Weight Loss Update (Through Crazy Stressful Times)

What a whirlwind this last month has been.  After a fantastic vacation to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, we settled back into a regular routine and got a quick dose of reality:

- Toby (pup) had itched a little cut on his neck until it turned into a giant infected spot (vet visit & twice daily fights to put medicine on the silver dollar sized spot);
- Work hit me square between the eyes with issue after issue;
- My car started making crazy noises and I found out I needed to buy 4 new tires; and the icing on the cake...
- We found out Husband had to have back surgery.

Travis had an appointment with his doctor the Tuesday morning after we returned from Wyoming where we got the news. After doing everything anyone could think of for a bulging disc in his lower back, the doctor said it was finally time.  That afternoon, the nurse called to schedule his surgery and said pre-op would be that Friday...and surgery would be that coming Tuesday!  So the next week after his surgery was spent working from home (such a fantastic perk of my job), helping Husband up and down, and making 2.5 gallons of ice cream for the Ice Cream Takedown I participated in this past week.  

Now is the first time I feel like I've gotten to take a breath since vacation ended.  (Can I please go back on vacation???)

The good news is that through all of this, my eating and exercising habits haven't flown out of control.  I'm excited to say I've now lost 40 pounds since April 5th, and I feel great!

Here are a few things to note from the past month:

Going on a super-active vacation does the body good!  I lost 4 pounds on our week long vacation, thanks to lots of hiking and little eating out.  We ate breakfast at home every day, packed our lunch (and snacks), and made sure to make it home in time for dinner.  We only ate out for three meals of the whole trip (at one, I had the Pub make me some brussels sprouts...the only veggie they had in the entire establishment).  I'm not the kind of person who wants to just lay on the beach for 6 days, so this was perfect.

I'm still running, and feeling better about it.  I'm still doing intervals and have slightly increased my running length, while decreasing the walking portion.  I try to do this 3 times a week.

Some of the things I've talked about in the past that I'm still doing:

- Walking every single day for at least an hour.
- Tracking every single thing I eat - haven't missed a day!
- Eating throughout the day (3 meals, 2-3 snacks).
- No foods are off limit...as you can probably tell from my recent blogs (ex: making 2.5 gallons of ice cream...).  The only things I completely cut out are caffeine & artificial sweeteners.

What are some of the things you do/eat/think about to live a healthy life?

Weight Loss Update - 31 pounds down!

I know it's been a little while since I've mentioned the diet, but never fear - it's still going strong!  It's now been 3 months since I started tracking what I'm eating and moving more, and I'm happy to say progress is being made!  If you didn't read my last entry, check out my diet game plan here.  The short version is that I started the diet by:

Tracking my meals using loseit.com (EVERY day)
Giving up soda (no caffeine or aspratame)
Drinking lots of water every day
Walking a lot
Following the 80/20 rule

In the first 7 weeks I lost 20 pounds.  Now, three months in, I'm 31 pounds down!  Here's a little of what's been going on:

I've still been tracking all my meals, and I've only gone over my daily calories 5 times these whole 3 months! Basically, if I know i'll be eating a large meal one day, I trim down the others or skip a snack.  I also try to add an extra 30 minutes of exercise that day, to compensate for the extra calories!

I've started jogging.  I'm REALLY bad at it...but I'm still trying!  Right now I'm doing intervals - running 2 minutes, walking 2 minutes for 20-26 minutes three times a week (in addition to 60 minutes walking).  Hopefully next time I report I'll have extended the run portion.  :)

I hit a plateau.  Like...a 2.5 - 3 week plateau.  I did really well for 2 weeks of the darn thing, staying positive and continuing as a good girl should, but 2.5 weeks in I was about to give up.  It's frustrating not seeing any progress when you're doing everything "right".  Travis was in Vermont at the time, so I finally called him and lost my cool - "This is stupid," "Nothing's working," "I don't want to do this anymore," "This sucks."  Sweet husband turned on the cheerleader role and reminded me that I already have done it, so obviously I can, and that eventually the plateau would end.  Two days later I started making "scale progress" again!

I almost wore holes in the bottoms of my shoes from walking so much, so I got some new shoes last weekend.  I'm still getting used to them, but they are much better than the old ones!

I also got a watch that tracks your steps, distance, heart rate, and calories burned.  Most of these are pretty expensive, but I found one from New Balance at Target last week for $60, so I got it.  I had 3 gift cards I could use, so it only ended up costing $5!  *score*  I was excited to get home and crack it open to start using, until I saw the instructions.  They were folded up into a tiny booklet, but when you unfolded them they were the size of a MAP.  I took one look and knew it was just going to be a frustrating mess, so I decided to wait for Travis to get home for Oregon (another music conference) so he could help me.  When I called him to tell him about the instructions he said "yeah...you should just wait for me to get home."  He really knows me, huh?  :)  I'm excited to get it set up so I can start wearing it, though!

I did another Diet Bet...and won again!  My friend Ann started her own after reading my last weight loss blog, so of course I joined!  I was nervous I wouldn't make my goal with the monster plateau, but eeked out the required 4% in the last few days!  Whew...

That's what's been going on with me.  We'll be going on vacation in a few weeks, so normally I'd be nervous, but this vaca is going to be very active - we're going to the Tetons and Yellowstone, so there will be lots of hiking and exploring!

Do you have any tips for me?  What's worked for you?

Also, I'll be going on vacation later in July and am looking for a few guest bloggers.  If you're interested, send me an email at lalford0609 (at) gmail (dot) com!

Losing Weight - what's worked for me so far!

A few months ago I told you about my 'adventure' in giving up soda and caffeine.  Well, I'm happy to report that I haven't had one since, and I don't miss it ONE BIT.  I feel much better knowing that I'm not tied to a 12 ounce can of soda every morning so I can 1) function and 2) not end up with a headache by lunch.

One of the other perks of giving up soda verified what I've been hearing all along.  It's true what they say - diet soda makes you crave sweet things.  I don't crave sugar nearly as much as I used to since giving up my daily dose of artificial sweeteners.  This new non-need for sweet has made the diet I've been on much easier (as easy as a diet can be I guess).

For the last 7 weeks I've been tracking my meals and exercise using LoseIt.com.  They really do have the best tracker out there.  I also participated in a DietBet through The Sweaty Betties last month and loved it.  In a diet bet, every participant puts the same amount of money in the pot to start.  The bet is to try to lose 4% of your weight in four weeks.  If you don't lose 4%, you lose your money.  Everyone who loses the weight gets their money back plus splits the pot from those who didn't.  They have weigh-in safeguards to help curb cheating, which is nice.  Not only did I lose 14 pounds...I won $60!  

Now, 7 weeks in, I've lost 20 pounds.  *WHOOP!*  Here are a few things I've done.

Follow the 80/20 rule.  Make 80% of what you eat healthy foods (fruits, veggies, lean meats) and 20% 'fun'.  We've gone out to dinner, had burgers, and eaten dessert - it really helps you from feeling deprived!

Eat the correct number of calories.  Obviously, if you're on a diet, you're going to try not to eat too many calories.  It's also important to eat enough calories though.  Use a website that will tell you how many calories you should consume based on your height, weight, and goals so you know what you should be shooting for.  Eating too few calories will throw your body into starvation mode and it will start conserving fat instead of shedding it.

Drink a lot of water.  I've been flying through the 5 gallon Poland Springs bottles at work.  Stay hydrated!

Eat throughout the day.  I've been eating small meals throughout the day so I stay full.  A typical day looks like:

9am - cereal

11:30 am - snack 1 (apple, carrots, yogurt, granola bar, banana (with pb sometimes), etc)

1pm - soup or sandwich

3pm - snack 2

5pm - snack 3

7pm - dinner

9pm - popsicles :)

Move all day.  I used to park in a parking garage for work.  2 months ago, I started parking at metered spots so that I would HAVE to get out of my chair and move my car.  Every. three. hours.  All I've been doing so far is walking for exercise, so I've made sure I do a lot of it (45 minutes to 1.5 hours a day).  I've been getting to work early to take a 25-30 minute walk, get in 15 minutes each time I move my car (twice daily), and usually take one with Toby and Travis in the afternoon.  Since I eat my lunch at my desk I don't feel bad about my walk breaks!

Tell someone what you're doing.  I'm WAY out of my comfort zone telling the blog world about this.  Up until now only a handful of people knew my goal, which is probably more normal.  :)  The point is, it's important to have a cheering section!  If you don't want to talk to 'real friends' about your weight loss, join an online community and enjoy your anonymity.

Lighten up your meals.  Here are a few delicious and low calories recipes I've posted lately.  Also, check out skinnytaste.com - she's fantastic.

Taco Salads

Blackberry Honey Frozen Yogurt

Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Key Lime Fruit Dip

Roasted Chickpeas

Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt

Garlic & Herb Mashed Cauliflower

Berry, Oatmeal & Spinach Smoothie

Healthier Tacos

Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprouts

Berry Banana Smoothie

Lisa Johnson recently did a video for Diet.com ranting about bad diets that don't work, so I thought I'd share it with y'all since it fits.  While you're at it, subscribe to her newsletter list - she's full of great fitness information.

Check out the progress blog - down 31 pounds!  Whoop!

Here's to the next 20!