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So 2 months into the challenge and I’m now saying goodbye to the 260’s forever! WooHoo!

Now that I’ve lost 21 pounds, I can really notice in my clothes. Things (even sweats) are not as tight as they once were – well, you can imagine…20 pounds seems pretty significant to me!

I’m pinching myself because of the progress I’ve made and I’m right on track with my monthly and quarterly goals.

Physically, I am feeling awesome! I notice a difference while I’m walking and climbing up the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment seems just a bit easier.

It’s true what they say about momentum. I can really feel that at this point and I cannot imagine going any other direction but the way I am headed. Moving forward towards the next 20 lbs and I’m enjoying the journey along the way. 

Are you still with me? 😉

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Day 3 of 3 example food diary:

Cal  
1794 Starting Calories Available  
    
    36 coffee w/skim milk x 3
  150 oatmeal
  121 banana
   45 1/2 cup skim milk
1442

    30 lettuce/spinach
    25 1/2 cucumber
    80 2 Tbs. Lite Ranch
 260 2 tortillas
 160 1/2 cup cheese
   15 salsa
 872
   92 2 kiwi
780
130 English Muffin
  40 1 Tbs fruit spread
610
260 2 pcs. fish
150 rice
  90 bread roll
  40 carrots
  70

1724 – today’s total calories

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Day 2 of 3 example food diary:

Cal  
1806 Starting Calories Available  
    
    36 coffee w/skim milk x 3
  200 2 eggs
  100 2 pcs of toast + 1/2
    50 butter
1420
    12 coffee w/milk
1408

    40 lettuce/spinach
  185 5 oz. chicken w/BBQ sauce
    20 parmesan cheese
    25 1/2 cucumber
    80 2 Tbs. Lite Ranch
1058
 152 mashed potatoes (included in cal – butter, milk, parm. cheese)
   60 1/4 cup cheese
846
270 3 oz. spaghetti (1 and 1/2 serv.)
  90 1/2 cup sauce
  90 bread roll
120 1/4 cup parm. cheese
276

1530 – today’s total calories

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I thought I would just check in with 3 days example of the kinds of things that I am currently eating.

Day 1 of 3 example food diary:

Cal  
1806 Starting Calories Available  
    
    36 coffee w/skim milk x 3
  200 2 eggs
    80 2 pcs of toast
    17 1 tsp butter
1473

    30 lettuce/spinach
  100 2 serv. turkey slices
    30 parmesan cheese
    15 1/2 bell pepper
    80 2 Tbs. Lite Ranch
1218

   90 1 oz. Low Cal Chips
   80 1/4 cup cheese
   10 salsa
1038
  121 banana
  917

 260 2 pieces fish
 152 mashed potatoes (included in cal – butter, milk, parm. cheese)
   60 broccoli   
   90 bread roll
355

1451 – today’s total calories

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I’m excited this month to be adding strength training and ab work to my fitness routine.

It can be easy to skip over the weight lifting portion of fitness when one has a lot to lose, but I know from experience in the past, that building muscle can be one of the best things you can do for your weight loss.

I’m prepared for a possible plateau or even gain on the scale as I’ve seen this happen before and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat…BUT we need to remember the ultimate goal is to lose the fat and get our bodies healthy and fit.  The future vision I have for myself is one of someone that is strong and fit.

The ab work (and later adding Pilates) will be great for our core. I want to increase my flexibility as well as my strength and endurance. The challenge is a process that will completely unfold over time. I intent to change up my exercise routine as time goes on, helping to fight the battle of boredom and to help propel myself out of plateaus when necessary.

I know that my body will adjust to the calorie intake and exercise if I do not plan for change so I am building this into my plan from the beginning. I’m intentionally NOT adding too much exercise at once so that I can add more as I go.

So, I’m starting off slow with the abs and strength training, working up to my favorite 8 Minute Ab Dvd workout and the 3 sets of weights for the strength training.

We can do it! Let’s get strong! 😉

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Wow! I can’t believe that I am in week 4 of the weight loss challenge and I have lost my first (of many) 10 lbs!

This feels great! 🙂

I knew that I would start to notice, once I lost that first 10 lbs, and this is definitely the case. I wouldn’t say that I can tell so much in my clothes, (I tend to wear everything as baggy as possible it seems) but I am definitely feeling tons better already. WooHoo!

Exercising and healthy eating are starting to feel like the habits that will become my life. I wouldn’t say that I’m absolutely there as I know it does take a bit to develop this, but I KNOW that it is coming!

I would definitely have to do say, that the most difficult part for me so far, was just making the decision to really do this and maybe fighting old patterns that first week or so. BUT now that I’m on my way and over that first hurdle, I can see myself going in one direction and not looking back…I KNOW that I am making this change for a lifetime. I’m at 268 and I won’t be in the 270’s again! I’m going to be telling myself this each time the scale sees a new set of digits! 😉

Of course I cannot wait to be under 200! This will be a HUGE deal for me!

How are you doing? Please do check in by posting your comments.

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I’ve discovered that walking to the local grocery store is a perfect thing to do in the morning.  I think I mentioned that I don’t currently have a car and have been very frustrated about this situation until recently. (more on that another time)

I’ve been walking about 30 minutes or so to the grocery store, doing my shopping and then loading my backpack to walk home again. The trick is to not go crazy and put too much weight on my back as I do not want to have a repeat of the earlier back injury that kept me from exercising altogether.  I think I should plan to do this frequently as I need produce and other perishables. When I need to do a bigger shop – for heavier items or a lot of items at one time, I will take the bus to Walmart as I have been doing.

I’m starting to feel much better about not having a car – just trying to have the discipline to wait on this until it makes sense financially AND recognizing that it’s things like this (walking to the grocery store) that are supporting me in the weight loss challenge.

Hmmm…do you think perhaps God knew best when I was praying so desperately for a way to get a car months ago? 😉

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At least to begin with, I am basing my calorie target on what I’ve read in The Biggest Loser book. This is my present weight x 7 and I am actually making this a moving target based on my day-to-day weight. I may modify this as time goes on, but for now I need some good "rules" for the challenge. Having a daily calorie goal and being consistent with keeping a food journal are two things that I believe will really help me to learn to have the discipline that I need to achieve my long-term weight loss goals.

Today, for example my calorie target is:

272 (current weight) x 7 = 1904 calories

I write this number at the top of my notebook page and subtract calories as I record my food throughout the day.

In another post, I will record some examples of exactly what that food diary looks like for me….the good, the bad, the ugly! 😉  So far, so good…not too much ugly goin on around here!

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Today I celebrate my 37th birthday! WooHoo!

OK, not that I am so excited about adding another year 😉 but I know this year is going to be a turning point for me. I have a vision of making BIG changes in my life beginning now!

I tend to become very reflective during this time of year. Actually I always say that MY New Year begins on my bday – it is only 1 week after the official New Year and it gives me some time to get those goals/resolutions together.

Before I turn 40 (gulp), I would like to:

• be the most healthy and fit that I’ve ever been
• be completely debt free and well I on my way to financial freedom
• be in relationship (married or headed that way) with my future husband

It all starts with the 2007 Weight Loss Challenge!  I am NOT going to beat myself up anymore about how many years have gone by without the positive change…this year is all about moving forward.

Tomorrow is my first official weigh-in and I’m feeling great! Despite my back injury this week, I do think I’ve lost weight. We’ll find out tomorrow…

For now, I will enjoy my birthday (celebrating with J & AJ) and there will NOT be cake this year for me! (not that I think this is a bad thing for special occasions – I’m just not ready for it this early in the challenge)

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This week has been off to a rough start in terms of exercise. I’ve done something crazy to my back…could be the tons of groceries I carried in my backpack over the weekend. Doh! When will I learn not to do that?!

So, I’ve been faced with the decision of really pushing myself through a lot of pain to be able to do my walking goals for the week or allow my back to heal, knowing that I’ll be that much ready for next week.

Actually there really isn’t a choice as it’s severely wacked…ugh!

What can I learn from this? There WILL definitely be set-backs and unpredictable times throughout this journey to lose weight. The important thing will be how I choose to handle it. In other words, true that I cannot exercise as intended, but this does not mean that I am not starting my weight loss as planned. I will carry on with a new plan for healthy eating. Really I should lose weight due to the decrease in calories, even without the exercise. This is what I am focusing on. When I’m able to walk a bit, I will do a bit. 😉

I’ll be checking in later with my progress and weight loss (YES, I believe there will be weight loss) for the week.

Onward!