try again.  Quitting is not an option. 

I am sort of glad that I have this level of resolve today because I WANT CANDY.  But knowing that I got zero results from last week, I know I don't have the calories today to indulge.  I am going to relax and trust God.  In His kindness we are extremely busy during the afternoon.  That will really help me get through my rough hours.  Also, I have a ton of sugar free candy in my cupboards (left over from trying South Beach).  Though I am not an advocate of using fake sugar, today it is a way out for me and I fully intend to use it. 

I have friended someone on www.myfitnesspal.com .  I hope that it helps keep me on track.  I have committed to track everything, even if it's embarrassing.  Knowing that she gets to see my food diary is frightening.  Crossing my fingers that peer pressure will help!

The Inconvenient Truth

For the week I am 347 calories over my goal.  To be honest, it's much better than I thought it would be.  I have not been as vigilant about keeping track as I had hoped, but it worked out in the end I guess.
Here are some things I have learned this week:

 

• Healthy food is not convenient.  We had a very busy week (livin' la vida minivan).  Several times I had to just make the best choices I could for the circumstance.  

• Afternoon is a rough time for me.  I have had more "oopsie" moments between lunch and dinner than any other time during the day. 

• If I have it in the house, I WILL eat it.  Now that the ice cream is gone from my freezer, I hope that I can curb sugar cravings in a healthier way.

In conclusion, hopefully next week will look a littler better.  I will take an official weight tomorrow and see where we are.

Back On the Wagon

Made my goal today. That is all.

Progress...Not Perfection

My day went off track when someone bought me lunch. I knew we were going and where. I even had a plan. But I needed "Premium Salad" and she had a Dollar Menu budget. Loving her and enjoying time together without anyone feeling awkward was much more beneficial than getting my daily servings of vegetables.

I still made fairly healthy choices, but going off plan made me feel all defeated. I may or may not have had 3
half cup servings of ice cream upon arriving home.

My boo-hind only made my calorie goal
today because I chose to forego dinner.

All this to say...tomorrow is another day. Gotta keep trucking because I am in process and I can't quit because I fail a time or two.

Straight A

Day two was a little easier in terms of balancing my food groups. I made my calorie goal within 10 calories! However, here is what I continue to notice: it is impossible to eat a perfect balance. My biggest example is that I WAY overshot my Vitamin A intake today. Though that's not really a factor in the USDA plan, my tracker keeps record of all of my numbers for vitamins and minerals. I ate over 700% of my RDA for vitamin A. I am not sure what the ramifications of ingesting too much A are, but that's just weird to me.

Ah...Sugar, Sugar

I have been working this plan for 1 day.  Adhering to the USDA guidelines and tracking my foods on www.myfitnesspal.com, I have already discovered the following:

• It is HARD to follow the recommendations for the amount of fruits and vegetables and scrape together enough calories to make the calorie goal.  What I do know about weight loss is that you have to SLOWLY lower your calorie intake as you lose weight.  I find myself with a calorie quandary.

• I have a sugar intake issue.  It seems as though I am drinking more calories than I thought.  Also, I need to find lower sugar fruits. Some of those suckers have as much sugar as a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

• I eat WAY more fiber than I need.  In contrast, I do not drink enough water.

• There are certain things that I am not sure I can "take one for the team" on.  For example, tonight was Mommy Happy Hour for the moms in our neighborhood...it's just not as much fun if I can't partake in the caloric festivities.  I am just going to have to plan the rest of my day accordingly.  Tonight I hadn't planned well, so I had to cut out a significant portion of dinner in order to compensate.  Not fun.

Right Time

Monday October 24th is exactly 1 month from Thanksgiving. The PERFECT day to start.

USDA My Plate

This plan seems straight forward. Nothing crazy. Serving recommendations based on my age and height.


http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/results.html?name=undefined&age=30&gender=female&weight=126&heightfeet=5&heightinch=7&activity=sed&weightN=126&heightfeetN=5&heightinchN=7&validweight=0&validheight=1&

I've Been Travelin' On This Road Too Long

Dear friends, I am writing today to share with you the struggle of my life.  If merely set your eyes upon me, you have seen that I am what is medically known as "not so trim".  If you have known me for any length of time you already know that I have been walking on the path of heaviness for most of my 30 years. 

I began to be overweight when I was 6 years old.  This continued through all of my schooling until my senior year of college when I successfully lost 90lbs with Weight Watchers and kickboxing.  Nearly a decade has past and I have gained ALL of the weight back.  I've been on lots of diets for days at a time...none of them have been doable for very long. 

However, a strength I have is the true delight I get in sharing my business with others.  That's where you come in! 

THE IMPETUS:  I have hit a number on the scale that is just not right.  I've had two babies and the evidence still sits heavily in my middle section.  I am starting to feel sluggish and have fat people problems with joint pain and shortness of breath.  Even normal activities are starting to feel like chores.  That is not a way that I am willing to live any longer.

THE PLAN:   I am going to follow the USDA guidelines for eating for one SOLID month.  I will blog daily about the experience.  If it helps, I will continue.  If it doesn't, I will pick a new plan and go with that for a month blogging all the while.  I'm in this thing until I feel like I am at a healthy weight.  I desire to find a way of eating and moving that is budget friendly, family friendly, and does not require obsession to maintain.

I plan to explore my habits and my heart attitudes and share them with whoever cares.

This will be FUN!