Friday May 31st

I know you are sick of seeing the same thing day after day.

"I didn't do as well as I had hoped."

"Tomorrow will be a better day."

"I'm a work in progress."

"I adjusted my workouts."

"I didn't reach my goals."

"I'm gaining weight."

"I'm still not eating as well as I'd like."

I'm sick of seeing it too. The problem is, I don't know how to get off of this merry-go-round. Some days I feel like I'm trying like hell to make this lifestyle change and to make it last. Other days the want to eat all the things is greater then the desire to change my eating habits to be a healthier person.

So what does that mean? 

It means I'm human. I'm imperfect and I like it that way. I'm going to trip up along the way and I will make mistakes. But I do try to make changes and it's sometimes a daily battle. As long as I'm willing to fight that battle, whether the outcome is good or bad, then I am a winner.

So I think my mindset needs to change. Yes, again. Instead of setting goals for the week and instead of making a workout schedule I am just going to do my best each day. And that way, whenever I do something that deserves a brag, I will. When I do something that doesn't necessarily follow a healthy way of living (like eating half a bag of Isabel's candy- sorry bug!) I won't feel the need to point it out as failing or having a horrible day.

I do still plan on sharing some of my trip ups along the way. I'm not going to pretend to be perfect and only show the good things, I do believe that maybe someone somewhere can relate. And no one is perfect 24/7. But for my sanity I think the main focus needs to be on positives and successes on a day to day basis. 

So today was a no tracking day. And it almost became a no workout day as well. Being a girl sometimes sucks and it causes weird food cravings, horrible mood swings and pure exhaustion. 

But at 8pm tonight I went for a 1 mile run because I'm serious about this running streak and today is day 5. I have not only gone out to run a mile for 5 days in a row, but I have successfully run a mile straight for 5 days in a row! What?!? Who am I? 

This is crazy.. At least for me. I wouldn't even try to run a mile straight before because I didn't have faith in myself that I could. My miles are progressively getting slower because I'm not out there racing anyone. I'm simply streaking for at least 39 days. There is no time requirement here, just get out and run. No need to injure myself by trying to push too hard. 

So here's where I repeat myself. I didn't do as well as I had hoped today and I am going to try to make tomorrow a better day. I'm a work in progress. 



Can't complain when I get to run with this view.

The Scale Is A Liar!!

I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and had a very negative reaction to  what showed up. It brought on a lot of emotions that I was not expecting because I truly thought that I was going to see a number that was more deserving than a 1.8 pound gain since Monday.

It got me thinking about an article that I've read before and that I may need to print out in order to read more often. It's called "4 Things You Don't Know About Weight Loss" and talks about why the scale lies.

There are so many factors that can affect the number on the scale from a day to day basis. Food is an obvious factor, but the number can go up because of exercise and sodium and water weight and so many other little things that there is no real reason to weigh yourself on a daily basis.

I've learned that it does not help me in any way to weigh myself on a daily basis and I end up adjusting my mood each morning based on that number. Yesterday morning started with a great mood until I saw the number and then everything changed. I've been trying to weigh myself once a week, but have been peeking at the scale to see if my efforts have been paying off. This clearly is not helping because the scale is not showing what I want it to show and it is still just affecting my mood.

The scale may need to go away during the week until I weigh in on Monday. Maybe the scale needs to go away for a month. Maybe the scale can go in the garbage and I can solely focus on other things. Hmmm... Not a bad idea! But for now I will do my best to only weigh myself on Monday's. I will do my best to eat better. I will do my best to focus more on the other things.

According to the article, the scale is not the best measure of one's success and I completely agree. Especially now. I may think differently of the scale when it starts working with me instead of against me. Which says a lot about me and maybe I need to look in the mirror instead of down at the scale.

I highly HIGHLY suggest reading the article, especially if you are having your own frustrations with losing weight or if you are putting too much of your self worth on your successes or failure on the scale. I'm sure everyone will take something different from the article, but this is what I take from it that I am hoping will help me:

"There are important changes happening in your body that the scale can't measure or detect, such as: changing body composition, changes on the inside, and more strength and endurance."

 

"Muscle takes up less space than fat, making you look slimmer, and it's more metabolically active. When you exercise, you gain muscle, raise your metabolism and lose fat, but that fat loss won't always show up on the scale. Where it will show up is in measurements, how your clothes fit and how your body looks."

 

"Strength and endurance means you're making progress, but if the scale isn't moving, you may not pay attention to how fit you're getting."

 

"Relying on the scale may even make those workouts feel like a waste of time, even though each one helped you burn calories, get stronger, protect your body from diseases and made you more fit than you were before."

 

"Beating a plateau is often more about making small changes to tweak what you're doing than going overboard with your diet or workout program: change your workouts, add more activity, tweak your calorie intake, make adjustments throughout the process."

 

"What you may not realize is that, sometimes, forgetting about your weight can actually help you lose weight."

 

"Shifting your goal to something tangible, something you can see, feel and touch on a regular basis may be just what you need to get the results you're looking for. Some ideas: your health, your performance, your satisfaction."



I think my plan as of right now is to continue weekly weigh ins until week 4. I want to give this a solid month before I switch to something else. At the one month mark I will be taking my measurements and will switch to weighing myself once a month. If my eating is still out of control I will be attempting a different way of tracking, most likely by using My Fitness Pal since it is free. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks. Hopefully I can make the conscious effort to eat better before then.

I just want it to connect so badly. I feel like there's something stopping me though and I just don't quite know what yet.

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Thursday May 30th

I started the morning in a decent mood. I felt good and I felt like I had been making some progress with weight loss. Although my eating has not improved, I felt as though it had changed enough and with the workouts I've been doing I felt like I would see a change on the scale.

Boy was I wrong. 

I'm going to be writing about what happened on the scale tomorrow, along with an article I've read about why the scale lies.

But basically the number I saw was not what I was expecting.. Far from it. It caused a lot of mixed emotions including confusion, anger and frustration. I have been avoiding weighing myself daily for this exact reason. I found that weighing myself was causing my emotions to roller coaster and I realized that it wasn't healthy. 

I'm trying to limit myself to once a week, but have been sneaking a peek every once in a while. I may need to put the scale away until my actual weigh in day to avoid this, at least until I can learn to control my emotions about a number.

As soon as that happened my mindset went to "f" it mode. Not a good place to be. I know I shouldn't go there and I know that I'm not making progress, at least I'm not where I thought I would be... I'm working on a lot and I have hope that everything will fall into place at some point. I know it seems like I say the same thing every day, but I promise I am learning, just very slowly.

I did get in my run today, however it didn't happen until 745pm. I could make excuses as to why I didn't do my scheduled workout dvd, but I won't bore you. Bottom line- my body was tired and I decided to skip it. I made a decision and good or bad I have to stand by that choice.

I am going to make tomorrow a better day. I am going to make better choices. I am going to do my workout earlier so that I have less excuses (like respecting my downstairs neighbors and not doing a dvd at 830 at night). I am going to succeed at this because I am worth it!

Thursday May 30th

Breakfast:

Ice blended green tea

Breakfast sandwich- whole wheat bagel, egg, cheese, bacon

Snack: 

1/2 snickers

Lunch:

Flipsides crackers

4 oreos

8 hershey kisses

Dinner: 

Taco bell- nachos bell grande

Doritos locos taco

Dr pepper

No fast food: ❌

No regular soda: ❌

No scale: ❌

Water: 2

Workout: 2 mile interval run, 1 mile run

Positive: I listened to my body tonight and didn't push myself too hard to workout and more importantly I didn't mentally beat myself up for not doing the dvd.

Logging Miles

I have a tendency to buy a notebook, write in it for a few days, make a mistake or decide that I want to write something differently and then tear out the used pages. This goes on until the notebook is no longer usable and I have to throw it away and get a new one.

I am constantly looking for notebooks, constantly buying notebooks and constantly giving Isabel half used notebooks. She has close to 20 notebooks that she draws in and writes letters or stories. At least she gets good use out of it.



The other day I was in Home Goods when I found a notebook. 

I thought about what I would use it for and couldn't think of anything, but I put it in my cart anyway. It wasn't until I got home that I knew exactly what it would be good for... 

I have yet to start a log for my miles. I kept one all last year, logging every single mile. I started one for this year as well, but I didn't start tracking again when I started running last week.

Instead I felt the need to make a fresh start with it the same way I was making a fresh start with running and my weight loss journey. I've been tracking my miles by using my bank account when transferring a dollar for every mile I've been walking and/or running. But this isn't enough and I like the idea of writing it down in a log format because I can imagine the pride I'm going to feel when I hit major milestones and especially when I fill the whole thing up.

I know it's going to take a lot of days and a lot of miles to fill the notebook up, but I'm looking forward to that because it's the best part of this whole process. Logging my miles after a run is the evidence that you went out and did it. No matter if it was a good run or a bad run, a fast run or a slow run, a walk or intervals or a mile run straight through.. Coming home and writing it down is more than just evidence, it means your run is done for the day! That's a good feeling.

Wednesday May 29th

Today was a much better day both motivation wise and food wise. I'm still not 100% where I want to be in regards to eating right, but I'm getting there. Today may not have been the best, but I never felt full. Instead I felt satisfied throughout the day and stopped eating before I felt too full. That's a step in the right direction.

I got my workout in early today, going for a 1 mile walk, a 1 mile run and a 1 mile walk followed by Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. I think I need to put this yoga DVD on hold for a while because I find myself standing around while she performs certain moves that puts too much pressure on my wrists. I'm not there yet so I'd rather do a DVD that I am able to perform more of the moves. I'm looking forward to doing yoga again, especially when I can do it all.

My run was great and my time improved by about 15 seconds. I ran a different course which had a lot of downhill, or at least more so than my normal route. I used it to my advantage though. I'd like to say that running a mile straight is getting easier to do, but it's not. At least not yet. I mean it's only day 3, so I'm not expecting a huge improvement already. I guess in a way it is easier only because I can use some positive self-talk/motivation when the mile gets tough by telling myself I've already done it for the last few days so I know it can be done.

It's all about putting one foot in front of the other and repeating.

Wednesday May 29th
 

Breakfast: 

2 Kellogg's special k strawberry waffles

1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp honey
 

Snack: 

Apple
 

Lunch:

Hot dog on a stick- hot dog

Hot dog on a stick- pepper jack

Fries

Lemonade
 

Snack:

Sweet Factory candy
 

Dinner: 

Chipotle burrito bowl: rice, black beans, chicken, peppers, corn salsa, sour cream, lettuce, cheese
 

No fast food: ✔

No regular soda: ✔

No scale: ✔

Water: 6

Workout: 1 mile walk, 1 mile run, 1 mile walk. Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown 

Positive: I felt satisfied today, never full, and I allowed myself a treat without going overboard.

Tuesday May 28th

I had absolutely zero energy, zero motivation and zero desire to workout today.

 

So I turned to some friends and to Patrick to both physically and mentally push me out the door to get in my scheduled workout.

 

It's difficult to get in a good workout when you really don't want to. But I went out, ran my 30:1 intervals for a mile, ran a mile straight (how am I doing this?!?), a (slow) mile with 30:1 intervals and then I walked the last mile home. I had only scheduled 2 miles today, plus an extra mile for the streak, so I didn't feel too guilty about walking in the last mile since it was extra. Plus, it gave me extra money for my Dopey Challenge Savings.

 

I came home and completed level one of Ripped in 30. I followed the modified version because I am still allowing my wrist to heal and because I am just not strong enough yet to push my body that hard. I want to work my way up and this is the best way to do it for me.

 

I am so embarrassed by my menu today. I definitely let PMS get the best of me and I feel weak because of it. But it's just one day and one day is not going to define my success or the rest of my week. It actually helped push me to look online for some help and suggestions and I found an article that I'm planning on reading and hopefully sharing here about running and losing weight. Stay tuned..

Tuesday May 28th
 

Breakfast: 

20 swedish fish
 

Lunch:

Chocolate malted crunch ice cream

Pringles
 

Snack:

Pretzel sticks
Diet dr pepper
 

Dinner: 

Homemade hot wings
 

No fast food: ✔

No regular soda: ✔

No scale: ✔

Water: 6

Workout: 4.32 miles- 1 mile intervals, 1 mile run, 1 mile intervals, 1 mile walk. Level one Ripped in 30.

Positive: I had no motivation to workout tonight so I sought out motivation and an extra kick in the butt and it worked.

I am 2 days into my streak and have successfully walked over 10,000 steps both days so far. Looking forward to seeing how far I can go! And I'm so grateful to both Patrick and my online friends for the push. Without you I probably would have stayed in bed, but instead I am enjoying the endorphins and plan on sleeping very well tonight!

Monday May 27th- Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!


I've read quite a few posts on Facebook wishing other's a Happy Memorial Day, but by far the best one I've seen says: "Happy Memorial Day! Remember, today isn't just about a day off from work, the unofficial start of summer, and cookouts. It's about remembering those who fight for our right to have all of those things and more... Thank you to all who have served and are serving!" Perfectly said.

After my not so good/not so bad weigh in this morning I decided that the first thing that needs to change are my eating habits. Although I was eating better than I had been in the past few months, it was not enough of  a change and I found myself falling back into bad habits towards the end of the week. Last week I posted about how I found a few smoothie recipes that I wanted to try and I thought there is no better time to try something new.

Today I tried the Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie as part of my breakfast and it wasn't bad. I followed the recipe as best I could, however I had to adjust slightly by using soy milk.

Peanut butter banana smoothie

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt

2 Tbsp creamy natural unsalted peanut butter

1/4 very ripe banana

1 Tbsp honey

4 ice cubes

Combine the milk, yogurt, peanut butter, banana, honey and ice cubes in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve.

I enjoyed the smoothie and feel full with including it with my breakfast. I could definitely taste the yogurt, which I wasn't expecting and may add more banana and peanut butter next time. I am really looking forward to trying some of the other recipes I have saved.

I have decided to track my food and exercise a different way. Writing things down does help me to see what I'm eating and I am able to look back on what I can work on from week to week. The problem is, it's awkward to pull out a notebook and hand write what I'm eating when I'm out with other people. Most everyone I am close with and would do that with knows that I am trying to lose weight, so it's no secret, but at the same time I find that I can be more discreet about it by tracking on my phone.

I'm going to try that this week and see if I find a difference between the two. I always have my phone on me and it's very easy to track on the Notes app and copy/paste into my blog. I think this might be the way to go for me, nice and easy.

Monday May 27th

Breakfast: 

Peanut butter banana smoothie

Banana (left over from smoothie recipe)

2 Kellogg's special k strawberry waffles

1 Tbsp peanut butter 

Lunch:

Smashburger- Fresh Mex chicken sandwich

Sweet potato fries

Haystack onions

Snack:

8 swedish fish

Dinner: 

Hamburger loaf on french bread

Pringles

Diet dr pepper

No fast food: ✔

No regular soda: ✔

No scale: ❌ (weigh in day)

Water: 8

Workout: 2.34 mile walk, 1 mile run, arm workout, ab workout

Positive: I ran a mile straight without stopping!

Today was the first day of streak running. My goal was to go out there and run as much of the mile as I could. About a tenth of a mile in I was huffing and puffing and I felt the need to walk. But I pushed through and I'm so glad I did.

I can think of one time in my life that I've run a mile straight through. One time. In 28 years.

The streak is going to push me to run a mile straight every day for the next 38 days. It's also going to help push me to get in the 10,000 steps a day that I've set  as my goal. 

I feel like today was a good day and I am truly proud of myself.

"It's Time to Start Streaking!"

While checking Facebook this morning I came across this:

Runnersworld.com/streak

I went to the website facts and realized that this is something that I can do. I'm going to attempt to run a mile straight each day, but will only go as far as I can until I incorporate intervals. I'm adjusting it to me and my needs and abilities. Maybe by the end I will be able to run a mile (or more) straight. Who knows!

I know that there is going to be a period of time before the challenge is up that I will find it difficult to get in that mile as we will be on vacation, but I am dedicated to make it happen.

Who knows, maybe I can make this streak last for more than the 39 days (5/27-7/4). Maybe I can make it 50 days in a row. Or 100 days. Or even a whole year straight. Anything is possible, right?

I'm going to start small and just attempt to make it through this challenge before I start getting bigger ideas in my mind. Basically I just plan on adding one additional mile to my already planned out workout schedule for this week and then add it to the following workout schedules I make. I also plan on keeping track of my streak to the right under my Dopey Challenge Savings.

Caution.. Streaking in Progress!

Weigh In #2 and 7 Positives

Last weeks weight: 181.8

This weeks weight: 181.8

+/-: 0

Total +/-: 0
Thoughts: I gave my excuses yesterday. I know that I need to continue to improve my food intake and continue to workout. The weight can't stay forever if I continue to make the necessary changes to be healthier!

I decided to work on my self appreciation by writing one positive about myself a day. It makes me think of the good things at the end of each day and then I can see the list at the end of the week to boost my self-esteem.

I chose to list them with my weigh in because I know that there will be times that the weigh-in does not go the way I had hoped. I would like to say honestly that the number won't affect me, but it does, so listing my positives will make me focus on that instead of what the scale says. 

Positives:

1. I am conscious of other peoples wants and needs

2. I have a good system for saving up for the Dopey Challenge- $1=1 mile

3. I tried something new today and I enjoyed it, can't wait to improve

4. I am starting to get honest about the past so I can begin to heal

5. I didn't get upset that I had to cancel part of my workout

6. I am proud of my runner's feet and with what I've accomplished to earn them

7. I enjoyed myself today without stressing about food, not getting in my workout or how my clothes fit. I just allowed myself to enjoy the day.

Sunday May 26th

I started the morning early, which was slightly frustrating (even if it was by choice). My step, or as I call them "bonus", children were here this weekend to visit with us. Saturday morning we woke up to the early morning sounds of children and the TV at 5:30am, which made for a long day. What happened to the days of kids sleeping in until 11 in the morning on the weekends?!?

This morning was the swap meet that my mom and I go to once a month. It was a big success as well, so I'm glad I got up early to go. I've been really into filling my patio with plants and flowers to make it a place we hang out at night. It's very VERY small, so there's not much I can do out there, and it will only be the three of us hanging out when we do, but I think it's worth it to have it be a nice place to be. I was able to find three plant stands that will be a perfect addition to our growing patio.

The rest of the day was spent with my in-laws and my parents at my in-laws house. They had us all over for lunch and then we all made our way to the newly remodeled park by their house. Patrick and I are so lucky that we live so close to both of our parents. What's more is that we get along with both our parents and our in-laws. I hear horror stories about in-laws and I don't know how I got to be so lucky.

The day was spent in the sun running around with the kids. There was time spent at the park with the kids, basketball with my niece and watching the boys play horseshoes. I can't begin to express how tired I am and how burnt I am. I always forget sunscreen and I always regret it.

I weighed myself this morning again and I am still up. I can't even begin to express my disappointment in myself to gain the first week I attempt to lose weight. But it's not the end all be all and next week is another opportunity to try better and prove that this is something that I can do. Sometimes I chose food that was not the best for me, I worked out more than I was used to and (TMI) my monthly female friend will be visiting in the next few days (and yes, this can cause a weight gain). I'm venting about this here and now so that tomorrow I can simply record my weight and my positives for the week.

I did not log my food for the day because I kind of went a little (okay, okay! A LOT) overboard with the snacks and food and dessert this afternoon.

But... The biggest news of the day is that I made a decision, which affects my weight loss and possibly the Dopey Challenge. I have decided to apply to be a Surrogate. I have had a need/want to become a surrogate for many years. My sister used to work for a cervical cancer coalition and I learned then that some women lose the ability to have children after battling cancer. I wanted to be someone that could help those women. Since then I have learned that there are many other families that want children and are unable to have them. I had an easy pregnancy and no complications when giving birth to Isabel (besides needing a C-section).

Something pushed me that this is the time to do this. I'm still young and I'm pretty sure that Patrick and I are not going to be having any children of our own (I haven't given up hope yet, but it's not looking promising). There are some other personal reasons (someone else's that I don't feel comfortable sharing) that pushed me to finally apply. Now I wait to see if I'm eligible. I'm sure to be an ideal surrogate I will need to lose weight to be a normal BMI, but we'll see what they say. Fingers crossed!

Week Two Goals and Positivity

Last week I made a list of 10 goals that I wanted to focus on for the week. I made them somewhat easy goals that could easily be maintained throughout the week. Goals that I could find success in and be proud of.

So, how did I do?

Goals:

1. *Drink at least 6 glasses of water every day. Not every day, but I drank a lot more water than I was.

2. *Journal food, every single bite. I did my best and actually tracked 6 out of the 7 days.

3. *Follow planned workout schedule.

4. Continue reading Love Your Body, Love Your Life. I read a little this week, but not as much as I was and not as much as I would have liked.

5. *No fast food. I successfully went the whole week without having fast food. I did eat out a lot (which I need to work on) but no drive-thru!

6. *No regular soda. No regular soda all week. Dr Pepper is a weakness of mine. I did have a diet soda yesterday which surprised me that I went that long without soda at all.

7. *Stay off the scale except for weigh-in day. I stepped on the scale twice this week other than weigh in day. I weighed myself on Thursday and this morning. I think it helps me when I have a week where I've gained (like this week) to prepare myself mentally.

8. *Write one positive about myself a day. I was able to write a positive about myself daily.

9. Make motivation wall I did not make my motivation wall yet. I have a tendency to do and re-do projects like this until it's perfect so I want to wait until I can do it once and be happy with the results.

10. Take pride in my appearance by wearing makeup, styling my hair and wearing an outfit that makes me feel good. I started the week strong with wearing makeup and doing my hair a little more than what I've been doing. Towards the end of the week I spent less time on hair and makeup, but still worked on wearing nicer outfits.

*My plan is to track these goals visually in my food journal. I plan on using check marks to track my water intake and stickers to track exercise for the day, no fast food, no regular soda and staying off of the scale. I am a visual person, so earning the stickers will be a good way to see what I need to work on.

I decided to keep most of my goals for this week the same, but I did change a few in order to keep things new and in order to focus on some different things.

Goals:

1. *Drink at least 6 glasses of water every day.

2. *Journal food, every single bite.

3. *Follow planned workout schedule.

4. *No fast food.

5. *No regular soda.

6. *Stay off the scale except for weigh-in day.

7. *Write one positive about myself a day.

8. *Walk at least 10,000 steps a day
9. Go grocery shopping

10. Try a smoothie recipe

*My plan is to track these goals visually in my food journal. I plan on using check marks to track my water intake and stickers to track no fast food, no regular soda and staying off of the scale. I am a visual person, so earning the stickers will be a good way to see what I need to work on.

I recently started following a new blog called The JE Project. Every week she writes down 10 positives about herself without looking back on her previous lists. I like that idea a lot and think it's a great way to focus on the good in yourself.

I feel that writing positives about myself would be a difficult task to attempt in the same way. If I were to attempt to do it right now I think the list would be silly and not meaningful. That's why last week I made a goal to write down one positive a day. 

By writing down one a day I am forcing myself to think of the positives from that day and I end the day in a good place. It could be anything about myself that happened that day or about my body. Anything I find positive about me. 

I'll be sharing my list every Monday morning with my weigh in. I think that if I do it then it will help me see that no matter what the scale says there are at least seven reasons I'm awesome from the week before. 

Weekly Workout: Week Two: May 27th-June 2nd

This past week went really well for me in regards to working out. I feel like I did enough each day to keep me motivated for my next workout but not enough to feel like I wanted to stop working out until the end of forever.

It takes 21 days to make a habit, which is why I intend to do some form of workout for at least 21 days in a row. The intensity is not high enough to worry about injury and the amount of time spent is not long enough to feel guilty. At the end of week three I will reevaluate the number of workouts per week based on how physical therapy is going with my wrist.

I saw Bob Harper wearing a t-shirt on The Biggest Loser this past season that said:

 

It made sense to me and I think that it's a manageable schedule. As long as I don't take two days off in a row, I'm usually okay and will stick with my scheduled workout plan. If physical therapy goes well and my wrist is improving, then I feel like I can take my workouts from 7 days a week to 3 days on 1 day off. However, if I am working out less days per week then I will be upping the intensity of those workouts.

 

This coming week will bring the following workouts:

 

Monday May 27th: Walk/Arms/Abs

Tuesday May 28st: Run/Ripped in 30 (Level One)

Wednesday May 29th: Walk/Jillian Michael's Yoga DVD

Thursday May 30th: Run/Ripped in 30 (Level One)

Friday May 31st: Walk/Arms/Abs

Saturday June 1st: Long Run/Arms/Legs

Sunday June 2nd: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD (Level Two)

 

Walk: (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) 2 miles

Run: (Tuesday and Thursday) 2 miles

Long Run: 5 miles

Arm Workout:
10 Pushups
15 Tricep Kickbacks
15 Bicep Curls
15 Shoulder Press
10 Pushups
20 Bent-Over Rows
15 Front Raises
15 Lateral Raises
10 Push Ups
20 Tricep Dips
15 Fly (laying on back)
15 Chest Press
30 Second Plank
Repeat Twice

Leg Workout:
20 High Knees
15 Butt Kickers
10 Squats
20 Lunges (10 each leg)
10 Side Lunges (5 each leg)
20 Donkey Kicks (10 each leg)
10 Plie Squats
20 Side Lunges (10 each leg)
30 Second Wall Sit
30 Donkey Kicks (15 each leg)
10 Plie Squats
30 Skaters
10 Donkey Kicks (5 each leg)
20 Plie Squats
10 Lunges (5 each leg)
10 Side Lunges (5 each leg)
10 Squats

Ab Workout:
Jillian Michael's Ab DVD (Level One)



Saturday May 25th

Something happened today that made me realize that I am a runner. I don't classify myself as a runner because of what happened, but by my reaction. The following may be TMI to some, and I don't plan on going into detail or sharing pictures. You've been warned though..



Today I lost my second toenail. The first was lost after my second marathon and was somewhat of a scary and embarrassing situation. I refused to wear sandals and felt awkward while barefoot. I missed out on some fun experiences (like going to the pool with the kids) because I let that embarrassment of how my feet looked take over the pride of how I got to that state. 

I was not prepared to lose a toenail this morning. I had no pain until I saw it after my morning workout. I knew what needed to happen and I did it. I'll admit I freaked out a bit. I knew this time would be painful and I really didn't have time to let the reality of the situation set in. 

And it was Patrick who made me realize that I should be proud. I've earned these feet and I really feel like a runner now.

I now have the visual to prove the miles I've put on my feet. A badge of honor. Straight up pride in what I do and who I am. 

Foodwise, today could have gone better, but it could have been worse too. I'm going to look at it glass half full and know that I did okay and I wrote it all down, which is a win!

Early Morning Run

Today was my first long run since training for the LA Marathon in March. I wasn't expecting much since my last two weekday runs didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I was also excited to get out there to start increasing my miles again.

It was difficult to get into it, especially the first two miles. But the third mile felt great and I'm really glad that I went out and completed the run first thing this morning so that I don't have to worry about completing it for the rest of the day. I also completed my leg and arm workout as scheduled for the day.

I wish I had something interesting to write about my run this morning. Something funny or a thought that I had while out there that was meaningful. I tend to do my best thinking while out running, which is one of the reasons I don't listen to music on runs anymore...

But this run was just a run and my most common thought this morning was "It's only 3 miles. You can do 3 miles. You're almost done. Just keep going."

My goal this morning was to run each mile under 14 minutes. I know I said that I don't want to focus on speed, but at the same time I want to see myself improve. When I get to the point of obsession with how fast or slow I am going then I will re-evaluate, but for now I'm okay with my goal. I almost made it too..



Total distance: 3.1 miles
Total time: 43:05

Mile 1- 13:56
Mile 2- 14:01
Mile 3- 13:20
Mile 0.1- 1.44

It's a good place to start. I plan on going up to 5 miles next weekend with the same 30:1 intervals. I'm not sure yet when I plan on moving up to 45:1 intervals. I guess I'll know when the time is right.

Paying for the Dopey Challenge

A couple years ago I started training for my first marathon. I was running anywhere from 10-30 miles a week, not to mention the additional miles I was walking.

At that time I was also doing Weight Watcher's and was finding myself drifting off plan. I needed something to bring me back on track to reach my goal weight and become a lifetime member. 

One day I was on the Weight Watcher's message boards and saw someone suggest that you pay yourself $1 for every pound lost or 25 cents for every activity point earned or every 100 calories burned. This way it was even more of an incentive to stay on plan or to go for a workout.

For me I decided to use this idea to pay myself $1 for every mile that I ran and/or walked with the intentions of going on a shopping spree with the money I had earned. I felt this plan to be manageable financially and it gave me the push I needed to literally go the extra mile.

I reached my goal weight and allowed myself to use the $1000 I had earned on myself with a shopping spree for new clothes to fit my new, smaller body. I had a blast treating myself and I felt like I had earned everything that I bought.

I tried this same tactic when I decided that I wanted to do the Goofy Challenge. It was a way to pay for the trip without feeling guilty and instead feeling like I earned it. But that quickly ended when I realized that there were a lot of other things I needed the money for at the time.

But I'm back to this same money saving tactic. I feel like it's such a positive way to save money. It puts focus on how I'm saving and spending the money. I'm not just spending money on a race, a flight and a hotel. I'm earning that trip and I'm earning the entry into the race. It makes me want to stick with my planned run and walks and it makes me want to go just a little bit further.

I know that I will not be near where I need to be to pay for the race, flight, hotel and extra money for food and miscellaneous items, but I know that if I try my hardest and can earn at least half of what I plan on spending for this trip then it will be worth it.

I highly recommend this way of saving for people who are in need of that little push to get themselves moving, or for those who feel guilty spending money on themselves like I do. It's such a great way to earn what you want by benefiting in other healthy ways.

So get out there and start moving in order to start saving!

Friday May 24th

I started today with a decision. I wanted to check where I was on the scale. A mid week check in so that I could tell if my efforts were working.

If I'm honest, my clothes are not fitting any better, but I feel better and I felt like I was looking better. I've been drinking more water, less soda. I've been working out. I've been tracking my food and making better choices.

So I stepped on the scale. I looked up and I asked Patrick to tell me whether I was higher or lower than I was on Monday. He said lower. But that wasn't enough so I had to ask him if it was down a little or a lot. He said a little.

From what I remember, when I try to lose weight, the first week is usually the week when you lose the most. But as of now I am down 0.4 pounds. Which is better than being up. And that's what I've been repeatedly telling myself.

I have to remember that the scale is just a number. I have to remember that the changes I am making are not for that number they are for me. I have many reasons to explain the small loss, like a heavy dinner last night and the fact that I've exercised every day since Monday.

There can be many reasons to not have the loss you were expecting. And if I really logically think about it, that's not my final number. My official weigh in is on Monday and a lot can happen between now and then.

The other thing that happened today that threw me off was I was not able to get in my 2 mile walk today. Normally this would send me for a loop and it would take me days to get back into it. Instead I did the arm and ab workouts I had planned and realized that maybe it's okay to take the day off from walking. Maybe my body needs that break.

And I finally made it to the grocery store today. Even better is that I stayed under budget. I love it when I can get a cart full of food and spend less than I had planned. I got a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and some healthy snacks for me. I think that it will help to have those as options so that I can choose now instead of only having the unhealthy choice. Here's hoping that works.



Accepting A Compliment

I couldn't even begin to count the number of times Patrick has complimented me. Whether it's about superficial things like my looks or my body or about things that matter like my personality or my accomplishments. I know that my husband finds me attractive and I know that my husband is proud of me because he is constantly telling me.

But out of these hundreds of thousands of times he's told me I can count on one hand the number of times I have accepted and believed the compliment. 

More often than not I dismiss his compliments as lies. If he tells me I'm pretty or beautiful I automatically think he's lying to me because I don't find myself to be pretty or beautiful. Other times I will simply say thank you while in my mind I argue as to why it's not a true statement and I end up insulting myself multiple times in the process.

I realized a few weeks ago that I accept compliments from strangers better than I accept them from loved ones. In my mind my family compliments me because they have to, whereas a stranger has nothing to gain. It makes very little sense to think this way, and in all honesty there are times where I dismiss the compliment as mockery.

I started to really think about my thought process on this subject a couple weeks ago when Patrick started a conversation about his coworker. They recently became friends on Facebook and she was looking through his pictures. He rarely posts, but there were pictures on there from our wedding. She talked to him at work, asking if that was his wife. She told him that she thought I was beautiful and that I could be a model.

I've never met this person before, and yet her compliment (minus the model part because I just don't see it) made my day. It put a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. I walked around that day with my head held a little higher. 

So why is it that my reaction is so strong to a compliment from someone I don't know compared to the same compliment from my husband?  

I truly wish I knew the answer so that I can work on my reaction. I'm fairly sure that working on my negative body obsession will help improve the way I accept a compliment. I have to believe not only that I am pretty, but also that my family is being honest with me when they compliment me. It's not fair to me to not accept it, and it's not fair to them when they are just being nice.

Thursday May 23rd

Today's run felt better than Tuesday's. I maintained about the same speed as that run even though there were a few different factors.

I ran at my parents house today, which has inclines on the route I go instead of the flat course on the wash. I also went in the afternoon, so it was a lot warmer out. 

To be honest, I felt like I was going faster than I was, and I felt that twinge of panic. I felt like I was pushing myself and still went slower than I had hoped. I felt like it was going to take a lot for me to improve in any way. I felt every inch of my body with each step I took.

I literally almost slapped myself across the face. 

Those things are not important, at least not right now. This is the second run for me. I have room for improvement and I have plenty of time to make those improvements the right way.

The main thing I need to focus on is one of my favorite quotes I've seen on pinterest and I use it often as a mantra while running:
 



Today's run was 2.13 miles and it took me exactly 30 minutes. 

Mile 1- 13:48

Mile 2- 14:23

Mile 0.13- 1:49

 

My eating could have been better today. I felt very snacky all day and couldn't shake that feeling. I know the problem started by me not having breakfast this morning. That plus working out this morning I just didn't do well. I really need to go grocery shopping to prevent this. Usually, if I have the choice, I will pick the healthy food. But since the refrigerator is looking pretty bare I went for the unhealthy choices.

 

Tomorrow is another day. And I'm not going to spend the rest of the night wallowing over my choices for today. All I can do is know that I can make better choices tomorrow. And that's exactly what I plan on doing. I will not let one day derail me for the rest of the week!

Life Without NBO & What Are Intentions?

I have been reading Love Your Body, Love Your Life for a few days now and I couldn't be happier with what I've been reading. I continue to believe that this is just what I needed and I think the timing couldn't have been better.

I am getting anxious to begin The Five Steps to Freedom, but I know that it is important to read the first part of the book (Understanding Your Journey) so that I can fully understand what the steps are and why. I truly want to make this work, but I know I will only get out of this what I put into it.

So I've been continuing to underline the parts that stand out the most to me. I've never done this in a book before for the simple reason that I haven't read a self help book before. I've looked for something to help me in the past, but could never find what I needed. Until now. Which makes sense because I wasn't quite ready for it before now.

I highlighted my top ten parts of chapter one here and chapter two here. The following are my highlights from the rest of part one:

"You probably spend most of your time thinking about what you don't have and what you aren't. In order to live without NBO, you need to imagine what you could have."

"The more you focus on loving and accepting your body and enjoying it as an ally on your journey through life, the more you will create those feelings in your life."

"In order to change your life, you must first change your mind."

 "Whether you are a middle-aged man or woman carrying a little more weight than you would like, an emotional eater, someone struggling with obesity, someone suffering from anorexia or bulimia, or a teenager dreaming of being the latest pop star, you can break free from Negative Body Obsession."

"'Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.'"

"Intention is the force that animates and orchestrates everything in the universe without effort and without strain."

"Key attributes of intention:

• Intention is all-inclusive. There is nowhere that it is not and nothing it does not include.

• Intention is always on time. It provides what the universe needs, when it needs it."

"In order to successfully manifest your intentions, you want to align yourself with the field of intention."

"According to the Law of Detachment, in order to manifest your dreams and desires, you must first relinquish your attachment to them."

"Trust that the universal force of intention, which is always on time, will fulfill your desires when the time is right."

I think my favorite section of part one is How to Set an Intention and the Criteria of a Successful Intention. They are manageable to do and make sense, which helps me because I really can't handle anything too complicated right now. I need something that will bring me success easily, and from what I've read that's exactly how this works. I no doubt will have to put work into it, but I'm willing to do what it takes!

I am really looking forward to part two and plan to start reading it right away so that I can begin to change my way of thinking. Having a positive attitude about all of this and especially having a positive mind set about my body will bring me the greatest success. I'm sure I will continue to fail and restart if I continue to think negatively about myself and about my body.

My new rule of life? Positive Positive Positive!

Wednesday May 22nd

"Get comfortable being uncomfortable."

 

The plan for today was to take Isabel to school and then go to my parents house to do my workout for the day. I decided to do my workout there because it's closer to Isabel's school and I don't see the point in driving home for that short amount of time. Yes, I choose to not drive the extra 7 miles home because it saves me time and gas.

 

So, I dropped Isabel off at school at 9am and headed straight to my parents house. They weren't home, which was perfect because I do not need an audience while I'm doing a workout video.. I went for a 2.16 mile walk (including uphill!) and then started Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. 

 

I have a new found respect for those who practice yoga. It was hard! I will say that this is the first time I have ever attempted yoga and I believe that, with it being Jillian and all, it was more difficult than a slower/calmer yoga DVD. But I learned that 1. I can try something new without the need to feel nervous and 2. I have very little balance.

 

I really enjoyed the workout though, and I think that it will definitely be a weekly workout from now on. I am looking forward to improving my balance and I think that there will come a point in time when I find a yoga studio to take a real class from. That will be when I have a lot more balance and when I stop huffing and puffing during a workout.

 

 

Jillian is much calmer in this workout DVD and easier to tolerate. I completed the full 30 days of 30 Day Shred and I will admit that I cursed out the TV in her direction on more than one occasion. I'm sure if I did this DVD for 30 days in a row I might do the same though...

 

My food journal today was not bad, but not good. We went out to eat for dinner and I splurged a little. I did not eat the tortillas with my fajitas and I didn't eat all of the guacamole and sour cream, so in that way I think it was okay. The chips and salsa, not so great.

 



 

I am so incredibly proud of myself for so many reasons. I have stuck with every workout that I have had planned. I have been eating smaller portions and healthier foods. I've stayed away from fast food and regular soda. I've stayed off of the scale except for weigh in day. And I've been staying positive, especially when it comes to myself.

 

I can honestly say that I have been enjoying the process and I do not have unrealistic ideas of how this is going to happen. I am not on a time frame and therefore know that no matter what happens week to week I am making this change for the long run and that the end result will happen in due time. I am definitely earning these results and not just expecting them to happen because I wish them.

Reasons Why I Want to Get in Shape

There is one thing that I have not done before and I feel may be a necessary part of succeeding on this journey.

I have never made a list of reasons why I want to get in shape and be healthy. It's always just been something I want because I don't like the way I look, but it's so much more than that. So much more.

I realized I wanted to make a list shortly after Patrick asked when we could start to get in shape. In normal circumstances I may have been irritated at the assumption that he thinks I need to get in shape, however being so open about my weight loss (and more important, my negative self talk) gives him pretty clear insight into what I may need on this journey.

I've asked Patrick quite a few times if he would join me with working out and eating healthy. Every time we tend to make it a few days together we both end up falling off the wagon.

But this time it was his idea, and I think that's what might make this stick this time around.

So I made a list of reasons why I'm doing this and I think keeping this list visible (on my motivation wall) will help me remember why I want this. I think lists like this are meant to be open and honest, so although some of these reasons may seem vain or unimportant to some, they are mine and no one can take that away from me...

Reasons Why I Want To Get In Shape:

1. To have more confidence

2. To be more comfortable with my body

3. To be prepared for and complete The Dopey Challenge

4. To have more energy

5. To be a better influence on my children

6. So my husband will find me attractive

7. To feel strong

8. To reach my goal weight and maintain it

9. To spend at least one whole day without thinking about my body negatively

10. To want to stand in front of the camera instead of always being behind it

11. To not feel self conscious waving to someone while wearing a tank top

12. To run a mile without stopping

13. To finish a 5K race without stopping

14. So that when my friends from the Weight Watchers boards say they want to meet up for a hike I will be excited to go and not make excuses to not go

15. To be physically healthy to have a baby if we decide to continue our family

16. To have the right eating habits in place so that if we do have a baby I won't gain 80 pounds while pregnant like I did with Isabel

17. To say yes and actually go in every time the kids want to go to the pool

18. To not cry in the fitting rooms while trying on bathing suits

19. To feel confident in a bathing suit

20. To not wonder or care what other people think of my body

21. To not care if my husband checks out other women, because their husbands may be checking me out 

22. To not feel my body jiggle with each step while I run

23. So I will stop thinking people are talking about or laughing at me

24. To start needing to shop for smaller pants instead of larger ones

25. To believe people when they tell me I'm pretty

26. To not hide food/candy wrappers from my husband

27. To avoid high blood pressure (runs in the family)

28. To feel confident to wear the lingerie without spilling out

29. To show my daughter that beauty is more on the inside then the outside

30. So I can finally have an after photo

31. To fit into my little black dress from 5 years ago

32. To be able to love myself, like my husband loves me

33. To believe my husband when he tells me that he thinks I'm sexy

34. To be more positive

35. To get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (from 5 years ago)

36. To handle stress without food

37. To handle happiness without food

38. To have the confidence to do a Boudoir photo shoot for my husband

39. To not wonder if something is going to zip up

40. To look (and feel) good naked

41. To have more patience

42. To be constantly high on endorphins

43. To look forward to my next workout

44. To fit into my skinny jeans

45. To wear a short dress without wearing 3/4 spandex pants underneath to hide my thighs

46. To encourage my husband to keep at his weight loss goals

47. To feel proud of myself for reaching and staying at my goal

48. To get rid of that "what if" pair of jeans because I know I will never be that size again

49. So that I could possibly be a role model for those that want to lose weight

50. To feel confident in a pair of shorts

51. So I can stop feeling envious of thin, healthy women

52. To know that I am worth spending the time on myself

53. To not moan and groan from getting up from the floor

54. To buy cute underwear without worrying about indentations

55. To train in a sports bra and shorts on hot days

56. So that I will take more pride in how I look on a day to day basis

57. To be more willing to try new things

58. To be more socially comfortable

59. To sleep better

60. To sit on my husbands lap without worrying about hurting him

61. To get a massage without feeling self conscious

62. To have the energy to clean the apartment instead of sitting on the couch

63. So the workout DVDs will stop collecting dust

64. So I can watch my body get stronger

65. To notice my body changing

66. So others can notice too

67. To avoid weight related health issues

68. To live longer

69. To see and be able to play with my grandchildren

70. To not have to squat and tug my jeans up over my thighs

71. Or suck in my gut to button my jeans

72. Or wear a larger shirt to hide the muffin top

73. So I can stop thinking the bed is breaking when it creaks

74. So I can focus on some of my other goals

75. So I can stop blaming my lower belly pooch on the c-section

76. To not be self conscious eating in public

77. To not have a section of my body that I dislike

78. To be able to easily think of things I like about myself (both physically and otherwise)

79. To be comfortable being intimate with the lights on

80. To learn how to water ski

81. To learn how to snow board

82. To ride a motor cycle

83. To climb a mountain

84. To have a healthy BMI

85. To not fear the doctor's scale

86. To know that fast food is not the right choice

87. To know that no excuse is worth it

88. To prove to myself that I have the willpower to do this

89. To enjoy myself on vacation

90. So I can save money

91. So I can accept a compliment when someone gives me one, rather than feel the need to deny it, tell him he's crazy, or silently wish I felt the same

92. To make it through any Jillian Michael's DVD challenge

93. To be more comfortable in the kitchen making healthier meals

94. To stop fearing the scale

95. To be less critical and negative about myself

96. To stop avoiding mirrors and windows

97. To take pressure off of my knees and avoid another knee surgery

98. So I can show off my muscles

99. So I can say my weight out loud with pride

100. To love myself

Tuesday May 21st

Another successful day, which makes me feel so good about so many things. I feel good about what I'm doing to change my body. I feel good about how I'm going about changing my body. I feel healthier by simply eating better food. I feel happier by simply working out. I feel like I'm worth the time I'm spending on me. And I am not expecting to see dramatic changes in an unrealistic time frame.

I'm simply making manageable changes that I can do for a lifetime.

I decided today to start wearing my pedometer to track my daily steps. Starting next week I will begin to aim to hit 10,000 steps each day. Yesterday I hit just over 8,000 and today I should hit 7,000. I feel like a few adjustments will need to be made in order to get in those extra steps to reach my goal next week.

I didn't take any pictures today other than of my daily tracker, but I did get in my scheduled workout. I started with my arms and legs this morning and completed my 2 mile run right before dinner. Endorphins are amazing and make me happy.

Another tracked day.

 

My run went well tonight. It was nice to get back into it, even if it was more difficult than I would have hoped. It's been 65 days today since I've been for a run and my body could feel it. I took it nice and slow and enjoyed just being out there again. The old me would have been upset or felt the need to justify my time, but this time I am running for a specific purpose. I am running specifically for distance. Yes, there is a finish time that I have to aim for, but I'm about 2 minutes faster than that right now and feel like I will improve by more than that in the next year and a half (I would hope at least!)

 

As of right now, I am aiming to finish each mile under 15 minutes. That's slow enough to avoid injury and gives me a good starting point to get back to my consistent 11:30-13 minute miles for farther distances if I can build myself up slowly.

 

I'm not a fast runner and I will probably never be a fast runner. I only know what works for me and in order for me to finish a run I need to do two things. 1) I need to keep it at a reasonable speed and 2) I need to run intervals. I use the Galloway method and love it! It's what works best for me. I've been able to run one mile straight through once in my life and I just know that it's not something I will be able to do for 26.2 miles straight.

 

Normally I run 45:1 intervals, meaning I run for 45 seconds and walk for 1 minute. I built myself up to 1:1 intervals last year for my solo half marathon, but since I am just starting back up I have taken myself down to running 30:1 intervals for now. Just until I can get my body back into it. I would like to take the next year and a half to build myself up to at least 1:1 intervals for Dopey, if not longer running intervals.

 

Tonight's run was a distance of 2.30 miles on the wash. I walked the first 0.15 to get to the wash, ran intervals for 2 miles and walked 0.15 miles back home.

 

Can't complain for my first time back at it in 65 days!

 

Mile 1- 14:17

Mile 2- 13:45

Mile 0.30- 4:30

I'm looking forward to tracking my improvements with both my strength and my running. I do intend to work on my speed, but it's not my top priority. I am really looking forward to going out again for another run on Thursday. And I'm also looking forward to my first attempt at the Jillian Michael's yoga DVD I recently bought. I have never attempted yoga, and I know that her DVD is not like regular yoga, but it should be a nice change of pace.

Preparation Tips on Pinterest

I am not a cook. In fact I'm the farthest thing from it.

The reason for this is because I'm not comfortable being in the kitchen. It causes anxiety to even think about looking at recipes online or in cookbooks, let alone buying the ingredients and then putting them together and making them into what's supposed to be a meal. And it's supposed to be edible? Nothing I have made has ever turned out 1. The way it looks in the pictures or 2. The way it's supposed to taste.

But, I feel like one of the reasons I fail is because I am so uncomfortable in the kitchen. I often say yes to eating out and I rarely buy fresh food, opting for pre-packaged food because it's easier to just grab something and go rather than prepare something myself.

When I'm bored I sometimes find myself spending hours at a time on pinterest. I have pictures saved for my future house, decorating and to-do ideas to where my house that I do not own (and probably won't for years) is already decorated in my mind. The board I look at the most though is the health and fitness one. It used to be just for motivational quotes, which then turned into looking for workout ideas and finally, today, I started looking for easy recipes that I can do in order to give me another chance to be successful.

I found some recipes for a couple easy breakfasts, but I was mostly looking at recipes for smoothies (yay fresh fruit!). Smoothies are easy for breakfast, a snack, after a good workout and especially on a hot summer day (which are on their way). I wrote these recipes down and now I cannot wait to make them! I found a peanut butter and banana and a chocolate raspberry smoothie recipe from Prevention.com and I found an apple banana cinnamon, a raspberry orange and a kiwi-strawberry smoothie from Foodnetwork.com. I will be blogging about these smoothies with recipes/photos soon!

While on there I also found a great pin about 9 things to do in your kitchen to lose weight. I found it helpful (even if it is basic common sense to most people). For me, being so uncomfortable in the kitchen, I found this list to be something I can do easily without feeling too overwhelmed.

So, I want to share it here so that if for any reason someone feels uncomfortable and hasn't seen this list they can benefit from it the way I hope to. Please visit the website directly for the entire list, however this is what I took from it:

1. Make fruits accessible: Wash, cut up and store fruits in reusable containers so they're easy to grab and keep them up front at eye level so they're the first thing you see.

2. Prepare a container of salad:  Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill up so you eat less of the main course. You're sure to eat a salad with dinner if it's already made.

3. Have measuring cups and spoons on the counter: Measuring your food will keep portions in check. Seeing measuring spoons and cups on the counter will be a visual reminder to use them.

4. Pre-make snack packs: Take your favorite healthy snacks and some Ziploc baggies and make your own snack packs that you can keep in your cupboard. This will prevent you from eating an entire container of your favorite snacks.

5. Ditch the unhealthy foods: If unhealthy foods are within your reach, you're bound to crave them. Throw out or give away the junk because if it's not there, you can't be tempted to eat it.

6. Use smaller-sized plates: If you start out with a smaller-sized plate, there's only so much you can pile on, so you'll end up consuming fewer calories.

7. Freeze fruits and veggies: Buy larger bags of fruits and veggies, wash, cut and store them in baggies in the freezer. You'll not only save money but you'll also have them on hand.

8. Double or even triple the recipe: Don't just make enough for one meal, package the leftovers in containers you can easily grab for the next few days. If your lunch or dinner is already prepared you won't have to resort to unhealthy takeout.

9. Put food away before you sit down to eat: After you've cooked, serve yourself an appropriate serving size and then wrap up the remaining food and put it in the fridge. If you leave it out, you're more likely to go back for seconds.

Like I said, I hope to benefit from this list. I think that they are simple enough tips that I can follow. Next step is to make it to the grocery store in order to get some fresh foods for healthy snacks. Hopefully someone else can benefit from this list as well!