Summer Update

Obviously, I haven't blogged here much over this past summer. That does NOT mean that I haven't been working hard. I was chosen for a weight loss contest on Win, Lose, Blog. It was 6 weeks long. I won! It was so much fun. I'm so glad I was chosen as it gave me the extra encouragement I needed to lose weight this summer. Overall, I am down about 10 lbs from this time last year. I'm happy with that.

I have a very big goal of being down to my wedding weight by my 10th anniversary (Dec 19th). This means I need to lose about 15 lbs. I'm going to try my best to get there.

My goals for the next week:

Plan in advance my eating and exercise. Log all eating and exercising.

Limit all sugars. Try to only use natural sweeteners (like honey)

Eat 5 small, frequent meals. All balanced with good carbs, protein, and some fat. Eat lots of veggies.

No white flour or HFCS at all.

Do Insanity every morning and get to the gym for other exercise as I can. I have some sick kiddos right now so that might not work.

Only drink water and (one glass) skim milk each day

Be more active with kids each day (if they are better, of course). I'm hoping to get some extra walks in with them this week.

Insanity

I've been very interested in the Insanity program from beachbody.com. I've been researching it for awhile and it looks amazing. High, intense interval training. That's how I lost the weight before (well, and clean eating, of course). Well, I bought it this last week! For about 1/3 the price on beachbody. And, no, it wasn't a pirated copy either. Amazingly, there are a LOT of those out there. That's just sad for the people that put out these products.

No, I bought it from a local student here. I saw his post on craigslist.com. He is moving and just wanting to get rid of things. Honestly, I don't think he ever did the workouts as everything was brand new! New wall calendar, food journal and recipes, etc. It also came with three additional DVD's that don't usually come with the program.

I started this on Wednesday and so far I love it! It is super hard (thus, the name, Insanity) but I can see where it will get much easier for me. I thought I was in pretty good shape. I mean, I work out hard almost every day, just finished a half marathon, chase my kids around all day long, etc. I need to lose 20-30 lbs but otherwise, pretty good shape. However, I was quickly humbled during the first workout of Insanity. That's good, though, I want to be pushed!

I would caution anyone with bad joints to be very careful when doing this program. And, if you are just starting out exercising, don't start with this. Seriously, get in really good shape before you start this. It is dang hard and there are lots of jumping, ploymetrics, etc. I do it on carpet but put two mats over it to make it easier on my joints.

No sugar challenge day 1 of 30

So, I am addicted to sugar! I know I could lose 10 lbs if I just cut out sugar. So, for the next 30 days, sugar is gone. Today is day one. Then, after the 30 days, I will allow myself one meal/treat a week free (the same day). Not a full day of eat-whatever-I-want because that just backfires on me.

Also, I am not using any artificial sweeteners as I view those as poison for your body. Also, I will not use white flour. That really isn't a problem unless I eat out. We only keep wheat in this house!

I gave blood on Thursday and that really wipes me out. I didn't exercise Thursday or Friday. I did 60 min body pump this morning, 2 (1 minute) sprints, and walked some. It felt good but I could tell I was still tired from giving blood.

Eating:
B - eggs with hot sauce
S - cucumbers (the only thing our garden has decided to produce successfully)
L - chicken with mango salsa, plain yogurt, banana, and cheese stick
S - whole wheat, homemade bread with honey
D - chicken and salad

Update

81 days until my half marathon and 85 days until my 31st birthday!

I actually am doing well! I have lost a few pounds. But, more than that, I feel firmer and lighter. The eating is coming along well. I overate July 4th weekend but that is mostly it. I'm finding that I'm having more and more days of healthy, moderate eating and less of the bad, oveating. So, I'm going in the right direction!

The training for the half marathon is going well. I ran 8 miles a week ago Monday and it wasn't too bad. Mostly I am continuing to cross train along with my running and also sprinting. I'm still scared when I think of the half marathon but I know if I continue along this path, I should be okay.

Today's plan:
Gym - 45 min body step and 45 min body pump.
Eating:
Breakfast: eggs with sundried tomatoes, 5 fresh strawberries, skim milk
Snack: string cheese, almonds
Lunch: Leftover veggie dish from last night (recipe coming soon!)
Snack: medium apple (or half of the humongous ones I have in the fridge)
Dinner: Turkey burgers and big salad with cottage cheese

Goals

It's good to have goals, right? Even better when they are written down with a plan of action. The best are when you share them with others! So, that you suceed, they can be happy. (Or fail, everyone will know.)

I have two major goals before my birthday in October:

Run a half marathon
Lose 20 lbs

The two go hand in hand. I'm in decent shape right now. As decent as a person 30 lbs overweight can be, I guess. I ran 7.5 miles this week and exercised every other day. But, running is not fun for me right now. I know it will be much easier if I am lighter.

To do this, I need to be eating healthily CONSISTENTLY. I go off and on and I feel horrible when I overeat and eat the wrong foods. I feel better when I'm eating healthily and in moderation. But, there is always the temptation to eat junk (sugar mostly) and overeat. It's like it never goes away.

I love the South Beach diet. Except, I can never make it through Phase 1. Ever. It always backfires on me. I love the second phase, though (minus all the fake sugar crud). This is how I lost weight before. Lean meats, high complex carbs, two servings of fruit, lots of veggies, little to none sugar.

I need to have faith that this will get easier. I need to focus on fueling my BODY not my emotions. I'm an emotional overeater. I eat when I'm feeling any emotion, it seems. Except severe stress. Then I just have panic attacks.

But, I'm in a good place in my life. I feel like everything is in balance in my life except for my eating.

How do I overcome this?

I've read several books. I KNOW what/when I should be eating. I lost 70 lbs after my second son. I've only lost 29 since my last son (now 2) was born. And, I've only lost 4 lbs in the last YEAR! I seriously need to stop this cycle.

I do know this - I can't have a cheat day. It just turns into several cheat days, weeks, etc. I need to limit sugar and white/processed foods. I need to food journal. I need to keep myself engaged in fulfilling activities that I enjoy.

I know all this. I just need to do it.

Rebuilding Amy

Like giveaways and a fun blog? Check out Amy at http://rebuildingamy.blogspot.com/

Weekend update and today

Weekend didn't go as well with eating as I had planned. But, I got two really good workouts in.

Today:

Exercise:
ran 2 miles in 18 minutes (includes warm up). I gradually increased my speed from 5mph until I got to 8mph and stayed there for about 3 minutes.
1 minute sprints (9 or 9mph) with 1 min rest in between
I then did a few minutes of weights with a sprint in between (11mph sprint for 30 seconds). I did three more sprints total.
I then did some more weights and a little bit on the elliptical.
I plan to do ab jam as well tonight and possibly take the kiddos to the park this evening so they can ride their bikes.

Food: - Again, where I REALLY struggle. I am planning everything out the night before and sticking with it. No carbs after 2pm. I'll do another post with more of the 'rules' I'm following with my diet. Basically, it is South Beach phase 2.

Breakfast - 3 eggs with fresh salsa
Snack - didn't eat it as I wasn't hungry
Lunch - Moroccan Lentil Soup with lf sour cream and lf mozzarella, medium apple
Dinner - grilled steak with salad
Snack - v8, cottage cheese