I did not loose as much as I wanted to for this past month. I lost a total of 1.2 lbs, putting me at 266. My goal is 5 lbs per month. But I also know that I didn't start working out on a regular basis until last Monday. So it is my own fault. I did pretty good with my diet and I am getting into this Insanity workout. I have some more tweaks to make to my diet, like actually eating more fruits and veggies instead of just juicing them. I learned that making two gallons of juice at a time does not work for me because I barely even touched the second gallon of juice.
I did adopt some tricks in curbing my chocolate/sweet tooth cravings! Nutella is awesome. Just a little bit on a slice of whole wheat bread satisfied both my chocolate and carb cravings. Chocolate Almond Milk is great too (I just switched to soy and almond milk yesterday). Fiber One has a new chocolate cereal that satisfied both the chocolate and carb cravings and Special K's Chocolate Delight cereals is great for that too. Oh, and my new favorite yogurt, Yoplait Lite White Chocolate Strawberry Yogurt. A cup of that and a bubble bath and it could be a war zone outside of my house but in that moment, EVERYTHING is at peace for me!!! That stuff is like heaven!!
So for this month, I am kicking up the workouts and being more conscious of the sneaky calories (juices) that I consume. The good thing is that I did loose some last month instead of gaining or staying the same.
That is all for now.
Until next time loves!!!!
I am the owner and designer of Deon & Deon, an accessory fashion powerhouse growing to become so much more. This blog will be about my journey of breaking into the fashion business and some personal journeys. www.deonanddion.etsy.com
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Good Habits Are Addicting!!
I read a quote that said "Good habits are just as addicting as bad habit but they are much more rewarding". I can honestly say that this is so true!!!
I have been juicing my breakfast for over a week now. If I don't juice in the morning, I don't feel right (now if only I can get like that about exercising)! I was making my breakfast juice every morning and posting what I made on my Facebook page. A cousin of mine said that she would like to juice but she doesn't want to clean the juicer every morning. Initially, I said that cleaning the juicer every morning was worth it to me because I practically knock out all of my fruit and veggie servings all at one time. So, I decided to make a big batch of juice to last me through the week. I am sharing the recipe with you. This juice I am calling the "Everything But The Kitchen Sink Juice". I made up just under 2 gallons of this juice. That should last me until Thursday or Friday!
1 Bag of Kale Greens
1.5 Bags of Spinach
2 Cans of Pineapple (in pineapple juice)
1 Can of Peaches (in light syrup; pour off the syrup and rinse the pears with water twice)
4 Pears
2.5 Cantaloupes
1.25 Heads of Red Cabbage
1.5 Bunches of Radishes
2 Pints of Black Berries
2 lbs of Strawberries
1 Bag of White Grapes
4 Apples
7 Oranges
24 Carrots
2 Papayas
2 Pomegranates
4 Celery Stalks
It took quite some time to juice all of this since my juicer is not very big but it was worth it.
This is a picture of what the juice looks like in the two 1 gallon jugs that I have it in. The color is deceiving because the juice is very good.
What healthy food choices are you making for a healthier you?? Please share!!!
Until next time loves!!!!
I have been juicing my breakfast for over a week now. If I don't juice in the morning, I don't feel right (now if only I can get like that about exercising)! I was making my breakfast juice every morning and posting what I made on my Facebook page. A cousin of mine said that she would like to juice but she doesn't want to clean the juicer every morning. Initially, I said that cleaning the juicer every morning was worth it to me because I practically knock out all of my fruit and veggie servings all at one time. So, I decided to make a big batch of juice to last me through the week. I am sharing the recipe with you. This juice I am calling the "Everything But The Kitchen Sink Juice". I made up just under 2 gallons of this juice. That should last me until Thursday or Friday!
1 Bag of Kale Greens
1.5 Bags of Spinach
2 Cans of Pineapple (in pineapple juice)
1 Can of Peaches (in light syrup; pour off the syrup and rinse the pears with water twice)
4 Pears
2.5 Cantaloupes
1.25 Heads of Red Cabbage
1.5 Bunches of Radishes
2 Pints of Black Berries
2 lbs of Strawberries
1 Bag of White Grapes
4 Apples
7 Oranges
24 Carrots
2 Papayas
2 Pomegranates
4 Celery Stalks
It took quite some time to juice all of this since my juicer is not very big but it was worth it.
This is a picture of what the juice looks like in the two 1 gallon jugs that I have it in. The color is deceiving because the juice is very good.
What healthy food choices are you making for a healthier you?? Please share!!!
Until next time loves!!!!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Weight Loss Week 1 (Again)!
So, this week I have lost 0.2 lbs. That puts me at 267 even. Any amount of loss is still loss, so I am fine with that. Especially considering that I only really worked out one day enough to really have a good sweat. I did juice most mornings for my breakfast. I went out to eat for lunch with a co-worker a couple of times last week.
Did you know that Burger King has a veggie burger??? It tastes really good and you can get it in a combo. Pair it with some sweet potato fries and YUM!!!! They should really promote the veggie burger more because it is the one thing that they have that none of the other big fast food chains have. I had a chicken sandwich and fries from Wendy too. Once for dinner last week, I had a snack wrap and medium fruit smoothie from McDonald's, which together was less than 500 calories. So that wasn't that bad either. I know that if I had cut that down some my loss may have been more but you have to allow yourself these things. Completely depriving yourself of those is generally what makes people not stick to their diets. You have one stressful day or a tragic event and boom, you eat a whole pack of Oreo cookies. It just has to be all in moderation. You have to be discipline enough to know when to stop and to actually stop!
Another reason why I think that people fail at their diets is because they simply think of it as a diet instead of a lifestyle change. Diets are generally temporary and are for losing 20 pounds or less. If you need to loss 50 pounds or more, you need a lifestyle change, something that you can incorporate into your life to be healthier for life, not just a moment. So, moving forward, I am not dieting. I am changing my life. I am saving my life. I am getting to a better me. I very much encourage you to do the same.
That is all for now. Until next time loves!
Did you know that Burger King has a veggie burger??? It tastes really good and you can get it in a combo. Pair it with some sweet potato fries and YUM!!!! They should really promote the veggie burger more because it is the one thing that they have that none of the other big fast food chains have. I had a chicken sandwich and fries from Wendy too. Once for dinner last week, I had a snack wrap and medium fruit smoothie from McDonald's, which together was less than 500 calories. So that wasn't that bad either. I know that if I had cut that down some my loss may have been more but you have to allow yourself these things. Completely depriving yourself of those is generally what makes people not stick to their diets. You have one stressful day or a tragic event and boom, you eat a whole pack of Oreo cookies. It just has to be all in moderation. You have to be discipline enough to know when to stop and to actually stop!
Another reason why I think that people fail at their diets is because they simply think of it as a diet instead of a lifestyle change. Diets are generally temporary and are for losing 20 pounds or less. If you need to loss 50 pounds or more, you need a lifestyle change, something that you can incorporate into your life to be healthier for life, not just a moment. So, moving forward, I am not dieting. I am changing my life. I am saving my life. I am getting to a better me. I very much encourage you to do the same.
That is all for now. Until next time loves!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Weight Loss Journey Restart
Good morning loves!!!
Who all made the decision to be healthier this year and lose weight? I know that I make this decision every year, multiple times per year. One thing that I have realize about myself over the years is that I always start strong with the workouts but I don't really follow through with the diet. Being a carb junkie, working out would not help me a whole lot if my eating habits didn't change.
So to change that, I got a juicer. Just a $30 one from the department store. Juicing is a great way to get the servings and nutrients of fruits and vegetables in a quick and easy way. Here are some tips when it comes to juicing.
2 handfuls of spinach
1 tomato
2 handful of white grapes
1 banana
4 strawberries.
I drunk it all while typing this so sorry, I don't have a picture!
Have a protein like egg whites and some whole wheat toast with it and you have a very healthy breakfast!
Let me know what you think and share your juicing recipes!!!!
Until next time loves!!!!
Who all made the decision to be healthier this year and lose weight? I know that I make this decision every year, multiple times per year. One thing that I have realize about myself over the years is that I always start strong with the workouts but I don't really follow through with the diet. Being a carb junkie, working out would not help me a whole lot if my eating habits didn't change.
So to change that, I got a juicer. Just a $30 one from the department store. Juicing is a great way to get the servings and nutrients of fruits and vegetables in a quick and easy way. Here are some tips when it comes to juicing.
- When it comes to juicing, don't over think it. It is basically a throw together of fruit and veggies.
- Yes, you need veggies! Try to have a leafy green veggies with each juicing. It makes the juice a funky color but veggies like spinach and kale are light in taste so you will taste more of the fruits than anything.
- Try to go with fresh fruits and veggies. If you want to use canned fruits, try to get one that are in fruit juices and not syrup. If syrup is the only option at your grocer, pour off the syrup and rinse the fruit twice in water. Canned veggies can be used too, just poor off the water and rinse the veggies since most have some salt added to the water to aid in keeping the veggies fresh. Frozen fruits and veggies are great too but you have to let them unthaw before putting them in the juicer, which would be more trouble than it is worth.
2 handfuls of spinach
1 tomato
2 handful of white grapes
1 banana
4 strawberries.
I drunk it all while typing this so sorry, I don't have a picture!
Have a protein like egg whites and some whole wheat toast with it and you have a very healthy breakfast!
Let me know what you think and share your juicing recipes!!!!
Until next time loves!!!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Workout Challenge - January - Squats
Okay. Here is a workout challenge that I saw online last month and did not do. Starting today, do as many squats as you possibly can without stopping, in good form. Tomorrow, do add five squats on to what you did the day before. Then the next day, you add five more to what you did the day before that. Each day, you go up by five squats. If you do this every day, you will be able to do 150 more squats than what you did on day one!
I will do monthly challenges like this from now on. I chose to start with squats because they work the larger muscle groups of the body and because they are larger, they burn more calories and working the arms or the abs. I will do updates on these throughout the month. Oh, and these challenges are to be done in ADDITION to your regular workout routine!!! NO CHEATING!!!!
Be sure to march in place for a couple of minutes to warm up your muscles before getting started.
Below is a video of how to properly do squats.
So I am starting out with 27 squats. So you get to squatting and post your starting number in the comments.
Until next time loves!
I will do monthly challenges like this from now on. I chose to start with squats because they work the larger muscle groups of the body and because they are larger, they burn more calories and working the arms or the abs. I will do updates on these throughout the month. Oh, and these challenges are to be done in ADDITION to your regular workout routine!!! NO CHEATING!!!!
Be sure to march in place for a couple of minutes to warm up your muscles before getting started.
Below is a video of how to properly do squats.
So I am starting out with 27 squats. So you get to squatting and post your starting number in the comments.
Until next time loves!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Weight Loss Journey: Week 8
Hey everyone!!! Hope things have been great!
Since my last weigh-in, I have lost 0.3 lbs this week. Hey, a loss is a loss no matter how small!!! Still moving in the right direction. My goal is to be under 250 by the end of this month and I have 3.7 lbs to go!!!!
I got back into working out at home and went on a six mile walk yesterday. Also, once I finished scheduling my posts and updates for the week, I would run in place or do jumping jacks as fast and hard as I could during the commercial breaks. There will be a weight loss tip post about taking advantage of every minute, especially commercial breaks during your favorite shows later this week.
So I stocked my fridge with fruits and bags of salad for this week. I took a tip from a family friend of mine. She told me that everything that a person needs from the grocery store are in the outer aisles. Think about it, your bread (preferably whole grain), fresh fruits and veggies, dairy, meats, and whole foods are usually all on the walls of the store. Your beans, rice (brown rice), and whole grain pasta are usually found in the first two aisle from the produce section. That is the usual set up of a grocery store, however the one that is closest to my house has a very backwards set up. I believe they want to continue for their shoppers to be fat. The first thing that you see when you walk in are chips and cookies (my down fall). But I was strong!!!
How have you done this week? Make any progress? Have any tips to share? I would love to hear about them. Email me at deonanddion@gmail.com.
Until next time loves!!!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Weight Loss Summary: Week 7
Good evening everyone!!
This post is later than what I normally do. But in the news of a recent death and the mode that it put my mine in, I felt to post something at this very moment.
News just broke about an hour or so ago that Michael Clarke Duncan has past from a heart attack. I loved everything about this guy. From his deep baritone voice to his gentle giant personality both on and off screen to his comedic moments. Did you know that he loved cats??? Most wouldn't expect that from such a big guy.
Now to the mode that the news of his death put me in. Duncan died from a heart attack. Being overweight (not that he was overweight since he was mostly muscle) often leads to heart attacks and strokes. I have not actually worked out in over one week. Yes, I need a whoppin'. So after the cause of his death set in and looking at my own overweight situation, I put on my workout shoes, and did one of my favorite workouts...The Mike Tyson Squats. If you don't know what they are, click here. I did one more set then what I was doing before, which is progress (I am at 10 now)!!!! I love this workout because it worked the larger muscle groups in your body (the three glute muscles, quads, and hamstrings) and it gets your heart rate up. Larger muscle groups burn more calories. Plus I read in a Women's Health article that strength training wins over cardio for losing weight and keeping it off.
I am not even going to bother getting on the scale this week as I have been eating pizza for the last three days. I am a little disappointed in myself but I am motivated to get my rear into gear! lol.
I hope you all have had a better weight loss week than what I had.
Until next time loves!!!
This post is later than what I normally do. But in the news of a recent death and the mode that it put my mine in, I felt to post something at this very moment.
News just broke about an hour or so ago that Michael Clarke Duncan has past from a heart attack. I loved everything about this guy. From his deep baritone voice to his gentle giant personality both on and off screen to his comedic moments. Did you know that he loved cats??? Most wouldn't expect that from such a big guy.
Now to the mode that the news of his death put me in. Duncan died from a heart attack. Being overweight (not that he was overweight since he was mostly muscle) often leads to heart attacks and strokes. I have not actually worked out in over one week. Yes, I need a whoppin'. So after the cause of his death set in and looking at my own overweight situation, I put on my workout shoes, and did one of my favorite workouts...The Mike Tyson Squats. If you don't know what they are, click here. I did one more set then what I was doing before, which is progress (I am at 10 now)!!!! I love this workout because it worked the larger muscle groups in your body (the three glute muscles, quads, and hamstrings) and it gets your heart rate up. Larger muscle groups burn more calories. Plus I read in a Women's Health article that strength training wins over cardio for losing weight and keeping it off.
I am not even going to bother getting on the scale this week as I have been eating pizza for the last three days. I am a little disappointed in myself but I am motivated to get my rear into gear! lol.
I hope you all have had a better weight loss week than what I had.
Until next time loves!!!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Weight Loss News and Motivation
So at the start of this summer I weighed 264 lbs. I am now 254 lbs. So I have lost 10 lbs so far, some of which was lost prior to me blogging about my weight loss journey. At the start of the summer there were a pair of denim capris in my closet that I have not been able to get up past my butt and hips in the last two years. With a tiny bit of wiggling, not only did I get them up to my waist, I was able to fasten them up pretty comfortably!!!!!!
I am so excited!!!! I was determined to be able to wear these by the end of the summer and I accomplished that goal!!!!
Now I have to go through my closet and find another item to be my goal by Thanksgiving.
I am looking forward to being under 250 for the first time in years!!!! That is my short term goal to reach by the end of October.
What are your goals???
Until next time loves!!
I am so excited!!!! I was determined to be able to wear these by the end of the summer and I accomplished that goal!!!!
Now I have to go through my closet and find another item to be my goal by Thanksgiving.
I am looking forward to being under 250 for the first time in years!!!! That is my short term goal to reach by the end of October.
What are your goals???
Until next time loves!!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Weight Loss Summary: Week 5
So I gained 1 pound over the last week. All I can say about that is that it was "that time".
I am not fretting about it. I just know that I have more work to do. As the temp starts to cool, I realize that I need to sit down and come up with ways to still get in a decent calorie burn without doing all of the walk to and from work, plus to run small errands.
I have workout DVDs but I get bored easily. So I had a thought, why not create a list of workout videos on Youtube? You can put up to 200 videos in a single playlist. Put it on shuffle everyday and it is like a different workout, every day. So I am going to give that a try and once I am done making the playlist, I will share it with you all.
Looking for weight loss inspiration???? Check out the article below. I can't wait until I can get into a bikini and Michelle did it with hard work and determination. If you are tired of being overweight, no one has the power to change that but you!!! I am doing it week by week. Impossible, no. Hard, yes. But WE can get through this together.
Michelle Mohr's Inspiring Weight-Loss Tale | Yahoo! Health
If you want to share your weight loss story or find an interesting or inspirational story out there, email me at deonanddion@gmail.com.
Until next time loves!!!!
I am not fretting about it. I just know that I have more work to do. As the temp starts to cool, I realize that I need to sit down and come up with ways to still get in a decent calorie burn without doing all of the walk to and from work, plus to run small errands.
I have workout DVDs but I get bored easily. So I had a thought, why not create a list of workout videos on Youtube? You can put up to 200 videos in a single playlist. Put it on shuffle everyday and it is like a different workout, every day. So I am going to give that a try and once I am done making the playlist, I will share it with you all.
Looking for weight loss inspiration???? Check out the article below. I can't wait until I can get into a bikini and Michelle did it with hard work and determination. If you are tired of being overweight, no one has the power to change that but you!!! I am doing it week by week. Impossible, no. Hard, yes. But WE can get through this together.
Michelle Mohr's Inspiring Weight-Loss Tale | Yahoo! Health
If you want to share your weight loss story or find an interesting or inspirational story out there, email me at deonanddion@gmail.com.
Until next time loves!!!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Weight Loss Journy: Week 3 Summary
Sorry this is late. I am very busy this week so I will not be posting as often as I normally would.
I just wanted to give you an update about how things are going. I am down 2.9 lbs this week!!!!!! That makes a total of 5.3 lbs lost since I started 3 weeks ago. I am very happy with that since I have a goal of loosing at least 5 lbs per month. Walking and water were my best friends last week!!!
Let me know how things are going with your WL Journey in the comments below. If you would like your success to be featured in an upcoming blog, click on my name to view my profile and send me a message.
Until next time loves!!!!
I just wanted to give you an update about how things are going. I am down 2.9 lbs this week!!!!!! That makes a total of 5.3 lbs lost since I started 3 weeks ago. I am very happy with that since I have a goal of loosing at least 5 lbs per month. Walking and water were my best friends last week!!!
Let me know how things are going with your WL Journey in the comments below. If you would like your success to be featured in an upcoming blog, click on my name to view my profile and send me a message.
Until next time loves!!!!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Plan to Succeed in Weight Loss
Planning is everything in all aspects of life!!! If you have no plan, then you plan to fail. It is a very simple concept that can be applied to weight loss.
So here is my planning tip: Plan out your meals for the week!!
This helped me tremendously last week. How many times have you been so busy with work, projects, family, or whatever else that you didn't realize that you were hungry until your stomach made a very loud proclamation saying "I'm empty, feed me now!"?And of course, the quickest "meal" that you can eat is more than likely not the healthiest. Between school, work, this blog, and trying to get my Etsy shop to the point where it will replace and exceed my income from work, this happens to me a lot.
On Saturday, figure out what you want to eat for the next several days and pick it up at the grocery store. On Sunday, make it and refrigerate it. I now keep a large bowl of salad and fruit in my fridge. So when hunger hits and waiting for something to get done cooking is not exactly feasible, I can quickly grab some salad and/or fruit. I also bake up a couple of chicken breast and some fish that I can just heat to go along with my fruit and veggies. It is an instant meal!
If you have school aged kids having a ready to eat bowl of fruit for them to eat when they get home from school is a great way for you to get your entire household on a healthy road and is a lot better than them heating up some frozen pizza rolls or corn dogs.
That is my healthy tip for the week!!!
Until next time loves!!!
So here is my planning tip: Plan out your meals for the week!!
This helped me tremendously last week. How many times have you been so busy with work, projects, family, or whatever else that you didn't realize that you were hungry until your stomach made a very loud proclamation saying "I'm empty, feed me now!"?And of course, the quickest "meal" that you can eat is more than likely not the healthiest. Between school, work, this blog, and trying to get my Etsy shop to the point where it will replace and exceed my income from work, this happens to me a lot.
On Saturday, figure out what you want to eat for the next several days and pick it up at the grocery store. On Sunday, make it and refrigerate it. I now keep a large bowl of salad and fruit in my fridge. So when hunger hits and waiting for something to get done cooking is not exactly feasible, I can quickly grab some salad and/or fruit. I also bake up a couple of chicken breast and some fish that I can just heat to go along with my fruit and veggies. It is an instant meal!
If you have school aged kids having a ready to eat bowl of fruit for them to eat when they get home from school is a great way for you to get your entire household on a healthy road and is a lot better than them heating up some frozen pizza rolls or corn dogs.
That is my healthy tip for the week!!!
Until next time loves!!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
A Very Berry Salad
You can do this with any fruit of your choice (I do not suggest using bananas and apples as they brown quickly) but I did this with strawberries, black berries, raspberries, and cherries (which really isn't a berry but it rhymes!). This is so simple and easy and you can make enough to last you throughout the week (planning your meals for the week is great for weight loss).
Clean all the fruit. Pit the cherries. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and cut into fours. Throw all of them in a bowl mix up and refrigerate. That is it!!!!
The juice that is left at the end of the week is sooooo good and can be used as sweetener in a cup of tea or fresh lemonade.
Until next time loves!!!!
Clean all the fruit. Pit the cherries. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and cut into fours. Throw all of them in a bowl mix up and refrigerate. That is it!!!!
The juice that is left at the end of the week is sooooo good and can be used as sweetener in a cup of tea or fresh lemonade.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Weight Loss Journey: Week 2
I did not loose or gain this week.
I did not exercise much this week. I have to get better at forcing myself to make time to exercise. Matter of fact, I need to make it something that I just do and if I don't do it, I feel like my day is off. I did eat more fresh fruits and veggies this week. I am still walking to work but with no errands to run this week (actually I could have gone to the store but I didn't really HAVE to), I didn't do any additional walking. I did do the stairs once at work. Went from the basement to the fourth floor. I was sooooo winded after that.
I was craving some bread bad. I am a carb junkie. I came to that realization some month ago and I have yet to figure out how to get that under control. I don't have a major sweet tooth, but being a carb junkie, some of my favorite snacks are bready (i.e. honey buns, swiss rolls, brownies, toast, cookies, cakes, etc.). Before I re-started my weight loss journey, I would go through almost two loaves of bread per week. If there is only one loaf of bread in my freezer, I equate that to there not being any food in my kitchen the fridge, freezer, and cabinets have plenty of food in them. I am just crazy in that way and I am not sure how to deal with that. If you have any suggestions on how to help with that, I am more than open to hear them.
That is all for now. Until next time loves!!!
I did not exercise much this week. I have to get better at forcing myself to make time to exercise. Matter of fact, I need to make it something that I just do and if I don't do it, I feel like my day is off. I did eat more fresh fruits and veggies this week. I am still walking to work but with no errands to run this week (actually I could have gone to the store but I didn't really HAVE to), I didn't do any additional walking. I did do the stairs once at work. Went from the basement to the fourth floor. I was sooooo winded after that.
I was craving some bread bad. I am a carb junkie. I came to that realization some month ago and I have yet to figure out how to get that under control. I don't have a major sweet tooth, but being a carb junkie, some of my favorite snacks are bready (i.e. honey buns, swiss rolls, brownies, toast, cookies, cakes, etc.). Before I re-started my weight loss journey, I would go through almost two loaves of bread per week. If there is only one loaf of bread in my freezer, I equate that to there not being any food in my kitchen the fridge, freezer, and cabinets have plenty of food in them. I am just crazy in that way and I am not sure how to deal with that. If you have any suggestions on how to help with that, I am more than open to hear them.
That is all for now. Until next time loves!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Great No Equipment Workout
I got this from one of my favorite blogs www.heyfranhey.com. I have been doing this workout for over a week (twice per day) and I love it. Because your body gets used to workouts (and I get bored easily), I am going to switch up my cardio workout every week or two. This is great because it has both strength training and cardio, both of which are crucial for weight loss and even maintaining a HEALTHY weight. So put on some pumping music, give this a try for about a week and let me know what you think!
http://heyfranhey.com/post/27412967457/you-guys-were-loving-that-workout-circuit-i-posted
Until next time loves!!!
http://heyfranhey.com/post/27412967457/you-guys-were-loving-that-workout-circuit-i-posted
Until next time loves!!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
One Day At A Time
For a lot of people, losing weight is a big thing. Sometimes it can seem very daunting. Okay, a lot of times it can seem very daunting. Between feeling like you are eating grass, repetitive workout routines, feeling hungry all of the time, muscles that seem to always be sore, the cravings (and any mood swings that may come along with them), and the never ending temptation, it is hard for people to complete a full month of regular exercise and dieting. Hell, in the past, it has been hard for me to get past two weeks!
Part of what set me up for the downfall in the past (and I am sure for many others) is that you have this end goal in mind with a big weight loss and you can picture yourself with your new healthy body and really living life, then you hop on the scale a week or two after you get started and the scale has moved by 5 lbs. And if in your mind you gave the last week or so your all as far as working out and you didn't cheat on your diet too much, you feel that the amount of pounds lost should be much bigger than that. You instantly feel defeated and that all of your hard work was for nothing.
But those little 5 lbs do mean something! They mean a lot actually!!! Five pounds of fat is bigger than five pounds of lean muscle. That is five lbs of less stress on your heart, back, knees, and ankles. Those five pounds are the first of many small steps to get you to the end goal that you have in your head. You have to take those small steps. Unless you are working out 6 or more hours per day, 6 days per week, AND eat nothing but fruits, veggies, and lean meat, you are not going to see those Biggest Loser Week 1 Results. I kept loosing sight of that before. It was like one of those things that you know, but you can't seem to wrap your mind around it enough to keep pushing through.
So celebrate those 3 or 5 lbs weight loss weeks! Be proud of yourself and know that if you did that, you can keep going to continue to loose more.
Until next time loves!!!
Part of what set me up for the downfall in the past (and I am sure for many others) is that you have this end goal in mind with a big weight loss and you can picture yourself with your new healthy body and really living life, then you hop on the scale a week or two after you get started and the scale has moved by 5 lbs. And if in your mind you gave the last week or so your all as far as working out and you didn't cheat on your diet too much, you feel that the amount of pounds lost should be much bigger than that. You instantly feel defeated and that all of your hard work was for nothing.
But those little 5 lbs do mean something! They mean a lot actually!!! Five pounds of fat is bigger than five pounds of lean muscle. That is five lbs of less stress on your heart, back, knees, and ankles. Those five pounds are the first of many small steps to get you to the end goal that you have in your head. You have to take those small steps. Unless you are working out 6 or more hours per day, 6 days per week, AND eat nothing but fruits, veggies, and lean meat, you are not going to see those Biggest Loser Week 1 Results. I kept loosing sight of that before. It was like one of those things that you know, but you can't seem to wrap your mind around it enough to keep pushing through.
So celebrate those 3 or 5 lbs weight loss weeks! Be proud of yourself and know that if you did that, you can keep going to continue to loose more.
Until next time loves!!!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Weight Loss Summary: Week 1
It has been one week since my I restarted my weight loss journey. This past week, I have been more dedicated that I have ever been before. I think that is in part because I want to report good news back to you all. And there is good news!!!
I have lost 2.4 pounds this week. YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!
In addition to my normal one mile walks to and from work, I walked 14 miles. I alternated between circuit workouts (posted later this week) and the Mike Tyson Squats workout everyday. I LOVE the squat workout. My heart rate goes up and my thighs, legs, and butt get good and sore. I did one of the routines from the Insanity program. It is just too hard on my bad ankle. I want to give it another go when I get down to about 200!!!!
Here is a tip that I believe has helped me through out this past week:
Drink plenty of water! Yes, you will go to the bathroom a lot but water aids in flushing out your system. And if you drink enough of it, it can help you stay full in between meals and snacks.
Your workouts do not have to be for and hour or more per day to loose weight. Those extra miles that I walked I did all of them Friday - Sunday.
If you have to go to the store to pick up a few things and it is within three miles of your home, walk. That is up to 6 miles that you can get in within any given day. That is how I got those extra walking miles in. Cell phone bill needed to be paid so I walked the two miles to the store to pay it and then two miles back. Needed somethings from the Dollar Store that is three miles away from my house, I walked there and back. Needed some groceries, I walked the two miles to the store and back.
There are so many ways to sneak a workout in every day. Marching in place while watching an hour long show or jogging in place during commercial breaks are a great way to get in some extra calorie burning.
Now, 2.4 pounds may not seem like a whole lot of progress when looking at the overall picture, but it is progress in the right direction.
Feel free to tell me about your progress either via email or a comment below. If you find any interesting articles or have a success story that you would like me to share here, email them to me please. I would love to hear about it.
Well, until next time loves!!!!
I have lost 2.4 pounds this week. YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!
In addition to my normal one mile walks to and from work, I walked 14 miles. I alternated between circuit workouts (posted later this week) and the Mike Tyson Squats workout everyday. I LOVE the squat workout. My heart rate goes up and my thighs, legs, and butt get good and sore. I did one of the routines from the Insanity program. It is just too hard on my bad ankle. I want to give it another go when I get down to about 200!!!!
Here is a tip that I believe has helped me through out this past week:
Drink plenty of water! Yes, you will go to the bathroom a lot but water aids in flushing out your system. And if you drink enough of it, it can help you stay full in between meals and snacks.
Your workouts do not have to be for and hour or more per day to loose weight. Those extra miles that I walked I did all of them Friday - Sunday.
If you have to go to the store to pick up a few things and it is within three miles of your home, walk. That is up to 6 miles that you can get in within any given day. That is how I got those extra walking miles in. Cell phone bill needed to be paid so I walked the two miles to the store to pay it and then two miles back. Needed somethings from the Dollar Store that is three miles away from my house, I walked there and back. Needed some groceries, I walked the two miles to the store and back.
There are so many ways to sneak a workout in every day. Marching in place while watching an hour long show or jogging in place during commercial breaks are a great way to get in some extra calorie burning.
Now, 2.4 pounds may not seem like a whole lot of progress when looking at the overall picture, but it is progress in the right direction.
Feel free to tell me about your progress either via email or a comment below. If you find any interesting articles or have a success story that you would like me to share here, email them to me please. I would love to hear about it.
Well, until next time loves!!!!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A Healthy Spaghetti Recipe
One of my favorite food is spaghetti. This is how I make mine. It has plenty of protein and whole grains plus some veggies! This is simple, quick, and easy. This will be my lunch at work for the rest of the week.
What you need:
1 package of Jennie O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
A box of Whole Grain Spaghetti (brand doesn't matter)
1 Jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu's Chunky Garden Vegetables)
Half of one medium size onion, chopped
Black pepper and garlic powder to taste
Optional: Half bag of frozen fully cooked small shrimp, thawed
The package of sausage looks like this (the sausage was already in the pan with I thought of taking pictures):
The sausage if very flavorful and smells great when it is cooking. You can find this at just about any grocery store
Remove the sausage from the package and cut open the skin casings. Put them in a pan on med-high heat. Throw in the chopped onions. Brown the sausage, just as you would with any type of ground meat. I use a potato masher to break the meat up while it is cooking. It is just easier for me that way (I learned that from Rachel Ray).
While you have the sausage and onions going, bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, throw in your whole wheat pasta. I use about three health pinches of pasta and break it in half. Use whatever amount of pasta you would use when making spaghetti with one pound of meat. Once the pasta is done to your liking, drain off water, put back in the pot your were boiling in (I have a designated spaghetti pot! lol). Add the sausage and onions and the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Fill the spaghetti jar to a little less than half way with water, swirl it around to get the rest of the sauce and pour it into the pot.
If you are adding shrimp, you would toss those in at this point.
Let everything marry together for a couple of minutes (about 7 minutes if you are using shrimp), stirring frequently. Then season with black pepper and garlic powder to taste & you are done!!!!
Let me know what you think!
Until next time loves!!!
What you need:
1 package of Jennie O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
A box of Whole Grain Spaghetti (brand doesn't matter)
1 Jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu's Chunky Garden Vegetables)
Half of one medium size onion, chopped
Black pepper and garlic powder to taste
Optional: Half bag of frozen fully cooked small shrimp, thawed
The package of sausage looks like this (the sausage was already in the pan with I thought of taking pictures):
The sausage if very flavorful and smells great when it is cooking. You can find this at just about any grocery store
Remove the sausage from the package and cut open the skin casings. Put them in a pan on med-high heat. Throw in the chopped onions. Brown the sausage, just as you would with any type of ground meat. I use a potato masher to break the meat up while it is cooking. It is just easier for me that way (I learned that from Rachel Ray).
While you have the sausage and onions going, bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, throw in your whole wheat pasta. I use about three health pinches of pasta and break it in half. Use whatever amount of pasta you would use when making spaghetti with one pound of meat. Once the pasta is done to your liking, drain off water, put back in the pot your were boiling in (I have a designated spaghetti pot! lol). Add the sausage and onions and the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Fill the spaghetti jar to a little less than half way with water, swirl it around to get the rest of the sauce and pour it into the pot.
If you are adding shrimp, you would toss those in at this point.
Let everything marry together for a couple of minutes (about 7 minutes if you are using shrimp), stirring frequently. Then season with black pepper and garlic powder to taste & you are done!!!!
Let me know what you think!
Until next time loves!!!
Monday, July 16, 2012
The New Start to My Weight Loss Journey
As of this morning, I weigh 259. I am setting a goal to loose at least 5 lbs per month. That sounds manageable, right? I am 5'2" and I want to get down to about 140-150 lbs.
I HAVE to do something about my weight. I haven't been to the doctor in years, but I know that I am not healthy. I am to the point now where I feel that if I don't do something, I am not going to live much longer or if I do, it will be full of taking medication every day, diabetes, heart problems, and many of the other problems that come along with being overweight. I have seen enough family members who had some of those issues to know that living like that, is not truly living.
I am 29 and honestly, I have not even began to live my life. I want to travel, get married, and have kids. I know that my weight is holding me back from a lot of that. The last time that I got on a plan (which was about 4 or 5 years ago), I barely got the seat belt on. I almost had to ask for an extender. I think that the only reason that I got the damn thing on was because I was so determined to not feel the embarrassment of having to ask for an extender! Two years ago I went to Cedar Pointe with my family and the one ride that I wanted to get on the most, I couldn't because the seat belt wouldn't fit. At first, I blamed the seat belt for not being long enough, then I blamed Cedar Pointe for being discriminatory towards "fluffy" people. But really (and I mean really, really), the fault is mine and mine alone.
There are dozens, even hundreds, of overweight people that feel like this. But you know what realization I came to, WE HAVE CONTROL OF OUR BODY, OUR MIND, OUR HEALTH (outside of genetics and being overweight is not genetic, families just have the tendency to do it together), WHAT WE EAT, AND HOW WE THINK OF OUR SELVES.
I say that we do this together!!!
First, I am going to tell you the problems that I have identified in myself:
This is my plan:
Now it is your turn to share. I want to hear about your problems and your plans. Lets build a community to motivate and support each other.
I will make weekly updates about my progress and any pitfall. I will also post a "then and now" pic at least once every three months. I encourage you to do the same. Below is my "now" pic (soon to be my "then" pic).
I HAVE to do something about my weight. I haven't been to the doctor in years, but I know that I am not healthy. I am to the point now where I feel that if I don't do something, I am not going to live much longer or if I do, it will be full of taking medication every day, diabetes, heart problems, and many of the other problems that come along with being overweight. I have seen enough family members who had some of those issues to know that living like that, is not truly living.
I am 29 and honestly, I have not even began to live my life. I want to travel, get married, and have kids. I know that my weight is holding me back from a lot of that. The last time that I got on a plan (which was about 4 or 5 years ago), I barely got the seat belt on. I almost had to ask for an extender. I think that the only reason that I got the damn thing on was because I was so determined to not feel the embarrassment of having to ask for an extender! Two years ago I went to Cedar Pointe with my family and the one ride that I wanted to get on the most, I couldn't because the seat belt wouldn't fit. At first, I blamed the seat belt for not being long enough, then I blamed Cedar Pointe for being discriminatory towards "fluffy" people. But really (and I mean really, really), the fault is mine and mine alone.
There are dozens, even hundreds, of overweight people that feel like this. But you know what realization I came to, WE HAVE CONTROL OF OUR BODY, OUR MIND, OUR HEALTH (outside of genetics and being overweight is not genetic, families just have the tendency to do it together), WHAT WE EAT, AND HOW WE THINK OF OUR SELVES.
I say that we do this together!!!
First, I am going to tell you the problems that I have identified in myself:
- I snack, snack, snack, snack, snack, snack!!! There wouldn't be anything wrong with that if I snacked on fresh fruits and veggies but, obviously, that has not been the case!!!
- I don't like to cook for myself, so I eat more processed foods that are quick and easy. Cooking (and laundry) would be much more pleasant for me if I had people to cook for!!!!
- I LOVE bread. On average, I go through about 1.5 loaves of bread per week eating sandwiches because they are quick and easy.
- After two weeks of exercise, I lack motivation to keep going even though the number on the scale has gotten smaller. I honestly don't know what that is all about because you would think that having proof in numbers that the workout is working would be motivation for me to keep going, but for some reason it is not.
- Once I get home from work, I don't want to do anything but watch General Hospital and Netflix.
- I walk to and from work. That is two miles 5 days per week.
- I work on the 4th floor of my building and I am not so obesed that doing the stairs is not an option for me.
- I know that I prefer to workout at home instead of going to the gym (that place is just intimidating to me) and I have a stationary bike and workout DVDs.
This is my plan:
- Cardio (starting this morning) at least 5x per week outside of walking to work. I have the Insanity workout set so I will go back to using that.
- Strength training at least 3x per week.
- Eat less processed foods.
- Eggs for breakfast most mornings (in other attempts to loose weight, I learned that I need to have eggs with whatever else I am eating to stay full until lunch. This reduces my need to snack (which is one of my biggest problems)).
- Take the stairs at least once per day at work.
Now it is your turn to share. I want to hear about your problems and your plans. Lets build a community to motivate and support each other.
I will make weekly updates about my progress and any pitfall. I will also post a "then and now" pic at least once every three months. I encourage you to do the same. Below is my "now" pic (soon to be my "then" pic).
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