Changing my exercise routine - more calories?

So I decided to kick my exercise up a notch by adding a second "session" on the exercise bike. As I am getting smaller I know that I need to change it up in order to keep on losing weight and the best way, I figured, was to move my body more (more calories Out). Then I was entering my cardio in Sparkpeople and there was a message referring to too much exercise, need to adjust my calories, blah, blah, blah. So I did what was prompted and changed my daily exercise from 40min to 70min and it increased my recommended daily calories by 400 a day?!? Is this really going to be effective? Am I really going to increase the amount of weight I lose each week if I have to eat more calories? Does this work? I am skeptical and so far have not increased my calorie intake, but have not lost weight any quicker like I hoped with my increase in exercise. Ugh. Sometimes trying to figure out my body and what it wants in order to drop the fat makes my head spin. I am going to give it a couple more weeks of more exercise - same calories - and see if I am still not losing weight quicker like I wanted.

Another life-style change

Starting tomorrow (payday) I am putting myself on a strict budget. I am going to get myself out of debt. Now, this shouldn't seem like something that is hard to do. I am pretty lucky that I don't have many bills to pay (car payment, insurance, HOA fees, Netflix, & Tivo). My husband takes care of the big bills (mortgage, electric, gas, water, & cell phones). So you might be thinking to yourself - why is she even in debt?? I ask myself that question often but the fact is I have a shopping issue.I love to buy things, which I can keep under control pretty easily if I am not on a diet. Huh? How are the two things related? The pleasure I used to get from eating a really good piece half a pizza I now get when buying things. If I am bored and start thinking about snacking I decide to go to Target, get a green tea at Starbucks, and just buy a few (or twenty) things. I have fun and enjoy having new things. No, I did not get into deep debt by target shopping (treadmill, TV for exercise room, new couch, new dressers, bed, nightstand...you get the idea) but it is not helping things. I need to cut out the needless shopping and pay off my credit cards. I do plan on having another baby one day but I have made a promise to myself that I can't have another child until...

A. I am healthy, not just weight but overall
B. I have no debt so the chance of me being able to stay home and not work greatly increase.

So I am feeling the pressure (from myself) now that I am getting closer to my healthy goal that I need to get my act together in the debt goal. But the question remains - can I cut out useless shopping and junk food at the same time??? Am I going to go back to my unhealthy eating habits? We shall see.

The Results

Today is the end of the Virtual Biggest Loser Completion and although I don't think I won I am pretty happy with my results. Here are the results:

Beginning Weight: 199.5

Final Today's Weight: 177

At first I was a little disappointed with myself knowing that I am capable of doing better but then I really looked at the numbers. I lost 22.5lbs in 12 weeks - that's pretty freaking awesome! Yup, I am proud of myself. I emailed my after picture and didn't think that the weight loss was noticeable because it was only 20something lbs but when I opened up my before picture I could tell I lost weight - can you?

BEFORE

TODAY

Maybe I only see a difference because I am wearing lighter colors or because I am my arms are raised to take the picture (Yes, I am standing on my bathtub - it is the only way to get a full body picture in my house) but I see a difference non the less and I am happy. It seems like just a couple weeks ago this contest started and I thought that I didn't have much results, it just goes to show that it is best to take things one day at a time and before you know it results are there.

Challange

I joined a challenge I saw on Gingers blog which I am really excited about. Its not about losing weight!! There is a prize for the person who works out the most and the person who walks/runs the most miles. I love this because sometimes you are doing everything right and still cannot lose the weight - this will motivate me to keep going to with the exercise part, which is a big part of getting healthy. If you want to check it out go here to Its Just Me Drazil and Sheniqua.

Did you know....

If you lie to Sparkpeople about the food you eat during the day your body isn't fooled? I sometimes find myself eating a large banana but selecting medium or entering .25 avocado when it was really .5. I am not sure why I do this but clearly some little unreasonable part of me thinks that if it isn't in sparkpeople than it didn't count. Foolish, foolish girl.

I came in first for week 11 of the virtual biggest loser which only happened because of my weight loss from being sick (I have already gained back .5lb since I started eating normal again). So I was happy but not super overjoyed, there is no way I am going to win or probably even come in 2nd or 3rd but at least this helped me stay on track for most of the summer (worth the $10 I say). Maybe part of my problem is lying to sparkpeople...

That Person

The most exciting thing happened yesterday - my wedding ring fell off! Granted, I was flinging my hand to see if it would fall off but still I was so excited that it actually did. I've mentioned this before but this is a big thing for me because it was one of my low moments when I decided to get it re-sized bigger. That was a sign to me that I had given up. I had decided that I was never going to lose weight, that is was impossible. Honestly, if I hadn't started having health issues that scared me into losing weight I am sure I would still be 250lbs. Even if I had scary health issues but didn't have my daughter here for me to stick around for, I probably would have given up by now. But as I've mention before, my daughter keeps me going. I want, I need, to be here for her. So when other people struggle or give up when on a weight loss journey I completely understand. I was That Person 5, 10, a million times before and still have That Person inside me talking me into poor choices here and there. My biggest fear is that I will still let That Person take over one day and I will gain all the weight back. I won't let That Person back in. I will be strong.

Fake Weight Loss

So I've been sick for the past three days, haven't felt like exercising or eating, ever. So when I weighed myself this morning I had lost 5lbs from Friday. This would have been really exciting last week before I got sick but since I have been sick, I know this is just an illusion, a weight loss apparition. I cannot let myself get excited about this loss because as soon as I start eating normal food again the weight will all come back - or worse more weight will come back because I have slowed down my metabolism by not eating most of the weekend. Being sick is overall Not Fun, but I think its just cruel for my body to lose weight that I know is not staying off. I mad at the future weight gain that is going to happen. I mad that a tiny part of me is excited about the weight loss but I can't really be excited because I am 99.9% sure it is not real. So, I have fallen behind on my running and have false weight loss hope. I'm grumpy. Being sick is no fun.

Random Rambles

I am in week 11 of 20 of the Ragnar Relay beginner training and it is getting to the scary point. Tomorrow, I have to run for 60min total which I think I can manage but just two weeks from now I have to run 80min and a month from now 120min (2 hours!!). I cannot fathom being able to run that long, can my body really do this? Will I be able to run for the length of an average Movie? A couple of months ago I thought I would never be able to run an hour and I am very close to that (55min is my longest time) but I have had over 5 months to work up to an hour and I am supposed to double that time in just a month. Crazy.

On a different note, I am no longer losing weight. I thought it was because I was snacking too much or my portions were too big, so for the past week I have been measuring my food and entering in all my calories. Not one piece of food has entered my mouth without being counted and I still am not losing weight, which is frustrating. I am getting to the point where I feel like I am not going to lose anymore weight and never reach my goal. I am about 12lbs from my lowest weight ever and it feels like I may never get there. I am not quiting but this is getting harder.

Finally, I wanted to post my beginning weight for the Chub Club so that I can keep track of how well I am doing every week. So here it goes:

Week 1 Starting weight: 184.5
Chub Club goal weight: 170

That means that I need to lose basically 15lbs in 12 weeks. It shouldn't be too hard but at the rate I am going it might not happen. I am not going to beat myself up if I try my hardest and don't meet my goal, as long as I lose something I should be happy, right? Right.

My Matured Sweet Tooth

I have a sweet tooth. I know big confession for an overweight gal like me. When I started this journey I cut out all deserts and sweets of any sorts. It was rough, but had to be done in order to see any results. Well, that was 8 months ago and I have come a long way. I still have the sweet tooth but it has changed, it only needs a little bit of sweet to be satisfied and this is what works best:

Notice, it is Dark Chocolate this is significant for me because my whole life I am despised dark chocolate - even in chocolate chip cookies I preferred less chocolate chips because they just weren't sweet enough for me. I have come a long way. After lunch and dinner when my sweet tooth kicks in (because it ALWAYS does) I break of one square (only 36 calories) and amazingly enough my sweet tooth is satisfied. I feel like this is a sign that I am becoming a grown up (or at least my taste buds are...) I am not even sure how much I would like milk chocolate at this point - it might be too sweet (crazy!). I found this chocolate in my Moms pantry when I was so desperate for something sweet I gave it a try, but if you can't locate them in your own Moms pantry, they can be found a Trader Joe's and if your sweet tooth is ready for it, this is the Dark Chocolate to try.

Losing Weight Means....

1. Being able to run further

2. Going up the stairs in my house without getting winded

3. Fitting in the drivers seat in my corolla like I am supposed to (within the 'indented' spot)

4. Going swimming with my daughter in front of other people (still just extended family, but that's more than I would have allowed before)

5. Not being embarrassed at how I fit in amusement park rides (because I fit fine!!)

6. Being able to shop in "normal" stores for clothes

7. Not being terrified of the airplane seat (although, I haven't been on a plane in a long time)

8. Taking the time to care about how I look (Blow drying my hair, putting on make-up)

9. Being able to wear old clothes that had moved to the "doesn't fit" side of the closet

10. Keeping up with my one year old as she learns to sprint away from me


I know there are a ton more that I haven't thought of and I am sure at some point there will be another list but for now, this is awesome enough for me.

Chub Club

I started a post on Wednesday about how much I enjoyed my run that morning. I had run for 2.5 miles and felt awesome during and after I was complete. I felt empowered, my body was strong, and I was in a good mood all day. Flash forward to today. I went for a 2 mile run this morning and HATED it. I was tired, out of breath, slow, and just overall not feeling the vibe. I think this is why so many people don't run (this is just a guess) because even when you think you've got it down, at least on small runs, you go back to feeling like it is Day 1 all over again. At least this time I have the memory of how great it was on Wednesday and will just keep going with the hope that my next run will feel like that (it better, it will be 55minutes long...).

In other weight loss news...I have been doing a Virtual Biggest Loser contest this summer that is coming to an end soon. I have to say that I thought this would motivate me but I found myself not caring if I didn't win the big prize - after all I only put in $10 - and I have found myself slowly snacking more and more. If the summer has been hard I can only imagine how hard the fall & Holidays are going to be. I love baking an it is almost impossible for me to go through the fall and the holidays without baking things. So I need more motivation. So I joined something called the Chub Club. Its like the virtual biggest loser only in person (we have to weigh in In Front of each other)and with a lot more money to lose. The rules are as follows:

• Beginning on Sunday, August 8th and ends on Sunday, November 7th. This will give me 16 weeks exactly and give me the extra push before the holidays (during which I basically want to just maintain my weight or lose a few lbs)


• The initial buy in will be $50.00 (that's a lot of money to me - I have to go into this trying to win)

• After that, it will be $10 every time you weigh in and have gained weight and $5 for every time you weigh in and stay the same. (money motivates)

Pretty strict weigh-in rules and I seriously debated whether to go into this because if I keep doing what I have been the last two months then at the very least I would have had to pay out $5 frequently but I guess that's where the motivation comes in. The hope is that when I am thinking about not measuring out my food and just eating til I feel like it is a serving, I will remember that now if I gain weight or even not lose weight, I've got to fork over the big bucks! I am excited for this but a little scared. I think it will motivate me but there is a small chance I could end up paying out a lot of money. I will keep you updated. Have a happy Friday!

Journaling

I passed the 50 mile mark for running, which I am pretty excited about since I only started tracking the miles I run at the end of June. This morning I finished the first day of week 10 training for the Ragnar, which means I ran for 30 minutes and since I am still plugging along at a 12min mile pace I finished 2.5 miles. For a moment, when I was done, I was disappointed with myself. How come I can't run faster? How come at like minute #2 I want to quit everytime? How come I still feel like I can't do it??

When I first started this journey I knew I had to exercise at some point in order to really be healthier, so about a month into changing my diet I decided to take up bike riding. I went to Target (yes, Target) and bought the cutest bike they had for the money I wanted to spend (not a lot because I wanted to make sure biking was something I would love before spending the big bucks). The first time I rode the bike I went about a mile, just sort of riding around to get a feel for the bike. The next night I went out for a Real Ride on my bike. I took ride on a loop through my neighborhood, which was 2.5 miles long. I came back feeling good, no Great, about myself. I had gone for a bike ride and worked out. I felt accomplished and like I was on the right path. Fast forward 5 months - I went on that same 2.5 mile loop this morning, only instead of riding a bike, I used my legs and ran. I am not sharing this to point out how awesome I am but because I came home feeling like I am not doing enough. I felt like I should be able to run faster, cover more ground in my 30min run. I felt disappointed in myself and it bugged me. In 5 months I have gone from riding my bike the same distance to being able to run it. That's huge. I need to stop putting myself down. I think that is part of why I turned to food so much, thinking I wasn't worth the effort to eat healthy. I need to break the habit and that part of the purpose of this blog for me. A journal that I can look back on and remember why I started this journey and how far I have come, so I can be proud of myself and not feel stupid for being proud.