Thursday, April 28, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 11

Okay let me just put it out there.  I don't even want to talk about my food intake today.  It was beyond horrible.  I'd like to say that the few days of low eating prior to today added up and I just lost it, but truthfully I'm not sure what happened.  The boys and I went to our local Sprouts and there was a basket of clearance bakery goods.  Why oh why didn't I pass up that terrible basket?!  Instead we bought a loaf of cheese foccacia.  We brought it home and I at almost 3/4 of it.  It was a big loaf.  Like 8 inches round.  UGH!!  I felt sick afterwards.
I determined to move on from there and went to the gym.  I did my first day of Week 2 of Couch to 5k.  It actually went pretty well.  My stomach bothered me (not suprisingly considering the crap I had put in my body just a couple of hours before) and about half way through I needed to pee sooooo bad.  This happens everytime I run.  Why don't I go before I start?  For crying out loud.  You'd think I'd learn.  I did 1.89 miles in 30 minutes.  It was my longest run and I was pretty happy about it.  Looking forward to see how it goes from here. 
I did manage to get in 92 ounces of water.  At least that was good.
Tomorrow is another day and I plan to do better.  I will do better.  There's no more foccacia in the house : )

Food and Exercise Log 10

Hmmmm....one day I'll get this all right.  Really.One.Day.I.Will.
Morning number 10 started out with coffee with unsweetened organic vanilla almond milk, then fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice and one whole egg and two egg whites over fresh spinach with fresh pico de galo.  It was all yummy.
Then came lunch and I had my standard favorite, Ezekiel small sprouted tortilla spread with Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese topped with fresh spinach, fresh spring mix lettuces and 2 oz of smoked salmon.  I also had a side of fresh strawberries and blueberries.  I love this lunch and I could eat it almost everyday.
Here is where things got bad.  In the early afternoon I started feeling sick to my stomach, then my head started hurting.  Quickly I was overcome with a full blown migraine.  I ended up not eating thing the rest of the night and I never was able to workout. 
I went to bed pretty bummed out, but sometimes life takes over and there's not much you can do.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 9

Man, this morning I woke up soooo thirsty.  I've never been so thirsty.  I'm guessing it was from the pizza I ate last night.  I'm sure it was totally salt laden.  I drank 100 ounces of water before 4pm.  I'm telling you I was seriously thirsty!  So far I've had 124 ounces of water, and I'm still thirsty.  It's crazy!
Today I woke up and I really wasn't hungry.  So I just drank a ton of water.  When lunch rolled around I had a small Ezekiel sprouted tortilla with Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese topped with Spinach, Green Salad Spring Mix and Smoked Salmon.  I also had a side of strawberries and blueberries.  Sooooo soooo sooo yummy!  292 Calories
For dinner we had some friends over and I made Wild Rice Summer Salad from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.  This book is a must for anyone trying to eat healthy.  Hmmmm.....I think I sense a blog post coming up about it : )  This salad is one of my family's favorites.  It has wild rice, chicken, edamame, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and a rice vinegar dressing.  DOUBLY YUMMY!  I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but I'm pretty sure I'm having it for lunch tomorrow, so I'll post a picture then.  I also had a small side of fruit and more water.  307 Calories
So today I had 599 Calories.  Yeah, that's terrible.  I seriously never aim for that low.  That's just not healthy or good.  Tomorrow will better.
I also didn't get to exercise.  I still have a sick little boy and I was getting ready for our friends to come over. 

Let's be honest...Food and Exercise Log Days 7 and 8

Okay so here it comes.  Sunday and Monday were not great.  Sunday was Easter and while my eating was completely out of control it wasn't great either.  I didn't eat breakfast (big mistake) then for lunch we had fajitas.  We had premarinated chicken and I'm sure they were completely loaded with salt/sodium.  I didn't have any cheese with them, but I did have guacamole.  Also, the tortillas were not whole wheat. I had a side of black beans.  For dinner we had our traditional Easter dinner....ham, potatoes, salad.  You know the works.  I wouldn't say I gorged myself, but come on honesty here.  I ate potatoes that were smothered in sour cream and cheese.  Not exactly healthy.  I did NOT however pig out on Easter candy.  that came later....
On Monday I just wasn't hungry.  I had coffee for breakfast and that was it.  Around lunch time I still wasn't too hungry but I decided to have something.  I made a fresh apple carrot juice and added my TRI Cleanse and Green Superfood Raw Powder.  I still wasn't hungry.  Monday night I met some girls out for girls night.  Here's where it kind of fell apart.  We went to California Pizza Kitchen.  Oh my word.  I've never been there before and so I decided to get what everyone said was the best pizza.  That was the Thai Chicken Pizza.  It was soooo good, but I know it was so bad for me.  During the day I started eating way too many dark chocolate m&m's.  Half way thru the bowl I realized what I was doing and threw the rest in the trash.  Unfortunately that same tactic didn't work as I found some mini reese's cups.  I think I ate about 10 of those.
The baby is still running fever, so no gym and no work out for this mama. 
I weigh myself daily, but my official weigh in day is Monday.  During the week I had lost over a pound and a half.  However, Monday I was back up to where I started at 186.6.  My goal is to see that number below 185 by next Monday.
Grrr...  Yeah, honesty...it's not so great....but what's the point if  I'm not honest about what I'm doing.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

How I look after a run

I'm not sure what happens to me when I do my Couch to 5k program, but my face turns an awful shade of red.  I really wonder if people that see me are worried that I might just fall over and die right there.  I mean seriously, my face is that red.  It's kind of embarrassing, but there's nothing I can do about it.  I took this picture about 5 minutes after I stopped running (sorry it's in the bathroom at the gym) and my face is still red as beat.  It's crazy.  I'm a big sweaty red tomato!

Food and Exercise Log 6

Ahhh....what a difference a day makes!  I was determined to have a better day than yesterday and it happened.  Yeah!!!
Let's start with today's food!
I have to admit that I got a little worried with breakfast.  We were running late to take my oldest to his Robotics Lego class so I just grabbed my trusty Lemon Zest Luna Bar my bottle of water and I headed out the door.  180 Calories.  I was afraid with this breakfast that I might be setting myself up for failure, but I didn't! 
I got home from work out and  running errands and had a great lunch!  I have picture of it, but my camera isn't connecting to my laptop for some reason, so I can't share it.  I had an original Boca Patty on a Small Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla with Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese, Spinach and Lettuce from the garden; along with a fresh apple.  It was super yummy and 339 calories.
Now about 5 pm (shortly before I started making dinner) I started feeling like I was starving!  Like to the point where I thought I might get sick.  So, I grabbed another Luna Bar (this time it was Chocolate Peppermint Stick).  It was super yummy, but I wish I would have grabbed something that was a "clean" food.  Oh well, 180 Calories.
For dinner I made a Roasted Veggie Sandwich.  It was soooooo good.  I made it with squash and zucchini from our garden along with bell peppers and onions from the store (hopefully ours will be growing soon and I won't have to buy them anymore).  I have lots of pictures of this, but again my laptop is messing up.  I do have the one I took of it on my plate (I used my phone and emailed it to myself : )  So I'll share that one with you.  As soon as I get the camera hooked back up to the laptop I'm going to post the yummy recipe for the sandwich.  I also had a side of watermelon.  430 Calories.

So in total today I have eaten 1129 Calories.  Not too shabby!  Woohoo.
I've also gotten in all 100 ounces of water.  Yeehaw!
Now, on to exercise!  My oldest takes his Robotics Legos class at our gym, so while he assembled robots I did my workout.  I did the 3rd day of week 1 of Couch to 5k.  It was seriously hard and seriously great.  I pushed myself a tiny bit harder this time and my distance was better than last times.  I went 1.86 miles in the 30 minutes instead of 1.83.  Not a lot of improvement, but every little bit helps.
Since tomorrow is Easter I am worried about what is going to happen to my eating plan.  I know there's going to be lots of candy and other sweets heading home with us.  I'm just not sure how I'm going to resist the temptation, but I sure am going to try. 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 5

Ugggg....I don't even want to talk about today.  The baby woke up with 102.7 temp so I spent the day at the doctor's office and taking care of him.  I'm embarrassed/ashamed of what I ate.  I figured it up and I ate around 1800 calories and I didn't exercise at all.  Yuck!  I also only drank about 30 ounces of water.  Double yuck!  Tomorrow will be better.  I'm making a promise to myself. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 4

Aww man.  I had big plans for today.  Unfortunately when babies get sick life takes over and we're left with doing the best we can (which isn't always great).
I didn't get to work out and I spent most of the day caring for a sick little one.  I got in about 50 ounces of water so totally bombed there.  But on to what I did eat.
For breakfast I had my usual coffee with organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk and sugar free vanilla creamer.  Fresh squeezed orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime juice (grapefruits were on sale for 11 cents a piece this week) and three egg whites topped with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and spinach.  210 Calories
 Then for lunch I had my "Green Juice", which is fresh apple and carrot juice with a scoop of Garden of Life Raw Green Super Food Powder, 1 tsp Spirulina and 1 serving TRI-Cleanse powder.  Just so there's no confusion this stuff is nasty.  I have to hold my noise to drink it and my oldest son calls it swamp water.  However, it's super good for me so I do it.  Honestly, it wouldn't be bad if it didn't have Spirulina in it, but it's one of those amazing super foods so I add it in there.  I also had a small Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla with fresh lettuce from my garden, spread with a wedge of laughing cow light swiss cheese, and a Morning Star Tomato Basil Veggie Burger.  It was super good.  Oh and I had a little side of blueberries.  430 Calories.
Now on to dinner.  This is where things kind of fell apart.  We had a meeting at church and I had planned to eat before I went so that I wouldn't have to eat what they were serving there.  However because of the sick little one I didn't get a chance to eat prior to going to the meeting.  I dropped the kids off at my parents and headed to church thinking that I would just wait and eat something healthy when I got home.  Ummm yeah, I'm still not ready to have to make the choice to stay away from unhealthy foods.  I was starving and ended up eating what they were serving.  I had a small croissant with chicken salad (it actually was pretty small), a wedge of watermelon, a large strawberry and a bunch of grapes, a small bag of Lays potato chips and a Dr. Pepper.  Yep, there you have it my friends.  Chips and a Dr. Pepper and mayo laden chicken salad.  Ugh.  I don't know how many calories I consumed.  The one thing I can say is that it was a good lesson for me.  I'm not ready to have to make a choice on food.  Now I know that I absolutely must eat before I go to things like this and bring my water bottle.  Lesson learned.
I'm hoping tomorrow is better.  I know I'll make better food choices, but with the baby being sick I'm not sure how my work out will be.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 3

Ahhhh....today was so much better than yesterday.
To change things up let's start with the exercise.  I did day 2 of week 1 in the Couch to 5K  program.  I was so embarrassed by my first day walking/jogging, so today I kicked it up a little.  I walked a little faster then I jogged a little faster and I went a little farther.  Not a lot farther, but a little.  Instead of the 1.72 miles in 30 minutes I did 1.83.  Like I said not a lot further, but a little and I'm happy with any progress.  I also did my strength training exercises on the machines at the gym and because I didn't get to workout yesterday I got on the elliptical for a little while too.  I was worn out when I was done, but it felt so good.  I'm going to do my Candlelight Yoga program when I get done blogging.

Now on to the food!
I started the morning with my regular coffee, organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk and sugar free vanilla creamer.  I also had oatmeal with ground flax seed, chia seed, maca powder and fresh blueberries.  I forgot to take a picture of it, but it looks just like the one I ate the other day : ) 363 calories
For lunch I had a regular Boca patty on fresh spinach with a side of strawberries and blue berries.   I had some plum oolong tea to drink as well.  So yummy!  210 calories
 After my workout I was hungry and had a Lemon Zest Luna Bar.  Man, I could eat these everyday and never get tired of them.  They are so good. 180 Calories
On to dinner!  I had a homemade salmon salad on fresh spinach.  I got the idea for the salmon salad from this post on Jen's blog.  Mine was a little different from her's though.  I used canned salmon, a couple of tablespoons of fat free greek yogurt, a little salt and pepper, cherry tomatoes, orange bell pepper, celery and cilantro.  I love cilantro.  I mean seriously love it.  I would put it on everything I make.  I know some people hate it, but I just can't wrap my head around that.  How can you hate something that is soooo soooo good? 313 Calories
So my total calorie intake for the day is 1066.  Honestly, that's a little low for what I'm shooting for.  I'd like to stay around 1200, but I'm not complaining.  That's just the way things went.  I got in all my fruits and veggies for the day, so a big woohoo on that.  I also got in all 100 ounces of water.  Another big woohoo!
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!

Film: Food Matters

Have you seen the film FoodMatters?  You should.  Really.  You really really should.  It's all about Super foods, organic foods, food as medicine, how we should consume our food and just being healthy.  There was a lot of information in it that I had never heard before.  Super foods for instance.  Maybe I've been living under a rock (that's easy for me to do with 4 little ones), but seriously I knew nothing about them.  This movie really opened my eyes about the foods out there that are not just good for you, but that can be life changing.  I strongly suggest you check it out.  If you're serious about your health, seriously, check it out.  By the way, they also have a great informative website where you can gets loads of information.
**I wasn't paid to do this little write up.  I just happened to come across the film on Netflix and decided to watch it and write a review.**

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 2

First for the food.  Yummy yummy food : )
For breakfast I had 3 yummy egg whites with sauted spinach and mushrooms. Along with coffee, unsweetened organic vanilla almond milk, and sugar free vanilla creamer. I also had fresh squeezed Red Zinger (aka Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon and Lime Juice). YUMMY! 185 Calories

Next came lunch!  I had Match Tea with Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, an Ezekiel Small Sprouted Tortilla with Laughing Cow Light Spreadable Swiss Cheese Wedge, Fresh Spinach and Smoked Salmon, fresh strawberries and blueberries.  345 Calories
Then I got hungry in the afternoon and had an awesome Metabolic Reset Shake with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, Garden of Life Raw Fiber, Maca Powder and Raw Cacao Nibs.  215 Calories

So, a little while later I started feeling kinda sickly.  Let me say, it wasn't the shake.  I've had the shake combo several times before and it's never made me sick.  Anyhoo...I'm not sure what the problem was but my stomach was fighting me.  So, that was all I ate for the rest of the day and I didn't get to work out either.  Big bummer.  I was looking forward to doing my Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD (it's awesome, I love it).

I consumed 745 calories total for the day.  Not a good amount, but not much I can do about it.  I did however manage to drink 56 ounces of water.  Again, not fantastic, but it works. 

So, not a great day overall, but it's one of those days you just move on from.  Tomorrow will be better.

Matcha Tea

Oh Matcha Tea, what a lovely green stinky tea you are.  But I'm sticking by you through thick and thin and I'm expecting great things from you.
I first read about Matcha Tea over on Jen's blog.  She really seemed to like it so I decided to do a little research and see what the fuss was about.  Apparently, Matcha is the be all end all of green teas.  According to Matcha Source "the health benefits of matcha tea exceed those of green tea because when you drink matcha you ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water. For maximum nutritional benefit, matcha tea is unparalleled. One glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content."
Matcha Tea is also good for weight loss.  According to Zen Matcha Tea  drinking this wonder tea will speed up metabolism, keep the body from storing calories as fat, and suppress your appetite.  Like other green teas, Matcha is also rich in antioxidants. That all sounds mighty good to me.  
So, let's just be clear.  I know most websites are trying to sell their product.  I'm not naively buying everything they're saying.  However, research has shown that green tea is good for you.  So, why not give it a shot? 

I purchased the Matcha tea powder from my local whole foods.
 
I've been drinking it for a couple of days and so far so good.  I'm not getting any jitters from it, but I wouldn't suggest drinking it at night.  It would definitely keep you awake.  
Another thing.  I'm a southern girl.  I'm used to my sweet iced tea, so hot green tea is something VERY new for me.  It's a little stinky.  My 5 year old smelled it and his exact words were, "mom, you're tea smells like guinea pig poop and I know because I've smelled guinea pig poop."  So, we're not talking about Chickfila sweet tea here.  But, I think I might be acquiring a taste for it.  Might be.  We'll see.  I'm going to keep drinking it on a regular basis and I'll let you know what I think as time goes on.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll be singing the praises of Matcha Tea from my rooftop.  Stinky-ness and all.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Food and Exercise Log 1

First, sorry for the crummy pictures in this blog post. I used my phone and it just didn't quite cut it.
Okay, now on to the good stuff.
I started the day like I do everyday and weighed myself.  Ugh the agony, but I do it.  It motivates me.  So the number was (drum roll please)....186.6.  Not really worthy of a drum roll.  Oh well.  Moving on to better things.

Here's what I had to eat....
Breakfast was oatmeal, ground flax seed, chia seeds and fresh blueberries.  Coffee with Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and International Delights Sugar Free Vanilla Creamer.  (Coffee is my one vice.  I just can't give it up) Yummy!  280 Calories
On to lunch!  Matcha Green Tea with Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.  A Small Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla, Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Original Cheese, Fresh Spinach, Smoked Salmon, Raw Baby Carrots.  301 Calories.  Stay tuned tomorrow for lots of good information about the fabulous Matcha Green Tea!
When I got home from my workout I was starving.  I'm always starving after I work out.  So I grabbed a Lemon Zest Luna Bar.  I LOVE anything lemon flavored! 180 Calories
Now for dinner, woohoo!  Tonight I made the Pulled Pork Sandwich from the April/May Issue of Clean Eating Magazine.  It was pretty good (even my kids ate it).  I had an apple on the side. 364 Calories.  It was definitely better than what I made last night.  Don't ask.  Seriously, I'm not telling.  It was so bad. 

I've also been guzzling drinking my water.  Yes, all 100 ounces.  I got it all in.  I'm sure I'll up all night (hee hee).  I didn't meet my fruit and veggies goal, but I got dang close.  I'll be working on it more tomorrow.
So, my total calories for the day are 1125.


Also!  I laced up my tennis shoes and went for a run.  Today I ran the first day of the first week of the Couch to 5k program.  It was tough, but I got through it.  I ran on the treadmill at the gym.  Can't really get outside for a run when I've got for little munchkins to keep up with. I ran/walked 1.72 miles in 30 minutes.  Yeah, I know.  That's painfully slow, but what can I say.  I'm fat and I've never run and I'm slow.  It will get better.  It's the first step to my goal of running a marathon.  Let me just put out there that I am not a runner.  I've never run.  I mean never ever.  So, this is a big deal for me.  I can't wait to see where it goes. I also did strength training on the machines at the gym.  I did legs and arms and they're burning.  For real on fire.  I'm going to end the night with Candlelight Yoga that is on Instant View on Netflix.  It's relaxing and a great way to work out the kinks I got while working out this afternoon.

All in all a good day. No a great day. Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

Research, Research, Research

I keep reading or hearing so many new and interesting things about food.  I'm doing lots of research and can't wait to share what I've learned.  Stay tuned!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

My Big Goals

A big girl needs big goals.  I mean that is the title of this little blog, right?

So, you might be asking what goals I've got in mind.  Well, there are a few. 

Here you go:

1. Reach my goal weight of 129 pounds.  Why 129 pounds?  At 129 I will be in a normal weight range according to my BMI.  I haven't weighed that little since high school, but I know I can do it and I need something big to work toward.  Also, it just sounds better than 130.  I don't know why it does, but it does. 
2. Eat three servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables everyday.  It's just good for me.  By the way, one of those veggie servings will probably be from my Super Food Green Powder. 
3. Take my vitamins everyday.   Why is this such a hard one for me?  You'd think I could just do it, but for some reason I always forget.  MUST remember!
4.  Exercise 5 days a week.  You know I'm not going to lose the weight if I'm not burning any calories.
6.  Drink 100 ounces of water.  Water, water, and more water.  Again, it's just good for me.
7.  This year (2011) I want to run a 10K.  Next year (2012) I want to run a half marathon.  The year after that (2013) I want to run a full marathon.  Now that my friends is a big goal, but I AM going to meet it.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

First Steps

First things first.  A little info for your reading pleasure about me.  Why I started this blog and what is its purpose.

Four years ago I reached my highest weight ever.  I was a 225 pound unhealthy, depressed, tired, overwhelmed and just all around miserable person.  However, something clicked in my head and I realized that it was time to change and I took the steps to make that change.  Over 18 months I lost over 75 pounds.  I reached my lowest weight in probably 15 years and made it to 143 pounds.  I was healthy and happy.  I was eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and enjoying life.

Then something happened.  It was a great something, but a life changing something.  I got pregnant with baby number four.  That's right, number FOUR!  We were thrilled to be adding another little life to our family, but I was also dreading what it was going to do to my body.  With my other three pregnancies I gained 23-27 pounds.  It was great.  I was so scared about what baby #4 was going to do and just hoped that I would stay at around 25 pounds of weight gain.

Unfortunately that's not what happened.  My last pregnancy was the hardest one I've experienced.  I was on bedrest and I had to have weekly shots to try to keep me from going in to labor early.  Those two things combined with an inability to workout caused me to gain almost 65 pounds.  When I delivered our precious little baby I was so far from my original weight and I felt like I might never get back there again.

Fifteen months have passed since our baby was born and I've lost about 20 pounds.  I haven't done a lot to lose those pounds and I think it was just the baby weight coming off.  I still have a long way to go, but I'm ready.  These next 45 pounds are going to take some hard work.  I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to this point, but I'm finally ready to do it. Something has clicked again and I know it's time to make the changes and get back to the healthy me that is just waiting on the sidelines.

I have lots of goals for my life (thus the title of this blog) and I'm hoping that expressing them here will help me to reach them.  I read lots of other blogs (weight loss and others) that inspire me to be my best.  I'm hoping that I can do the same for other people. 

So, this is the first step on a long journey, but it's time and I'm ready.