Day 2: Eat.Sleep.Exercise.Water

These are my totals for the day:

Sleep:

I slept 7 hours last night but not straight through.  I fell asleep around 1am and woke up around 6:40am.  Fell back to sleep around 7am and woke up at 8:15.

Eat:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup Shredded Wheat, 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1/2 cup blueberries

Snack: Venti sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte no whip (2% milk)

Lunch: 3 oz whole grain pasta, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 slices watermelon

Snack: 1 small Fuji apple, 1 Tbsp peanut butter

Dinner: 1 Turkey burger (no bread or condiments), 1 cup summer squash medley, 3 oz whole grain pasta and 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Dessert: 1 cup watermelon

Nutritional Value: 1,681 total calories, 43.25 fat, 293.5 mg cholesterol, 683 mg sodium, 177.5 g carbohydrates, 35 g sugars, 22 g dietary fiber, 73 g protein

Exercise: I ran 22 minutes/walked 22 minutes = 44 minutes and total distance was 3 miles

Water: As of right now I’ve had 6 cups of water and will drink at least 2 more before I go to bed in an hour or so.  So, my goal is 9 cups, but I will probably get to 8 cups.

The Shred–Day 2

I decided to blog about my workouts in a public forum because writing it in a journal for “my eyes only” hasn’t really been enough of a motivation to stay committed.  I figured that if I put it out there for anyone & everyone to read it would make me stay on track because the alternative, quitting in public, is too darn embarrassing!!  Whatever works, right?!

So, I did do my second day of Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred–Level 1.  I wasn’t sore from yesterday which is a good thing!  I am finding that each time I do this workout parts of it get a little easier so I am doing part of the routine following the “beginners” trainer and part of the routine following the “advanced” trainer.  Hopefully, by day 10 of this level I will be following the advanced trainer throughout.  Fingers crossed!!

The push-ups are still nearly impossible–but I keep trying!  The only part that seemed harder was the dreaded arm raises using the 5 lb weights while doing side lunges.  My arms were burning so bad I could barely stand it!  But Jillian is right there motivating me on……

I again finished this workout with a smile on my face…….very sweaty, but with a smile.  Now, that’s what counts!! If I’m smiling, it means I can’t wait to do it again…..burning arms and all!!!

The Shred–Day 1 (again)

Yes, today is “officially” the 4th time I’ve done the Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred.  Today would be the 2nd time this week and I did the routine twice last week. I made a decision yesterday that I would start again and do it for 30 days straight.  So, I am ignoring what I did before and counting today as day 1.

I’m starting out at Level 1.  Since there are 3 levels of this routine and it’s a 30 day program, I figure I will do each level for 10 days.  I marked it on my calender to make it easier for me to remember to move up when it’s time.

Push-ups are at the beginning of level one, right after the warm-up.  I have always sucked at doing them, even the beginner’s kind using your knees!  Things haven’t changed, but, I am hoping that after the 30 days I will be able to show some improvement.  We’ll see……

The first time I did this routine last week, I could barely do the jumping jacks!! Yes, seriously! It was very embarrassing since I used to be able to do them with ease.  Today I was able to do them easily!! This makes me sooo happy!!

Level 1 is tough, but I was able to sweat through the whole routine!  The only areas  that gave me a hard time were the push-ups and the side lunges with the arm raises using weights.  The side lunges themselves were no problem, but the arm raises w/the 5 lb weights were a killer!! Yes, my arms are very weak.  But in my defense, even when I was thin I had weak arms!  I want to change that permanently!!

I can honestly say that I finished this routine with a smile on my face!! I was sweaty but happy!!

Also, I weighed myself this morning and I was 169.0 lbs.  I have quite a ways to go but 1.5 lbs lost is better than 1.5 lbs gained!!! I’ll take it!!

Mothers Day weekend…

Yes, I know…I haven’t written since Thursday.  Since my last post I’ve been getting myself ready to change things up in my life and get back on track.

I started things off with an exercise workout…a la “Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred”. A friend of mine has been following it for the past 3 weeks with success so I thought I’d give it a try.  It’s tough but I liked it…..just what I needed to set the tone!!

Next I went through my refrigerator and emptied it.  I ended up throwing out most everything!! After wiping down the inside, I returned the few items I was keeping. My kitchen trash can was completely full so I took it outside to the garbage bin! Phew…..that was enough for one day!!

The next day (Friday) I walked and did a session of yoga.  I cleaned out my food pantry and re-organized it.  I felt a lot better after that!!

Later on I talked to my mom on the phone and told her what I was doing.  She asked if I cleaned out my freezer.  Why do I need to worry about anything in the freezer…..right?? She told me just because it’s frozen doesn’t mean it won’t go bad…then went into detail (I won’t bore you with all that–but it was very informative!!).

So, I spent Friday night cleaning out my freezer.  I started by pulling everything out and cleaning the inside. I’ve lived in this house for almost 5 1/2 yrs and I don’t think I’ve ever cleaned it out!!  It really wasn’t that bad, thank goodness!!  I actually looked for expiration dates and was completely shocked to see one expiration date of 2005! Yes, really!!  Since a lot of it had ice inside of the package, I figured they all had that nasty “razor burn” so except for a few items (Yoplait Smoothie mix, a couple bottles of vodka, & a new bag of ice) I dumped everything else in the trash.  I think it was a good call!!

The last thing I did Friday night was make out a shopping list of all the food items I would need for my new eating habits because Saturday morning I was going food shopping!!

I started out at my favorite store:  Trader Joe’s!! (I also love Whole Foods but there isn’t one near me).   From there I went to my second favorite store: Nugget.  For those who have never shopped at a Nugget…..if there is one near you, try it!! Their produce section alone is to die for!! My parents got me started shopping there and I am a convert!! My last stop was to Costco for basic items easier purchased in bulk!! Then I went home and put it all away.

For Mothers Day I decided to make my mom a Carrot Cake. It’s her favorite and I wanted to surprise her. So, this is what I did on Saturday night! I don’t care….it was for my mom!! Then I spent the day with her (well, after the San Francisco Giants game). We visited and then went out for dinner and followed up with carrot cake for dessert.  Yes, I did have a piece!  My mom wanted to give me some of the cake to take home.  In the past I would have said okay and left with quite a bit. I told no and she didn’t fight me on it! Usually she insists on me taking food home but she realizes how serious I am so she supported me! Thanks mom!!

Tomorrow starts the first week of all of my changes.  Wow, it’s midnight now so I am going to bed. Good night…..and I hope all of the mothers had a fabulous Mothers Day!!

Today is the day to start my new life…

I HAVE HAD IT!  I am officially tired of my life as I know it.  For too long I have “wanted” to change my ways:  exercise more, lose weight, eat better, watch less television, get out more, travel, and the list goes on…..

I mean, I want to change….don’t I?  Why wouldn’t we all like to live the best life possible?

I always start with great enthusiasm, but it never lasts.  I know….you’ve heard it all before.  So have I.

Like everyone else, I want a happier and more fulfilling life….without having to expend much energy doing so.  Can’t you just wake up one morning and, poof, your life is how you want it to be?  If only……

I think I’ve finally realized that if I want my life to improve I have to put some effort into it.

Wow…I just read that sentence back. I can’t believe it’s taken me this many years to realize that.  Shouldn’t that be common sense?

I have made “New Years Resolutions” every year of my adult life.  I don’t think I’ve ever finished any of them.  Well, except for the ones I wrote down that I “knew” I could/would follow through with:  like my trip to England back in 2008. I had already made the reservations for the trip before the new year.  So, really, in my mind, it truly doesn’t count.  But, good try, Tina!!

For 2010 I did things a little differently.  Instead of the same list of things I always write down for my resolutions, I really thought about what I wanted to accomplish this year and made my list accordingly.  It was a completely doable, realistic list.

It is now May 2010 and I have accomplished 1 item on that list so far:  I ran in my first 5K race last Saturday.  It was a fantastic experience and I cannot wait to do it again!  However, I have not even started on anything else on that list and we are almost at the half year mark!

Also, a friend posted before and after photos of herself yesterday to show her weight loss progress.  She looks fantastic!  She said she’s been doing a “Biggest Loser” type program since February 2010.  She said she still has weight to lose, but I think she looks great!! I’m so proud of her!!!

That started me thinking….what the heck have I been doing since February? Yes, I have been training to run in the 5K.  But, can I honestly say I was putting forth maximum effort?  Or, was I doing the minimum to be able to complete the race? I’ll have to choose the latter.

On top of that, even though I am now running 3 times a week, I have only lost 5 lbs since I started running.   Shouldn’t the weight have dropped off me since I wasn’t really doing anything before that?  Well, if you don’t change your eating habits, NO, the weight will not go away just by exercising!! You really do need to do both.

So, today I am going to start “putting forth effort” towards accomplishing my goals and getting my life back on track to where I want it to be.  In doing so, I am going to start by listing my current weight, which I have never said publicly before: 170.5 lbs. Yep, it’s true. This is tragic because I am only 5’2″.

I’ve tried for years to keep a diary but have never been consistent.  So, this blog is my diary.  And, I’m making it public.  What am I thinking?? Only time will tell!