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.