Friday, September 27, 2013

Progress report

So I figured it was time for a little check in on how my fitness journey is going!  I'm actually really proud of myself, I have been NEVER worked so hard at it before.  I put my "start date" as July 11th. That was the day I did my first real workout.  That was 11 weeks and 2 days ago.  In the time (as of Monday), I lost 15.8 lbs.  I don't want to jinx myself, but I have had a few peeks at the scale this week, and I'm going to be posting a pretty big number next week, as long as something crazy doesn't happen!  My day to day body is unpredictable, so I'm really hoping it sticks around, because I am getting SUPER close to 20 lbs lost and SUPER close to under a big number I've been dying to get to!  I've also lost over 7% of my total weight, which is pretty astounding to me!  I still have a long way to go, but I'm feeling really good about everything I've done so far!  I even bought two new pairs of pants in the last couple weeks in A SMALLER SIZE!  :) That felt really good, let me tell you!  My clothes are really getting baggy!

I thought I'd put together a list of a few things that are really working for me:

Basic meal notes:
  • Breakfast-I usually eat pretty light in the morning and I seem to strive to keep this meal pretty low cal since it's the easiest opportunity for me to save some calories for later.  I discovered a fruit crisp from Special K that I really like, although it's sort of high in sugar, but only 100 calories. They are my go to if I am running late.  I've also been eating a lot of cereal, namely cheerios (100 calories), Special K (their Cinnamon Pecan is really good and only 110 calories per serving and I think I'm going to try the chocolate strawberry next--TIP you really have to watch out for the serving size, some cereals have a service size of 3/4 of a cup, most people pour quite a bit more than that), or cinnamon chex (120 calories). I don't like milk in the morning, it tends to make me sick to my stomach if I drink much, so I don't drink what's left in the bowl.  Occasionally I'll have a low cal english muffin or a skinny bagel with half a wedge of laugh cow cream cheese. I've experimented a little with eggs and egg beaters, but I haven't found anything I really cared for yet.  I usually drink water, but occasionally I will have a small glass (about 6 oz for 35 calories) of low sugar OJ.
  • Lunch-Varies pretty widely.  I try to have something fairly simple to put together, pre-made tuna or egg salad for a sandwich, along with veggies or a salad, some fruit (usually I end up eating it for a snack later), and maybe a low sugar jello (10 calories and a nice little sweet).  I usually allow myself a Diet Pepsi with lunch also.
  • Dinner-This one totally depends on the family. Since I don't do the cooking and I have two other adults to think about, eliminating something is impossible.  I do my best with portion control and make small changes like for-going a bun.
General notes
  • I'm definitely eating more Fresh veggies--these are the ultimate in snacks.  I have a hard time keeping my meal calories down enough to allow for a lot of snacks, so veggies are PERFECT for me.  Most veggies and a few fruits are really low in calories.  I eat tons of salad (romaine or iceberg lettuce, combined with carrot slivers, celery, cauliflower, and tomatoes) (approx 30 calories for 1 cup).  I pack little baggies of celery (6 calories per stalk), carrot sticks (about 50 calories per cup), radish slices (20 calories for 4 large radishes), and cucumber slices (15 calories per cup).  I made my own Pico de gallo to go with tacos and chips (carefully counted out serving of taco chips)(35 calories for 3/4 cup-I just use tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lemon juice and a dash of salt).  I also love little microwavable veggie sides like broccoli with cheese sauce for 40 calories. I know it's processed, but it's still better than chips or something to go with lunch.
  • I love fruit, but it's typically a tiny bit higher cal than veggies and comes with extra sugar, something My Fitness Pal is showing me that I struggle with.  Here are a few of my favorites:  Watermelon (40 calories per 1 cup), Braeburn Apple (70 calories, medium), clemintine (35 calories), strawberries (10 calories per berry), grapes (62 calories for 1 cup).  I cut up a couple of strawberries to add to cheerios instead of sugar or munch on watermelon for dessert after a workout.
  • Another slightly more splurgy snack (not really nutritious) 100 cal popcorn.  Pop Secrets home style popcorn-I eat it for a snack or with a sandwich at lunch. You get a decent sized bag and it's great!
  • Bread.  I love bread, but I've found that regular old bread isn't something I can't live without.  I've switched over to a whole grain white low cal bread (35 calories per slice) for when I want a sandwich (I make up fairly low cal tuna or egg salad), but for burgers or hot dogs, I've typically been going sans bun altogether!
  • Breakfast-I usually eat pretty light in the morning and I seem to strive to keep this meal pretty low cal
  • Working out--right now, I'm on day 19 of the 30 Day Shred. It's about time to think about attempting level 3 and I'm a little nervous about that!  I'm determined to complete the challenge this time! 11 more days!  Once I'm finished, I'm considering a few options, either combining a few days a week of the shred with a few days of elliptical or I might pick up another workout DVD.  Not quite sure yet.  But workouts will still be a part of just about every day!
  • I'm also trying to get in at least 1 brisk 15 or so minute walk per day at work.  My pedometer says a quick lap is worth over 1000 steps I think it's a small thing I can do so that my metabolism isn't too slow during the day, since my workouts are pretty much always late at night, which I know isn't great.
Two and a half months and going strong!  I am really doing this!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job!! It's soo tough at first, but once you get into the swing of it, it becomes much easier. Best of luck to you on this journey...it is SOOOO worth it! :-)

Megs said...

Nice work! You should be really proud of yourself.

An said...

Congrats on the weight loss! You should be very proud of yourself.

Melissa said...

Thank you all so much! I am proud of myself. I have a long way to go, but I will get there!!

Mrs. E said...

So inspiring! I hope you're really proud of yourself. None of this is easy to do. I think your attitude is amazing!

Melissa said...

Thank you MrsE!