Ack!

I've been so busy! But not so busy to stay on the diet and excersise every day.


I'm back to running every day (except Monday as a rest day). I've gotten my endurance up to run 85-90% of two and a half miles. Then I add in a 1/4 mile warm up and cooldown. Three miles total.

I've taken up a Bikram (Hot) Yoga class once a week, maybe moving to twice a week. The first session was intense but rewarding. I had a great time and felt great afterwards. I am so sore today, although it's becoming more common and less bothersome the more I excersise.


The family and I are joining the YMCA to use the gym and pool facilities. As well as take some occasional fitness classes.


I'm down to 172 lbs. Considering I started at 193 lbs almost three months ago, my progress is great! Or so I say. I'm down two pants sizes and all my clothes are fitting better. I'm now well out of the obese BMI and into the overweight BMI.



Now I need to stop worrying about day to day weight gain. The half pound to one and a half pounds up and down is discouraging, I just need to learn to ignore it and worry about the net weight loss.

Still taking Alli, still can't tell what it's doing for me. But I guess that's a good thing. Apparently it works steadily and you're not supposed to notice if you're losing weight healthily and steadily.

I'll check in later with more details.

Hooray!

The knee fracture is on its way to mending. I need to take it easy for the next two weeks or so.

I'm picking up an official yoga class sometime next week and I'll return to walking three miles every day on Monday. I'm excited to get back to working out. The two weeks of being lazy felt awful...

I did stick to my diet and it's still going well. Still taking the Alli capsules before meals. I have missed one or two, and I blame that on letting myself get too hungry and distracted before the meal.

Josh and I are both joining a gym so I can use the eliptical machines to run and put less stress on my knees and get a more efficient work out. We just need to narrow it down to which gym.

I need to weigh in for my Wii Fit or it's going to belittle me.

Absence Explained!

I fractured my tibia from all this running and not resting business. Too much stress on my little bones after too long an absence from physical activity.

So I didn't get it looked at for over a week. I walked, excersized and worked on a fractured knee. Explains a lot of the knee pain.

Next time I won't be so stubborn and go to the doctor when I'm in pain.

One week of total rest and then at least two weeks of taking it easy puts me one month behind on my activity scale and is really deppressing.

I did lose one pound. So I'll just stick to the diet and maintain for now. The doctor said as long as I don't put weight on my left leg I can do upper body stuff like crunches and strength training so I may do that.

I'll update with something useful when I have it.

New landmark to walk to.

Made a nice recipe for virtually fat free vegetable soup. I'll post it later today. That way I could actually put two or three tablespoons of parmesan cheese on it and still be well under my 15g a meal limit for meals.

Walk to the junior high and back in forty minutes. 3 miles. Once my left knee feels better I may try to jog half and walk half and work up from there. I like walking to landmarks, it's easier to track the distance.

Work tonight, so that's easily another 12,000 steps maybe more to add to the current 12,646 I have in for the day already.

Down another pound. Since yesterday. Day three of the Alli and I haven't noticed any side effects from it, but then again I keep well below the fat limit they set out. I just have to work on my caloric intake for the day. I have to tweak it down about 200 calories.

Off to work!

Yet again.

Monday was doughnut and coffee day at work. Sigh. I didn't give in, but it's almost like peer pressure. I had fat free yogurt and low fat granola instead.


After doing a vast amount of research I started Alli today along with my diet and exercise routines. It was such a tempting promise and after reading all of the FDA information on it that I could find, I decided to do a one month trial to see if I can get any results. I was skeptical of taking any kind of diet aide, but once I looked at the meal plans and saw that what I was doing matched what they required and you could lost 50% more weight, I was sold.


My first big disappointment came yesterday as we ordered out from Chili's and I couldn't find a thing on the menu to satisfy my dietary confinements. So I went to Subway and got a sandwich. I'm sure there are some restaurants I'll be able to get take out from eventually.


Alli allows 15g of fat per main meal. That being three meals a day. And two 3g fat or less snacks a day. I'm averaging 10g or fat or less per meal. So now I have some wiggle room for sure. I'm not sure of the side effects, but I'm certain it will definitely be an impetus to not eat fatty foods and save myself from embarrassment.


I've lost 2.2 lbs in four days bringing my total weight lost for seventeen days to 9 lbs 2 oz. For the first time in over a year and a half I will weight less than 180 pounds.


My "husky" clothes are fitting better than ever, I don't feel bad about wearing clingy shirts. I'm standing up straighter and I can (for the first time since college) can touch my toes. I feel slimmer.


Walking/Running every other day until my joints get used to the pressure of the whole thing. I've been inactive in that way for so long that my body is not used to it. I walk a lot at work, I'm always up and moving, lifting and running around. So my body is used to that, maybe not so much a structured workout.


I watched and am now set up to start the yoga DVD I bought, and once I feel confident enough I'll start taking classes at the local studio. It's convenient and affordable.

Holiday Summary

Successes for the last two days:

Avoided Pizza Day at work. Although I was tempted (it smelled so good!). I just ate what was in my lunch bag and politely refused.

Went to a family cookout. Brought my own turkey burgers, turkey hot dogs and bread along. I didn't fall trap to any kind of potato salad or chips or anything. I was pretty proud of myself.

Ran to the library and back (about two miles) on Saturday evening. I ran on a main road, in front of other people. It's always been hard for me to exercise in other people.

Found a reasonable yoga studio with evening classes right near my house. Will be venturing there one evening a week.

Made a tasty, low fat, fiber filled four bean salad for a small cook out. Will make again in the future. Found low fat (and tasty) hot dogs at the market. Will purchase again.

Cut the sugar down in my coffee to about three. Coming down from six or so is an achievement for me, especially since I'm used to my coffee being a candy treat for the last five or six years.


Opportunities:

Did not eat normal breakfast for the last two days. Just a light breakfast.

I must find a way to work in 10,000 steps into a day off. Especially on weekends off. The two mile jog wasn't enough, so I had to do a cool down walk to get the right amount of steps.

Must work in smaller snacks, or at least remember to eat snacks. I've found myself hungrier between meals lately as opposed to other days.



Exercise today:

45 Minutes Jogging
15 Minutes Walking
30 Minutes Yoga/Aerobics on Wii Fit
About 3 hours regular day to day activity

Happy Fourth of July

I always celebrate holidays with food. This includes the traditional summer holidays of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. I'm struggling with concepts and thoughts on how to make these days healthier for me. I'm terrified of eating somewhere other than home. Or without nutritional facts. I'm afraid I'll fall right into the ignorance of thinking things are healthy when they are not.

Luckily summer holidays are begging for lighter dishes that aren't so rich if I can just avoid the caloric downfall of the hamburger or hotdog. I think when I get closer to the holy trinity of rich holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) I'll really need to work hard on making things I love less fatty and unhealthy.

The diet has been going strong for one week and three days. The transition was smooth. I almost impressed myself. I gave up soda, butter, most of my refined sugar... Everything that I associated with obesity and overweightness is mostly gone. I walk by cookies at the market and don't even want them.

Workouts have been stalled since I was a little overzealous with my first kettlebell workout at home. My thighs are a little strained. So just walking and jogging for now.

Diet and Excersise Basics

Here are the basics of what I'm doing on daily basis for reference.




Current Daily Eating Guidelines:


Breakfast Every Day (no excuses):
Cereal/Oatmeal
Fruit
Skim Milk
1 Cup of Coffee (with sugar and fat free half and half)


Lunch:
Salad with lean protein (chicken breast, edamame, chick peas, etc.) and fat free dressing
-or-
Small sandwhich with low fat cheese and turkey, dijionaise, 2 small whole wheat bread slices, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, etc.
Sunchips or low fat/whole grain chip option (serving size measured out only)


Mid Day Snack:
FiberOne bar or fruit


Dinner:
Any of the assorted recipes out of my low fat cookbooks which normally amounts to small portions of protein, whole grain/vegetable starch and always steamed veggies. Served with a small salad.


Mid Evening Snack:
Fruit, Veggies, Low Fat Frozen Treats




Other important points:


No eating later than two hours before bed.
Lots and Lots of water.
Less and less fruit juice.
One Diet soda a day with either lunch or dinner, not both.
Use olive oil and Enova instead of butter, but still use sparingly.
Prepare lunches ahead of time, that way I'm more likely to bring them.
Read Nutrition Info.
The bulk of my food shopping is done in the produce and deli sections. I avoid processed foods at all costs.
All grains were switched to whole grain (pasta, bread, rice, etc.)



I pack a lunch bag for work with a variety of healthy choices for snacks including lunch/dinner and only eat from that bag. I no longer buy food and drinks from work (unless it's water). I don't participate in fun food days at work either. No pizza days, no relentless ordering out, no ice cream sundae days, no more birthday/goodbye cakes.


I fill a large bottle of water in the morning (about 32 oz.) and drink it all day. If I can I fill it again.


I find a lot of low fat/no fat products are loaded with chemicals and additives. If a low fat/fat free product has all that to sustain it's flavor and texture I normally go with the full fat and use less.


I do not eat at a restaurant unless they have their nutritional information posted somewhere. My two favorite restaurants were sadly lost to this choice. Outback Steakhouse and Bugaboo Creek. Sadly, I don't think I'd want to read their nutritional information anyway.



Current excersise routine:
Walking/Running Mix at least two miles (Four or Five Days a Week, time and weather permitting)
Wii Fit (Rhythm Boxing almost every day if possible)
Wii Fit (Yoga and strength training almost every day if possible)
Kettlebell (10 lbs.) (Three days a week for the 45 circuit on the DVD)
Yoga (as often as possible for the 30 minute circuit on the DVD)
Work (Walking, Occasional Heavy Lifting) (Five days a week, eight hours a day)

Brand New Kate

Today I started my diet and exercise plan in order to make myself fit and healthy for the rest of my life.

I didn't pick an exercise routine or diet based on any kind of trend. I decided to base it on proper nutrition, making smarter choices on what I eat (portion and quality) and exercising more frequently.

I started this blog to document a transformation I'm making for myself. It's a long physical and spiritual process. Here I'll make notes of my wins and losses. All my physical activities and my diet successes and failures.

I didn't mean for this to be a public blog, but if you read it and enjoy it, that's great! Encouragement is always welcome.