On the journey....again

So, here we are.

It's been a long, long time since I've posted here. I've had a(nother) baby.

Woot! for babies! Boooooo for baby fat.

So I have some to lose, but I'm cool with it.  Only about eight pounds, this time around, which most people would scoff at--but for me (a 5'0" frame) it's a lot.  Eight might as well be 80, because some days, it feels like I have that far to go.

My lifestyle has changed, as has the way I eat. No more slim-fasting, no more weird diets.  There will be only real food for this Momma.  If that means that it takes me twice as long to lose my eight pounds--which, I don't think it will, but if it does--then so be it.  I'm not putting any more fake crud into my body, if I can help it.

I'm writing here tonight, knowing that no one will probably see this.  It's all the better, I suppose.  This is more for me, anyway.

I need some motivation.  Why is exersise and 'dieting', if you want to call it that, so stinkin' hard?

It's because I lack the discipline to go forward. I like food.  I like good food.  I love good food.  I don't comfort eat, I just enjoy eating.  And, as we all know, that can get us into big trouble sometimes.

So, I'm walking the plank. Jumping aboard. Getting my rear in gear...whatever you want to say, I'm starting.

No more looking into the mirror and seeing something I am not pleased with.

Devin

Does anyone still read this?

Surprised!

As you should know (from my comment on Devins post) I have been really sucking lately! I don't think there is a nicer way to say that... I've been slacking. Not exercising, not drinking my water, and not paying attention to what/when I'm eating (like snacking without thinking in the middle of the day)... I was too afraid to weigh myself but I did sometime after I posted and I gained back 2 pounds. I managed to exercise 3 times last week... except they were all on the same day! I did 20 min on the elliptical, then did (or tried to do) a ab video segment (there are 3 segments on a video), and then did a 2 mile walk video! I don't know what got into me!! But that was it for the whole week, darn! If I could have kept that up... This week I have only logged in one time on the elliptical but it was for 40 minutes! That was yesterday, I was going to today but I worked so I couldn't (I'm cleaning my old bosses house with my mom 1 day a week), but I would like to think that it counted since it was 5 hours of hard labor. Anyways I got my water in today!! And yesterday it has been so stinkin hot out! I did finally take a deep breath and weigh myself today and .... I lost 4 pounds!! (6 if you count the 2 I gained back, but I am just counting from where I started.) It is getting hard to remember all the half numbers and stuff, but it isn't like I am going to write my weight down and just stick it in the drawer!! I'm down 9 pounds total!! I don't know where that number came from, what a total surprise to me! Granted it is almost embarrassing to say I've lost almost 10 pounds... I would think people would look at me and be like she weighed 10 pounds more that what she is now, Jeesh~! (I am still positive it all came from my boobs!) I'm rambling... sorry!

First of all:

Julie: I am so proud of you! Three pounds down, and a great attitude to help you keep on going! Keep it up....and don't let Ande talk you into anything... *grin*

Second....

My sister in law sent me this today, thinking it would be appropriate for our blog. I'm inclined to agree with her!

Take heart ladies!

We've been doing it all wrong for years!!

This should yield much more pleasant results!

The CORRECT way to weigh yourself:

Lost another 3 pounds

Well, I ended up cancelling my trial subscription to Self Help Works. It ended up being a little too "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me" (remember Al Franken's character on Saturday Night Live??) for me.

I have been drinking oolong tea (it's quite good!) which is supposed to help one lose weight. I don't know if it actually does, or if it's giving me a placebo effect, but I have lost about 3 more pounds.

WHOO-HOO!!

Still having a bit of a hard time with Ande wanting to eat junky snacks around me, the worst of which is Starbucks - because I LOVE my White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream...

Stay away from the Starbucks...Stay away from the Starbucks....(my new mantra!! LOL)

Well, girls......

I have made it.

I have lost the 12+ (actually 13!) pounds that I wanted to lose. And today, I wanted to offer a little encouragement:

IT IS WORTH IT.

Taking the weight off was really tough. It was tougher that I thought it was going to be actually, because the weight didn't come off nearly as fast as I thought it would, but I am so glad that I stuck with it for 13 weeks. I met most of my personal goals, including being in a cute new swimsuit in time for swimsuit season; being back in all of my pre-children shorts and dresses (that one feels the best, I think!); and toning my arms and legs and tummy area.

It was really, really hard. But I am soooooo very glad I stuck with it.

And, the best part: once I got to my goal weight, I could actually breathe again. And what I mean by that is, I am able for the first time in a long time to eat pretty normally. Now that I am not actually trying to lose weight but only to maintain where I am at, I am still exercising, and I am able to eat quite a bit more than I was before and haven't gained anything back! It is great. I am able to enjoy pizza and some sweets (definitely my ice cream! But, Edy's 1/2 the fat, of course. :-) What am I, crazy?)

It is worth it. The hard work will pay off. Be consistent. Stick with it. You will love yourself for it, I promise!

Alright, that's IT!

Okay, so I have NOT been motivated at ALL to eat better or exercise. Not one bit. Needless to say, it hasn't boded well for my weight. As a matter of fact, at one point this week I weighed myself and was 8 lbs MORE than when I originally said I wanted to lose weight. CRAP! Are you KIDDING me??? I know it's my own fault, but geez!!

Now I am motivated. The last couple of days, I have been writing down everything I eat and have been drinking more water. I also got on a site called Self Help Works and have a trial membership in their weight loss program. It's got ideas for what types of foods to eat at each meal, and there is an audio program that goes along with it. I'm not due to start the audio part until Sunday, so I'll let you know what I think of it.

My motivation has helped, as I am now only about 4 lbs over what I weighed when I originally started. Now if I can just get myself to exercise. I did tell Ande last night that we need to get my treadmill out of the basement and maybe put it (and the TV, which is currently sitting in the garage) in our bedroom so I can watch a movie or something while I walk on it. I also tried out elliptical machines last night at a couple of stores while Ande looked for some new basketball shoes. After trying a few of them, I was like that lady in the movie Napoleon Dynamite - "I WANT THAT" Guess Ande's gonna have to work some OT so he can buy me one!! LOL

So anyway, I just wanted to "confess" to you all that I haven't been diligent in my attempt to lose weight, and I want you ladies to hold me accountable!!

P.S. Read my blog post about what Puckey said to me last night by clicking here.

Question

Does the fact that I bought a box of the 100 calorie packs in chocolate cupcake cancel itself out because I ate 3 packs in one sitting? I couldn't help it - they were good AND I'm on my period. Total chocolate craving.

Oops!

My bad! I read the number of steps I did, not the calories I burned! I knew 725 seemed like a crazy huge number!! I actually burned 75 calories yesterday.

So far today I have done 35 minutes, which equals 2819 steps, and 282 calories. Not bad.

Well THAT sucked!!

I purchased a used elliptical today and I just got off of it. Exercising really sucks! :0) I was only testing it out because I didn't want to get all sweaty before bed, but I put in 10 minutes and it said I burned 725 calories!! (...and I did get a bit sweaty) Here's hoping for at least a pound weight loss this week!

I have my show I like to watch during the day (the horror, I know) so I am hoping to use that time (I don't think I could do the whole time, we might have to work up to that!) to exercise. Maybe that way it won't seem like such a chore... My girls really like playing on the elliptical (Kylie is actually pretty good too! I'm surprised her legs can fit over it!), I pretty sure I am going to have to fight them for use of it! :0)

My heart rate was over my target heart range (no surprise there), so what's your thoughts... do I slow WAY down (I wasn't going that fast to begin with) so I stay in my range and supposedly burn more calories, or do I just chug away where I am regardless of my heart rate? Does it really matter? (I only have the hand grips to measure my heart rate, I don't know how accurate they are...) I've heard that if your heart if pumping too much your body is just working on it pumping and you aren't burning... is that a myth?

One more thing... what are your thoughts on eating? Do you only eat when you are hungry or do you eat small amounts many times a day (5-6) to keep your metabolism form slacking? I know people who believe in both, and I don't know if either way is better.

Are you SERIOUS?!

So this week was pretty much the same as last week. I lost half a pound both weeks (woo freaking who!) I guess it is better than gaining, but half a pound come on! It takes a long time to get back to where you want to be when you are only losing half a pound at a time!

I've kinda been slacking when it comes to exercising. I have 2 great videos, but finding time in the morning is hard and I don't want to get sweaty after I've already showered. On the downside the videos have been hurting my knees, when we were dating my husband and I were riding our motorcycle and we were hit by a pickup truck . Ever since then my knee acts up every once in a while, and the videos seem to irritate it. I have been looking for an elliptical on ebay and craigslist with no luck so far.

It has been a bit warmer over here and I took the kids for another bike ride, the hill was still horrible! I really need to find a better place to ride, I swear I almost died!

I have been eating lean cuisine panini sandwiches for lunch, eating something pre-portioned works well for me. I actually find that I am getting full before I am done with it, so I have been splitting it with my son. I'm still working on dinner, I'm trying to eat less, but it doesn't seem to do much which makes it very hard to keep up! I am eating slower now which means I am feeling full before I have consumed a ton. My daughter got a free pizza certificate from her school so we went there last week. I am so proud of myself for only eating 2 pieces of pizza (minus the bit I shared with Brody), I actually felt full and I sat there watching everyone else eat. Usually I would have crammed down another piece because it was good and we don't get it all that often. Here's hoping for a better week next time...

How time (doesn't) fly

Why is it that 20 minutes goes so unbelievably fast when you are blogging.....

and so unbelievably slow when you are exercising?

Ugh!

You guys are the best.....

I knew there was a reason for this blog....you guys just encouraged me sooooo very much, miss Julie and miss Julie, and I wanted to publicly thank you for it!

What an awesome blogging team to be working together with....I am going to pick my head up, not freak out if I eat one or two things that I am 'not supposed to', and keep doing what I am doing, because it is (hard, but) working!

THANKS you two!

Struggling

I've been doing so good (lost eight pounds so far!), and the last few days.....I'm struggling.

I am just wanting sweet stuff. Cookies, candy (specifically chocolate) brownies. I think that I have gone so long depriving myself of this stuff that I just can't stand it anymore! That is not good. I am wanting to do the lifestyle change thing, not just a temporary weight loss thing, and that means that junk is out the door for good. But it is really hard.

It also could be that I have POUNDS of Easter candy lying around.

What is it they say....if you don't want to eat it, don't have it in your house? Or maybe 'they' don't say that....It's just me that does?

Well, that is part of my struggle. Too much JUNK around this house. I am going to have to go thru and purge all of the candy. Or at least, maybe I could have my hubby hide it from me?

I need some encouragement today.

We're getting somewhere.... S L O W L Y

I'm down another pound and a half... which brings my grand total to 3 pounds (I think). But considering I gained weight right after I started trying to lose I guess I am about back where I started. I was hoping that I would have done a lot better than that since I was flat on my back sick for 2 days and hardly ate a thing. I guess you need to be sick and puking to lose weight!

We had one warmish day and I took the kids for a bike ride, this is the first year that I have had a bike, trailer, and baby seat. I was SO excited about taking them for rides until I actually did it once, I realized that I am pulling almost 100 pounds behind me!! Holy cow! There aren't sidewalks where I live and my road is kinda busy so I rode down the road and turned into a newer subdivision, I thought it would be the perfect place to ride till I had to make it up the hill on the way back home (it was a little, but VERY hard hill!). Hopefully it will get easier as I keep riding, maybe I'll try to ride when my oldest is at school so my load will be lighter till I am more used to it!

Blog changes

Hey guys,

I am experimenting a little with HTML and template stuff. I hope none of the other three of you mind, but I am using our weight blog as a guinea pig. I promise to return it to it's normal state soon (unless you really like the new look!)

Looking for input

I am on a desperate search for low calorie, tasty, sweet-tooth-satisfying snacks.

Ones I have tried that are good:

• Yoplait light yogurt--key lime pie and lemon meringue pie are both very good, and surprisingly taste a lot like the real thing
• 100 calorie snack packs--the chips ahoy ones are very good--I also bought the Oreo ones, but haven't tried them yet
• Edy's light ice cream--the BEST, and you would never know it is light!
• York mini peppermint patties--only 50 calories and one fat gram apiece!

Okay, now it's your turn.....I'm challenging you, if you are a reader of this blog, even if you have never commented before, to leave at least ONE yummy, low-calorie snack in the comment portion of this blog! (My scale thanks you in advance.)

Progress report

Well, I am changing my strategy a bit.

I have been doing really well on exercising, doing about 20 minutes of cardio (my gazelle) and at least 30 minutes of Pilates each day, 6 days a week. I've also really been watching what I am eating, though last week I wasn't quite as "nazi-esque" as I was the first 2 weeks! The first week, I lost three pounds; the second week, I lost two pounds, and last week I lost one pound, for a total of 6 that I am down so far, which I am really excited about!

MORE importantly, I am noticing that my body is changing TONS. (My clothes are fitting so much better--and I'm wearing things I haven't worn in two years!) And that is where the change of strategy comes in.

My husband and I have figured out that most likely, I am putting on muscle with the toning stuff (Pilates) that I am doing. Which is great, except for the fact that muscle weighs more than fat does. Which means, the scale isn't going down as fast as I would like it to.

Here is the new plan:

I am going to start doing a little more cardio (at least 30 minutes per day) and a little less Pilates--concentrating on burning the fat that I have more so than building new muscle. I do want to build that muscle, and have nice, toned, lean limbs, but I want it to build gradually so that the scale actually shows all the effort I am putting into this!

Now, make no mistake--I do believe that there will be a point that I plateau, and the scale won't go down any further without me having to take drastic measures (like, exercise 3 hours per day or eat nothing but water and rice cakes). Let me say right now, I am NOT willing to do either one of the afore mentioned things. I will not let the 'goal of losing 13 pounds' be the guideline by which I do everything else. I will not let the conquest to a thinner body completely take over my life. The scale may never show the progress that I orignially intended for it to show.

And part of the new plan? To be fine with that. And I am.

Let me just say, I have not let up any of my determination. I will continue to watch what I am eating like a hawk, and exercise regularly. I am just as strong as I was three weeks ago, but my perspective is just a little different.

The goal here is to be happier with my body, to look better in (and out) of my clothes, and to be healthier. When all of that happens, I am going to be thrilled, whether or not the scale says 'that certain number' that I hoped it would when I started out a few weeks ago.

A little humor...

Fortunately for me, my husband has a good sense of humor. It's a little risque', but we're all adults here...

Last night Ande mentioned the fact that sex is a good workout. I said, "You're right - but if I'm supposed to work out for an hour every day, what am I supposed to do for the other 58 minutes?"

He totally cracked up! Of course, this is the same guy who said THIS as well...LOL

Week 2

Didn't lose this week...but I didn't gain. And figuring in that I went to a fundraiser last night with some DELICIOUS food, plus went out to eat a couple of times during the week, I think I did alright.

This week, I do need to buckle down and get serious again. I liked seeing the numbers go down on the scale last week, and want to continue that trend...

Hope you all had a great week!

Something significant

Well, I had a major moment this morning...


I went to put on my bra (sorry for TMI) and I noticed something wasn't right.

It was too loose!

I HAD TO MOVE IT BACK TO THE NEXT SET OF CLASPS!!!!

Major milestone, and YAY--I am excited!!

5 pounds down, and I can't wait to get the rest off--just had to share and hopefully encourage all of you!! We can do this! I'm off to go exercise now....

Week one...

Well, today is the end of my first "official" week of weight loss. I say that because I didn't own a scale until I went shopping after church last Sunday. I probably started trying to eat a little better about 2 weeks before that.

I tried to drink lots of water (some days I did WAY better than others), and I tried to eat smaller portions. I also tried to use lower-fat varieties in my food choices (like reduced fat peanut butter and cream cheese). Sometimes I got winners (Jif reduced fat peanut butter OR Philly reduced fat cream cheese on celery makes a good snack), sometimes NOT SO MUCH (Kroger brand fat-free sour cream is YUCKY). I have also tried eating more slowly so that I only eat until I start to feel full. I used skim milk on my cereal. I allowed myself a small treat each day (like a couple of girl scout cookies or a few marshmallows), because I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. I didn't do "regular" exercise, but tried to put a lot more enthusiasm into my housework - actually running up and down the basement stairs to work on my endless mountain of laundry, scrubbing and waxing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees instead of just mopping it...(I am seriously going to need to invest in some knee pads, my knees hurt for 2 days!). I absolutely hate exercising, and know that I am going to have to suck it up and get over it in order to be really successful. That being said....

I LOST JUST OVER 4 POUNDS THIS WEEK!!! YEAH!!! Now, I'm fairly sure that a little of that was water weight, because I was on my period this week (sorry if that was TMI, but I do think it should be something we figure into our weight loss), but I'll take it!

I hope everyone had as good of a week as I did, and I look forward to reading your tips and tricks for improving our health along the way!

Any Suggestions?

Does anyone know of a website where you can type in a recipe and it will give you the nutritional information on it? I made Corn Chowder for dinner and I think it is pretty good for you, but I'm hoping I can find out more about it.

So far things aren't going so well... I haven't lost anything, and in fact I GAINED!!! Here's hoping it is just water weight! I'm going away for a girls weekend so we KNOW this next weigh in isn't going to be good either! :0) I am still going to try to watch what I am eating, but a girls weekend isn't a girls weekend without some junk food! I am trying to be good. I got a few healthier snacks for myself, and since we are each buying our own lunches I can keep them a little healthier that way I won't feel so guilty about dinner. This is my first time going (I missed the last one) so I'm not exactly sure about how this works but I guess we are all going to Walmart when we get there and we will buy stuff to make dinner. A bunch of the girls are also watching what they are eating so hopefully that will help things out, but they might count this as a weekend off... who knows. I think I am going to try one of those Lean Cuisine panini sandwich things for my lunches have any of you had them? Are they any good?

On a positive note I have been exercising 3x a week, I wish I could get in 1 more but my daughter goes to school 2 days a week and those are my errand days. Sometimes I'm helping my husband work on the house on Saturdays (or at least keeping the kids from getting in the way) and it just doesn't seem right to workout on Sunday! I did just win a bike on ebay so I am looking forward to taking the kids for bike rides soon as it gets warmer out! Granted the 8 inches of snow we got isn't helping with that! 2 of my sisters have bike trainers (they both are training for another tri) and that seems like a good idea (you put you bike on the trainer in the house (or wherever) and you can ride your bike without going anywhere like a stationary bike), I don't think that is the type of thing you'll find at a garage sale though...

The water thing is going better so far... I figured out that my water bottle holds 20 ounces so after I drink the whole bottle I put a band on it (I was thinking a rubber band, but since I packed up the desk when we switched to the new side of the house, I just used one of the girls hair rubber bands instead.) that way I can keep track of if I am drinking enough. It still doesn't help with drinking the water, but at least I can kick myself for only having one band on and then make myself drink another.

Ladies- So sorry I have been MIA. As soon as Istarted this blog, my comupter dies at the hands of one of my kiddos( the laptop plug got bent and now the lap top holds no juice) So I will drop ya'll a quick note to say how proud I am of ya'll. And how much I need to see what ya;ll were writing. I feel off the wagon this weekend at a bachelorette party0 cookies and brownies galore, hoagie sandwiches an an early morning run for cookie dough, an Taco cabana- But it was on eheck of a good time! :) This week I am starting fresh and happy to see that WW is free reg. until the 8th of march. I think it is time I started that back up again! It is late now and my hubby needs to be using this computer for work( it is after all th reason he brought it hom ein the first place)

Talk soon!

Home is SAFE

Week one has come and gone. I am working really hard. I mean, really hard. I am in that die hard mode--absolutely determined to get this weight off and quickly. Keeping myself accountable, working out, watching everything that goes in my mouth, and drinking tons of water. Week one was as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I did really good--up until Friday.

See, Friday is date night at my house. My mother comes, and stays with my 3 boys for a few hours, so that my husband and I can go to dinner, or a movie, or shopping, or whatever. It is our 'alone time' for the week, and it is wonderful. I love date night.

But, I didn't care for the challenge of date night. See, one of Shane and my favorite places to go it to a pizza restaraunt. It will be okay, I thought. I will just not eat too much.....

And I didn't. I stayed in control, even though I wanted order breadsticks (we didn't), eat another bowl of salad (I didn't--too many cals in the dressing, for crying out loud!), and eat about 6 more pieces of pizza (they cut them into really small squares at this place). I ate appropriately, I thought, for where we were and how hungry I was.

But the trouble is, I know that I still consumed a ton of calories at that meal, because I know that restaraunts aren't concerned with cutting calories. They are concerned with food tasting good.

Then, Saturday came and we decided to make an improptu trip out of town, which led to eating out all day. Ugh. I did pretty well at Chili's, (not too many chips) with a turkey sandwich, black beans and a side salad, but then it was pizza again for dinner. I only had 3 pieces (the square ones again)....even though I seriously could have eaten like, 10. For some reason, when I eat this super yummy restaraunt food, my 'full reflex' doesn't seem to work. I don't gradually feel like I am filling up....I just never feel full until I feel absolutely stuffed. It just hits me, and then I'm feeling absolutely gross. I just have to stop when I feel like I have consumed the appropriate amount of food.

Self-Control. I hate this, but I am doing it anyway.

The thing I am learning about this whole die-hard, eat right and work-out stuff? Home is my safe haven. I can control what I eat here, what is in what I eat, and I can better control how much I eat (I'm not sure why with that last one....)

Since obviously I can't stay home for the next 11 weeks or for the rest of my life, the name of the game when I go out has to be self-control.

But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Does anyone else have a problem with being sabotaged by her family?

My husband knows I have been struggling with my weight since we got married. In the first year we were married, I gained 40lbs. Now, I might have been (very) slightly underweight when we got married, but not 40lbs. Of course, I had a trio of events that contributed to my weight gain. Before we got married I quit smoking, which of course left me with an oral fixation that needed to be filled. Then we got married, so I had to cook. My husband could exist on hamburgers, potatoes, and ice cream, and yet he's tall and slender. I could eat a bowl of cereal for dinner and be happy, but that wasn't going to cut it for him. Plus, it's hard to eat something "healthy" when you've got someone eating a burger or cheese sticks, or whatever right next to you. I LOVE fattening food, I can't help it. We also ate a LOT of fast food when we first got married, because we worked the afternoon shift and it was just way easier to stop on the way to work to get something to eat. To top that all off, after a few months of marriage, I took the opportunity to quit working to be a SAHM to my 2 children, as well as Ande's daughter when she was at our house. So now, not only was I eating more because I quit smoking, eating less healthy because it was easier on me, but I was also not burning whatever calories I used to burn by working on my feet 8-12 hour a day, 5-7 days each week.

Fast forward to my 3rd pregnancy - I didn't gain a whole lot, and I lost every pound in 2 weeks. Unfortunately I was still about 30lbs heavier than I probably should be. Within 9 months, I was pregnant again. I gained a little more that time, but still lost it all within a couple of weeks. (Most of my weight was water) Somehow, I have now managed to put on approximately 20lbs in the last year. I don't have any idea how much I weigh, because I hate the idea of even stepping on a scale.

Now we're up to the present. My husband knows that I am unhappy with my weight. Yet he does things that aren't helping me. A few months ago, I got a treadmill (it was free - YEAH). He asked why I wanted it. (Um...to WALK on?) I sort of lost my desire to try to do this for a while, but Devin's decision to try to lose weight and get in better shape helped give me some motivation to work on myself again. Last night, I made chicken for dinner. I only made enough for each person to have one serving (which is plenty). I figure I need to start my quest towards a better body with some portion control. My husband ate his piece and asked if there was more. I told him there wasn't, but that he could have some of mine. I cut about 1/3 off of my chicken and offered it to him. So then he says, "but you're hungry." I told him that I didn't NEED to eat the entire piece of chicken, and he responds with, "You're eating like a bird, what have you eaten today?" So I told him what I had eaten, and he still didn't want to take the chicken. I finally just put it on his plate. Problem solved, right?

This morning, when I was getting ready to take my son to the bus stop before school, my husband asked if I would start his car. I said I would, and he proceeds to tell me that he bought me a candy bar and it's in the console of his car. ARGH!!! What is it with him? (BTW, I left the candy bar in his car. I didn't even LOOK at it)

Does anyone else have this problem????

Keeping yourself accountable

I say, if you are really going to keep yourself accountable to something, anything, you have to write it down. This is something that has always been a help to me, and it continues to be.

So, for this whole weight loss thing, I have gone into Microsoft Word and made myself a goal sheet. I have titled it "12 weeks to Swimsuit Season." The fear of a swimsuit is very real for me, can you tell? Anyway, right under that, I put my current weight, and under that, the number of pounds I want to lose. Below that, I put down some goals for myself (want to tighten my abs; tighten my arms; have great legs again, especially working on my inner thigh area; have more energy; be able to fit into some of my pre-children dresses and shorts....you get the idea).

Then, below that, I have put a chart. This chart has 6 columns, and 7 rows. Each column has a title, each one of them relating to something that I am trying to accomplish each day. From left to right, the columns are: Date, Eat Well?, Junk Food Eaten?, Pilates Done?, Gazelle Done?, Drink 64+ oz. of water?

Then, I have seven rows, one for each day of the week. At the end of the day, I fill in each column with what I have done for the day. Yesterday looked like this:
2/20, one york peppermint pattie, Yes--Advanced Abs, Yes--21:04 minutes, 162.7 calories burned, 1.56 miles, and No (I screwed up on the water thing yesterday.) Then, underneath the table, I have: Weight loss total for the week: ??? I will fill that in on Monday for week number one! I am already looking forward to that, as I have worked really hard this week!

I am not saying that you have to be like me, and get all fancy, and do something on the computer. You could write it down on a blank piece of paper--it doesn't matter what it looks like! What matters is that you have something you can look at to see where you are, where you are going, and (later) how far you have come. Plus, I know for me, knowing that I have to fill that out each night before bed gives me some sense of restraint when it comes to eating (don't want to have to put that down in the junk column!) and motivation when it comes to exercise (don't want to have those columns blank!

By the way, if anyone wants me to, I can email you the document I am using....minus my personal facts, of course! :-)

Check this out

This site has a section where you can look up the calories of some of your favorite foods. I haven't check out the site too much since I just found it, but it looks like it could be helpful.

This looks promising too.

Calculate you BMR

The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight):The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely over-fat (will overestimate caloric needs).

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm. 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example: You are femaleYou are 30 yrs old You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm) You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos) Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day

Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier:
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

If you are already at your goal weight, then multiply that by 10 and get the number of calories you need to consume to maintain that weight.

Baby Steps

I was out shopping with my kids, my sister, and her kids and as always it was crazy and stressful. My brother-in-law is out of town for a week so my sister was stocking up on junk food (She is skinny enough to do so!), her theory is calories don't count when noone sees you eating them! I did very good not buying junk to eat and I was extra stong at the check out when the snickers bar was calling me. I almost never get candy at the check out, but this was an extra crazy trip (we have 5 kids 4 and under). Any other given day I might have gotten the snickers to soothe myself after a crazy trip like that but I didn't. It's a baby step I guess.

Welcome

Welcome all to the Motivated Mommas! We are a bunch of Random women who want to lose weight and have some accountablity for doing so.

We will be posting our progress, our struggles, our triumphs, new recipes we find to help us along the way, etc. Please come and play along. Leave encouraging comments to help us with our Journeys!