Two is Company

My sis will be graduating from college on Saturday and then moving back home over the weekend. Go BRITT! On that note, I am for sure, SURE going to start Turbo Fire next Monday (December 12). She will be my workout partner, as she was prior to college. Years ago when we were excercising together, it was much easier for me to stay on task because we were each other's cheerleader. I'm so happy she's coming back!

Sooo I haven't exercised, exercised but I have been active. I have been super busy with my precious baby boy, winter cleaning and shopping. I even started stair climbing while I'm at work since my time is so limited when I get home.

My eating hasn't been out of control, but I can do a lot better. My pants are fitting looser in the butt area, BUT (no pun intended), for some odd reason my stomach seems like it's poking out more. I'm hoping that my eyes are playing tricks on me....Or maybe the extra water I've been drinking....Whatever the reason, it HAS to go!

I still haven't started working out in the morning prior to going to work. That's something that I KNOW has to change. If I could ACTually do it, I'd be further in this weight loss journey. I have been going to bed earlier, so that's a start in the right direction.

Getting it Right

Last week, I only exercised on Saturday. The good thing is that Saturday started a trend of consistency; I exercised Sunday and Monday as well. Go me, go me! I’ve been doing HIIT on my treadmill to get my cardio in, since I haven't been able to stick to the Turbo Jam calendar. I am hoping to get my hands on Turbo Fire over the Thanksgiving weekend. After ordering it on Ebay and the seller being a rip-off, I wasn’t motivated to try buying it again. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start it on Monday if everything goes as planned.

A few meals I've had:

Noodle stir-fry w/ veggies and chicken


Chopped chicken breast, baby spinach, shredded cheese, and mustard on Oroweat Thin

What a Time...

When we finally have a plan and getting things on track, life has a way of knocking you back a few steps....My DS (dear son) was hospitalized on November 12 for an eyelid infection. Poor baby had to stay there for two days, that's how bad it was. Thankfully, with 10 days of antibiotics the swelling went down and he was back to his normal activities. As if that wasn't enough, the day we got home, he started coughing. SN: The nurse did say that his immune system was suppressed because of his eyelid infection. Now he has bronchitis, a virus. Apparently a lot of kids are getting it because of this crazy weather. We have to give him a puff of an inhaler every 4-6 hours to help with his coughing. Other than that, he's doing great. Hubby and I won't be doing a lot of traveling to Thanksgiving dinners on tomorrow. Doc said it’s best to only send DS to the babysitter and home. He will be going to his granny's and I MAY go to my mom's for dinner, since there won't be many people there.

Needless to say the week he came home, I didn't do one single exercise. However, my diet has been on point. That's the latest...

Finally...

I started Turbo Jam last night! Since I'm so late in the week starting, I will let Sunday and Monday serve as rest days and Tuesday - Saturday will be my workout days. That being said, I have to makeup the 20 minute workout and Ab Jam that I didn't do on Wednesday, because I was busy making up the workout for Tuesday. I'm going to try to squeeze in one of the two missed workouts this evening.

Today got off to a slow and late start. *I knew there was a reason why my sleep felt so good. I didn't pack my lunch last night, so I have to figure out what I'm going to grab for lunch. I'm thinking maybe a grilled chicken salad. Hmmmm...

I didn't start Turbo Jam

See what had happened was....This little guy kept me busy and then he had the nerve to go to sleep on me in MY bed!!

Seriously I didn't start Turbo Jam last night. BUT tonight is THE NIGHT!! To keep me accountable, I'm posting this. I will definitely update if when I complete it tonight!!

Back on the Grapefruit Juice!

Last week was NOT a good week as far as exercising goes! I only exercised twice. My eating habits weren't out of control, so I guess that's a plus. All in all, could've been better, could've been worse.

On Sunday, I started back drinking unsweetened grapefruit juice. On one of my previous posts a couple of years ago, I talked about the success I had with it. Eventually, I plan on doing a juice fast once or twice a week to see some weight loss. Lord knows I could use it now; I ate more than my share of candy these last few days.

This week is the start of Turbo Jam. I'm already behind on 1 workout, but I'm still going to PUSH. I will be doing the 20 min workout and Ab Jam this evening. I will be happy to get to the point in my journey when I get my butt up and exercise in the morning. That way, anything extra that I do in the evening, will be an added bonus. To stay on track with my diet, a trip to the grocery is definitely needed!

Making up for lost time

Last week I burned 710 calories. *Booooo! I have myself to blame, because I only exercised twice. This week I started out by making up a Couch-2-5k that I didn't get in last week. As of today, I am on track with my Couch-2-5k workouts. I decided that I am going to stick with the Week 3 protocal for the duration of the program. My knees can't handle what week 4 was trying to do.

So far for the week, I've exercised 3 days. * Go me! I stopped tracking calories burned on Tuesday because my HRM was tripping. However, on Monday I do know that I burned 610 calories because of the C25k workout that I had to makeup on top of my regular C25k workout. My focus now, is to workout at least 5 days a week. Anything more than that, is a bonus. Hopefully my HRM will cooperate with me today when I exercise.

I Did That!

Last week, I managed to burn 1,311; just 189 calories shy of my goal. This week, I hope to reach my goal of burning 1500 calories.

This week also marks week 3 of Couch-2-5k. I’m starting to notice that my clothes are fitting looser. Yay me! After this week, I won't be increasing my running duration to the amount that is required of the program. However, I will continue to do the program for the number of required weeks and just run for a shorter amount of time. I totally love Couch-2-5k!

A Few Snacks and Meals I've had

~Yoplait Whips Yogurt~

~Granny Smith Apple~




~Sharp String Cheese~





~Special K Cracker Chips~

~Sweet, juicy plum~

~Baked Rosemary chicken wings with baked sweet potato fries~

~Turkey club - Turkey, 1 slice turkey bacon, tablespoon sharp cheddar cheese, baby spinach and mustard on Orowheat Sandwich Thins~

Couch-2-5k

Last week I exercised 3 days out of 7. Not toooo bad, but I’d like to at least get 4 days in from here on out. I also started Couch-2-5K on last week. I missed the last workout in the series and have to make it up at some point. But all in all, I must say that I like the program. I also incorporated Pilates Buns & Thigh dvd into rotation. It really gave my butt a good burn like it did when I first tried it years ago.

This week, I'm looking to get the Couch-2-5k workout in that I missed and trying to add Turbo Jam's Ab Jam into my rotation.


Workout Schedule wk of 9/26/11

Couch-2-5k – Burned 205 calories
20min Turbo Jam & Winsor Pilates Buns & Thighs – Burned 371 calories
Couch-2-5K – Burned 339

I burned a total of 915 calories for the week of 9/26/11. I would like to see that number increase to a minimum of 1500 weekly.

Just keeping it real....

I’m tired of counting calories! I think I’m to a point in this journey where I can pick/eat close to goal w/o having to count, count. I have OFFICIALLY gotten bored with this aspect of losing weight. Maybe I’ll take a stab at taking pics of my food to see if that’s beneficial??? I would like to start exercising longer and more vigorously. I guess I'll be doing some interval training. From here on out (until I get bored), I won’t be posting my caloric consumption. However, I will continue to post my caloric burn but on a weekly basis. So far I've burned 435 and that's without exercising on Tuesday. We'll see how the rest of the week goes.

MEAL DIARY MONDAY 9/19/11

Breakfast
Sharp string cheese - 60 cal

Snack
Brownie - 180 cal
Chex bold party mix- 120 cal

Lunch
Chicken n Dumplings - 270 cal

Snack


Dinner


Snack

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 630 cal +++

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED -

Counting Calories

Since I've started counting calories, I've lost two pounds. I know my weight loss could be greater if I'd eat more healthy foods and exercise more. When I see all the calories that certain meals cost, it shames me. Often times, I eat fast food out of convenience. I see why I've gained all this weight!! I really need to buy more Lean Cuisine type foods, when I'm running low on time.

Things to change
Shop Sunday for healthy lunch foods - My top 3 go-to foods for the week will be rotisserie chicken, baby spinach and Oroweat sandwich thins.

Exercise in the morning - I feel that I'm more likely to stick to exercising if I get it out of the way, prior to going to work.

Prepare breakfast and lunch at night - Along with getting myself ready for work, I have to feed my son and dress him which leaves little time in the morning to prepare food.

**If I can start by making these small changes, I should start seeing results consistently.

MEAL DIARY SUNDAY 9/18/11

Breakfast
Cinnamon Toast Crunch w/2% milk - 468 cal

Snack
Nothing

Lunch
Nothing

Snack
Brownie - 180 cal

Dinner
Chicken n Dumplings - 540 cal

Cornbread muffin - 170 cal

Snack
White seedless grapes - 60 cal
Banana - 110 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 1,528

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 0 DIDN'T EXERCISE

MEAL DIARY SATURDAY 9/17/11

Breakfast
Honeynut Cheerios w/ 2% milk - 282 cal

Snack
Nothing

Lunch
3 hotwings -150 cal
Rotel - 142 cal
Tortilla chips - 140 cal

Snack
Nothing

Dinner
POPEYE’s
Half Breast/Leg - 380 cal
Biscuit - 260 cal
Fries - 130 cal

Snack
Rainbow Sherbet Ice cream - 120 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 1,604

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 0 DIDN'T EXERCISE

MEAL DIARY - FRI. 9/16/11

Breakfast
Nothing

Snacks
Nothing

Lunch
Chick-fil-A #1 Combo - 1,200 ***RED FLAG*** - Sooo out of order but I was having a lazy day, didn't wanna get out the car to go in Subway or Lenny's.


Snacks


Nothing


Dinner
3 slices of LC pepperoni pizza - 840 cal





Snacks
Nothing

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 2,400 cal

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 0 - DIDN'T EXERCISE

MEAL DIARY - THURS. 9/15/11

Breakfast
Nothing


Snacks
Ritz Crackerful - 130 cal


Lunch
Smothered pork chop – 410 cal
White rice – 205 cal


Dinner
Zatarin's Jambalaya Pasta - 420 cal


Snacks
Mini popcorn - 160 cal
3 oatmeal cookies - 180 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 1,505 cal

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 245 cal - 20 min Turbo Jam

MEAL DIARY - WED. 9/14/11

Breakfast

2 hardboiled eggs – 156 cal
2 slices of turkey bacon – 50 cal
Sharp cheese – 54 cal


Snacks
3 oatmeal cookies – 180 cal


Lunch
Turkey and roast beef sandwich – 200 cal
Chili Cheese Fritos – 240 CAL

Snacks
Fun size Baby Ruth - 85 cal
Mini popcorn - 160



Dinner

Smothered pork chop - 410 cal

White Rice - 205 cal

Turnip greens – 100 cal

Dr. Pepper – 300 cal

**RED FLAG** This meal had too many calories, but hubby had this on his mind all day. And who am I to disappoint?! Plus, it was sooo good!

Snacks

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED – 2,140

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED – 0 Didn't exercise :(

MEAL DIARY - TUESDAY 9/13/11

Breakfast
Hard boiled egg – 78
3 slices turkey bacon – 75
Sharp cheddar cheese - 27

Snack
Ritz Classic Cheddar Crackerful – 130 cal

Lunch
2.5 baked chicken wings – 200 cal
Green beans – 40 cal

Snack
Whips Yogurt – 140 cal
2 Fun size Baby Ruth - 170 cal

Dinner
3 chicken wings – 240 cal
Green beans – 40 cal

Snack
2 serv. Kroger Rainbow Sherbet - 240 cal
3 oatmeal cookies – 180 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED – 1,560

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED – NO EXERCISE

MEAL DIARY - MON. 9/12/11

Soooo actually, I’m starting over this week. Last week, I must’ve caught some type of virus, my throat was sore and I was congested. NOT a good feeling at all. I finally went to the doctor on Friday for some meds. Thank God it wasn’t anything serious. With that being said, I am going to start back posting my meal diaries and workouts daily.

Breakfast
Hardboiled egg w/ sharp cheese – 78 cal
3 slices of turkey bacon – 75 cal
Sharp cheddar cheese - 27

Snacks
Oreo cookies – 270 cal

Lunch
Turkey & roastbeef sandwich – 200 cal
1/2 serv. Sweet butter chips – 50 cal

Snacks
3 Chocolate chip cookies – 180 cal
Sharp cheese string wrapped in Turkey – 110 cal
Mini bag of popcorn – 160 cal

Dinner
Fit & Active Chicken Alfredo – 240 cal
Baked chicken wing drummie – 40 cal
Fried chicken wing drummie – 51 cal

Snacks
Smoothie – 120 cal


TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED – 1601
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED – 285 - 20 min Turbo Jam

* I went hard on Turbo Jam but I had to bring down the intensity when I started to cramp. I'm hoping to see that scale

MEAL DIARY - TUESDAY 9/6/11

Breakfast
2 hard-boiled eggs w/sharp cheddar cheese cube - 173 cal

Snack
Peanuts - 140 cal
4 Oreo cookies - 180 cal

Lunch
BBQ shoulder sandwich - 300 cal


Snack


Dinner



TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 793 + cal

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED -

I WON'T EVEN SAY WHAT I ATE...

I didn't eat anywhere close to my diet plans over the Labor Day weekend. I didn't exercise either. I guess my saving grace was that the food was grilled and not fried, right? Today, I'm going to start back exercising consistently and tracking/prepping my meals so that I can stay within the caloric alottment and stay focused on my goal to lose weight.

MEAL DIARY - FRI. 9/2/11

Breakfast
Nothing - I made a mistake and put my turkey bacon in the microwave on defrost instead of cook. Didn't have time to cook it before leaving for work.


Snack
Peanuts - 140 cal
3 Nutter Butter Cookies - 180 cal


Lunch
3 slices of PH Chicken Pizza - 1,029 cal ***RED FLAG*** I was so out of order!


Snack
Special K Sour Cream & Onion Chps - 110 cal

Dinner
Zatarin's Jambalaya Pasta - 420 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 1,879 cal

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 0 - Didn't exercise

MEAL DIARY - THUR. 9/1/11

Breakfast
Chick-fil-A biscuit 440 cal **RED FLAG** Too many calories!

Snack
Peanuts 140 cal

Lunch
Chicken Salad Sandwich 250 cal
Sweet Pickles – 100 cal
Special K Chips - 110 cal

Snack
3 Oreo cookies - 160 cal

Dinner
.5 serv. Chicken & Steak Fajita Nachos - 900 cal


TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 2100 cal

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - 281 cal 20 min Turbo Jam

**Yesterday was hubby's birthday so we had Mexican food. I still managed to stay within limits.

MEAL DIARY - WED. AUGUST 31, 2011

I didn't get a chance to exercise before work or eat breakfast, however, I do plan on working out this evening. Dinner is very simple, so I know I'll have to get it in.

Breakfast
Peanuts - 140 cal

Lunch
Chicken Salad Sandwich - 250 cal
1.5 serv. Fritos Scoops - 240 cal

Snack
3 Oatmeal cookies - 180 cal

Reese PB Cup - 80 cal

Dinner

3 serv. Voila Garlic Chicken - 720 cal **RED FLAG** Too many calories!

Snack
Oatmeal Cookies - 120 cal

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED - 1730

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED - WATP 250 cal

*Although my caloric intake wasn't high, 720 calories at one meal is ridiculous!

MEAL DIARY TUES. AUGUST 30, 2011

Breakfast
Boiled Egg – 78 cal
3 slices of turkey bacon – 45 cal

Snack
Peanuts – 140 cal
2 oatmeal cookies – 120 cal

Lunch
Turkey and roast beef sandwich – 180 cal
1.5 ser. Doritos – 225 cal
Sweet Pickles – 100 cal
Starbucks Caramel Macchiato – 180 cal

Snack
2 oatmeal cookies - 120 cal
Reese's PB Cup - 80 cal

Dinner
Meatball sub - 580 cal
French Fries - 150 cal


Total Calories - 1,998
Total Calories Burned - 0

***Didn't get to exercise today. Tomorrow will be better!

MY Fitness - MEAL DIARY MON. AUGUST 29, 2011

As I stated earlier, I'm ready to try well-balanced structured meals to help me lose weight. The plan is to post my daily meals and workouts to help track my results. I'm aiming to stay within the 1800-2200 calorie range and exercise at least 4-5 days a week.


AM Workout before work
15 min -1 mile WATP & 5 min on treadmill = 20 min

Breakfast
Hard-boiled egg - 78 cal
3 slices turkey bacon - 45 cal

Snack
Snack Pack Peanuts - 150 cal
Ritz Crackers - 160 cal

Lunch
Turkey & RB sandwich - 180 cal
1.5 Serv. Cheese Doritos - 225 cal


Snack
Smart Pop Popcorn - 100 cal

Dinner
Dirty Rice - 260 cal
4 Fried Chicken Drummies - 248 cal

Snack
BlueBell Moo-llennium Crunch - 380 cal
.5 Serv. Cheese Doritos - 75 cal

Total Calories Consumed - 1,901
Total Calories Burned - Forgot to wear HRM

**My snacking and dinner was off the chain. I will do better!

I Was Trying, BUT NOW I'm......

Prior to getting pregnant, I wanted to lose weight. Now, my struggle is to lose that weight and the weight I put on while pregnant. My long-term goal is to lose 100 pounds. I’m not quite sure, how much my short-term goal should be. Maybe 30????

To help conquer this issue, I started Intermittent Fasting in June; so far I’ve lost 7 pounds w/o consistently exercising. During the week, I would basically fast a minimum of 16 hours and have an eight-hour window in which I can eat. On the weekends, I would do 19 hours of fasting and have a 5-hour eating window. The weekends were sooo much easier for me, because I’m normally really busy and hardly have time to think about eating. It’s really up to each individual to set time limits based on what works for their lifestyle.

For a while, this way of eating was a perfect fit. I’ve never been the type that NEEDED to eat breakfast (except when I was pregnant), so skipping it, wasn't a big deal for me. The purpose of Intermittent Fasting is to give the digestive system a break. During the fasting time, your body eats stored fat. During my eating window, I'd tend to eat healthier so that I could make sure that I’m getting all the nutrients that my body needs for healthy weight loss. One can create a major calorie deficit by eating this way. I learned the foundation to my approach to Intermittent Fasting by going here.

After trying Intermittent Fasting, I'm ready to try well-balanced structured meals....

Long Time, No See

A lot has taken place since the last time I posted. Most importantly, I am now a Mommy!! My son, Bryson Reece, was born on March 24, 2011 weighing 8lbs 6 oz. He is the sweetest baby EVER! I love my son sooo much. He is now my motivation to get in shape and stay in shape so that I can be around and active to take care of him.

Since having my son, I continue to take my iron and prenatal pills so that my post-partum shedding will calm down; so far, so good. I’m also taking a B-complex for energy, burdock root to purify the blood. I would like to begin taking coconut oil for my appetite and belly fat and garlic pills to combat post-partum shedding. Now that I've gotten used to being a new mommy, I'll be posting on a regular basis now. So happy to be back on the WWW!!