Happy New Year!

This week was so much fun!  Not something you usually hear when someone is starting a new diet but this week I really tried to keep things fresh which made it a lot of fun.  I was really proud of myself for being disciplined and even when I was feeling weak I still was able to stay within the parameters of the diet which I have set for myself even on my "cheat" day.

I started by downloading an app on my phone that is helping me track my caloric intake.  This will perhaps be what makes the turning point in my weight loss goals.  It helps me be more exact about what I put into my body as well as exercise. It also helps me to determine based on my current height and weight just how many calories I should be eating to be able to lose the weight.  It is so much easier entering food intake on my phone than calculating it on my own.  Losing weight just comes down to expending more than intake so this little app will help me to do that.

FOOD. It helped to bake the chicken ahead of time.  It was so convenient to just cut up my portion to top my salad, stir-fry etc.  I still have leftovers for this week which will make prep time even shorter.  I have also made another menu which is generally a mix n match type of deal for every weekday.  This eliminates having to decide during the week and prevents me from eating out as much.  I'm still allowing myself to eat out but I'm doing it much more smart now.  I'm keeping my portions small and only ordering from the dollar menu or kids menu.  French fries are usually a temptation for me but really haven't been at all this week.  Eliminating soda consumption won't be that hard now since I am no longer going to order a combo meal which is generally the only time I would get one.  Another trick I employed one night when I was fighting the hunger pangs was to mix up some protein powder with milk.  It is pretty low cal and really helps to curb the appetite.

SUGAR.  It has been my own worst enemy.  Day 1 was hard because even though I wasn't craving it, I did get a headache from not eating it.  By day 3 when I drank a cup of orange juice, I got a stomach ache because it was too sugary.  Crazy how your body adjusts so quickly.  That will be my biggest ally during this weight loss challenge.  Not eating sugar.  I envision the pounds just melting off because I have curtailed massive amounts of sugar consumption.

EXERCISE.  I am determined to not get a gym membership but still get ample amounts of exercise.   The first day I did some at home calisthenics that I just made up as I went along.  It made me sore for 3 days!  I checked out a few aerobic exercise videos at the library.  One of them was a 60 min Zumba instructional which was a lot of fun.  It also helped me to stretch out and not feel as sore.

REWARD. As my reward for losing 6 lbs, I purchased a couple more dance games for my Wii.  I took them to my New Year's Eve party last night and really went to town.  Everyone had so much fun.  It was great to just let loose and get exercise at the same time!

Finally a new post!!!!

My cousin Kevin and I are starting a competition to help each other really and truly actually reach our goal weights.  Here are the details of the contract that I am calling First Loser:

Goal: Kevin lose 100 lbs; Robin lose 80 lbs

Deadline: December 31, 2012

First person to reach goal weight wins and the competitor owes them $ for each lb that they haven't lost.  (Kevin $5 per lb and Robin $6.25 per lb)  If no one reaches goal weight (ie. giving up) we each owe Betsy the amount of money per lb of weight not lost towards goal weight.

Target: 6 hours of workout each week.  Penalty for not achieving: $5 to competitor for each week workout less than 6 hours.

Milestones reached will be awarded as competitor reaches the following weight loss goals: 5, 10, 20, 40. 60, 80lbs etc.  Rewards will be given as seen fit by each competitor and will be based upon the following examples:

going to a movie or play, new clothes, St. George/Zion's trip, shirts for 5K, Wendover, Vegas, concerts etc.

We really need to be held accountable for our actions and not give up on our goals to be more fit and healthy.  Betsy (Kevin's girlfriend) is a good motivator so I know she will play a big role  in the success of this program. I have planned out my meals for the rest of the week and am really excited by the variety.  Tonight I baked a bunch of chicken breasts and I also purchased whey protein powder.   I have never done this before so we will see if it helps me to stay full.  Once I get paid on Thursday, I'm going to buy a bunch of veggies and have plans to also participate in Bountiful Baskets once they start up again in the new year.  I'm also going to keep a food journal to also help me be more accountable for what I am eating.  This will help me to calculate how many calories I'm eating.  I've never done it before because I always thought it would be too much hassle but it is time to stop being lazy and realize what I am eating!  I'm hoping this will help curtail my sugar eating because that is one of my biggest weaknesses as it is so readily available.  

current weight: 241

New Years Resolutions...sort of

I've been invited to "run" a 5K in a couple of months with 2 of my cousins.  I think it will be an excellent motivator for me to get out every day and at least walk a little.  It has been very cold lately but why should I let that stop me?  Once I get walking I'll be warm enough anyway.  Maybe I could even convince myself to work up to jogging a little bit.   

I got Wii Fit plus for Christmas and really like being able to track my weight and BMI.  When the cartoon scale tells me, "that's obese" I reply, "why do you think I bought your program"!  Of course it never answers me.  It has some good yoga moves as well as strength training.  I need to do that abs exercise again because after the first time I was sore for a few days. 

Its going to be a great year!

maintain maintain maintain

That is the game.  Well I wish I could lose but at least I've been able to stay within the same 1 lb range after I stopped taking the drops.  I have found that I don't eat as much as I did before going on the Hcg and I am able to resist many sugars and starches.  I allow myself one cheat per day and it hasn't seemed to affect me too much.  I seem to stay full longer than I did when I would eat a smaller amount like I do now.  My life is pretty busy right now with learning new tasks at work and making holiday plans but when I do find that its time to eat, I'm not crazy ravenous like I would've been by that point before going on the diet.  Now if I could just add a little exercise to it and I could start to lose again!

Happy holidays!

I'm off the drops for now with plans to start again at the beginning of the new year.  Holidays are just too hard on diets.  Good news though, aside from my slight set back of gaining 3 lbs right after I got off the drops, I'm still losing a small amount of weight per day.  I try to keep my portions small and to distract myself with non food activities and water.  I think it was just yesterday that I screamed at the top of my brain, "I'm not hungry!" and it seemed to work.  Hopefully I can keep doing that.  Turkey day is coming up next week and I'm in charge of pie.  I'm thinking sweet potato, blueberry and perhaps lemon meringue.  Funny thing is, if I make the sweets I don't eat as much.  Someone else's cooking always tastes better so maybe this is a good plan of action.

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Don't feel like writing.

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new foods!

So I notice that I usually write only when I'm having a rough time of it and not when things are going good.  The first couple of days this week I cheated a lot and so I didn't lose anything.  Luckily I didn't really gain either.  Yesterday I decided to try a salad at Wendys.  Their Apple Chicken Pecan didn't seem too bad and it was all approved foods except for the pecans, dressing, bleu cheese and dried cranberries.  Luckily the dressing and pecans come on the side so all I had to pick off was the bleu cheese.  Admittedly I didn't pick off the cranberries so that I would have a little more flavor.  It was so delicious!  It was nice to have fresh greens.  Somehow restaurant salads always taste better than when I make it.  I finally started feeling better yesterday as well and so I am grateful for that.  I think its because my cold finally broke and I'm not feeling yucky because of that so I can focus more on my diet now. 
Today is payday so I'm going to get some more groceries.  I'm excited to have some more variety in my meals!  I'm looking most forward to shrimp, meatballs and making radish chips.  Only a week and a half left of this phase!

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