Pop

Well, last week I gained 3/4 of a pound. I plan on using my no weigh in pass tomorrow due to the 3 s'mores over the weekend and 2 slices of pizza today. I feel so off track this week. I made my food and workout plan for the week, so hopefully it will be a quick bounce back.

Tonight I drank a can of Pepsi. I used to love Pepsi, but gave it up about 8 or 9 weeks ago because it was just too many points. Well, I officially feel disgusting right now, but I consider it a good thing. My body doesn't want that junk anymore and that is a great sign. It's almost like it's rejecting it. My eating has changed a lot in the past nearly 2 months. Even though the scale might not agree, I feel like a new person.

The aspartame/sucralose thing has been going amazing. I was getting bored of drinking just water or the occasional Trop50, so I hunted around this weekend and found that SoBe is sweetened with stevia. VitaminWater is also, but I have yet to find a flavor that I like.

Camping went better than I expected over the weekend, though I was over my points. It was much better than ever and I'm more confident that I can work my new eating into my favorite things to do. I made sure to make better choices (sorbet over ice cream, 3 s'mores instead of 8, LOTS of water, more walking than usual).

Best Workout Ever!

I just had the greatest workout. I did an hour of Strike and a half hour of Zumba for a total of 811 calories burned. The last time I burned nearly this many calories (750-ish)..I almost passed out. It's actually a funny story. See, I loved doing this class called Soul Grooves. Well, it was at a time like 6:45 to 7:45 or 7 to 8. I was meeting my friends at Starbucks right around the corner just after 9. So, I decided to do the class and then workout after just to kill time. I got to Starbucks with the girls and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out. Mark came and picked me up and we left my Jeep in the parking lot until late that night. It was the scariest feeling!

I actually was in pretty decent shape then, but it feels great to know that I can do this much and not pass out and feel great! I am a little sore, but that's a combination of tonight's workout and last night's boot camp. I feel great!

Keep Moving Forward

I love Meijer. I stopped and got a few groceries for this camping weekend. This included:bread, watermelon, mixed fruit, and a few other things. This week's weigh in was not good..I gained 3/4 of a pound. So, it's not that bad. I was kind of surprised that I gained because I ate really bad Saturday, but not as bad as my best day off of Weight Watchers. I ate all crap, but I expected my body to bounce back after doing pretty well all week and the days after. I guess I blew it on Saturday. The next day I woke up and started over. All people losing weight have slip-ups, but as long as I realize that I need to pick up the pieces and start over, I'm confident that I'm able to get back on track.

I think I'm retaining water like whoa. I've been drinking A LOT of water lately because it's been so hot. I think I'm close to 100 ounces per day. Is there way to fix this? I feel bloated!

I've been pushing myself extra hard in boot camp. I figured that because I only get an hour a week of it, I might as well make the best out of it. Tonight I am going to do Strike for an hour then hopefully pop into Zumba for a half hour.

My goal this weekend is to walk 30 laps around the camp. I don't know why I picked this number. Also, I'm going to play tennis with Mark, perhaps ride my bike and swim. I just want to keep busy so I don't EAT. Camping makes me nervous because I always eat too much. I just have to stay focused on the bigger picture.

I feel like I have to keep fighting for what I want because I am the only one who can achieve it or give up on it. I can do this. As Walt Disney once said, "Keep moving forward.."

Cake, Anyone?

Today I did Zumba for the first time, and it was great! I will definitely be adding that to my workout routine. I burned just under 1700 calories this week in 5 workouts, which earned me a total of 17 activity points for the week. My HR monitor told me so. I did Boot Camp (1/2 hour) twice, Strike once, Zumba once, and Yoga once. I think it's a good balance between strength and cardio.

Tonight I am going to my cousin's birthday party, which means there will be cake. If it's chocolate, no big deal, I don't like chocolate anyways. If it's vanilla...well, I have extra points saved for a slice.

Tomorrow: Movies possibly. Shrek came out and I really want to see it. I may pop 94% FF popcorn and bring it in a ziploc baggie, along with a fudge stripe 100 calorie pack. Hey, it beats eating from Mark's popcorn and buying a bag of candy for $4 and LOTS of calories.

You Must Begin to Think of Yourself as Becoming the Person You Want to be.

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."~ David Viscott

How inspirational! I do this. Often.

I cleared out the aspartame last night. Gone. My Weight Watchers started out aiming to be within the points, but now I'm aiming to eat better within WW.

I can't believe I lost 10 pounds. It just doesn't seem real. I was 10 pounds heavier 7 weeks ago? It's hard to believe. I feel much better overall. When I gained the weight, I started having issues with acid and my throat getting tight. Those symptoms? I have only noticed the acid 2 times in the past few weeks, which is amazing. My throat getting tight...I can't remember when the last time was.

My workout this week has kicked my @*!. Boot camp twice, yoga, Strike (kickboxing with a Strike bar and weighted gloves), and possibly Zumba Saturday. I have made sure to get my protein shake in everyday. It really helps..and it tastes great. I'm thinking about buying the 80 ounce container since my 12 ounces is going fast. It's expensive, though. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is an investment in ME, so $ should not matter. I might think about it and buy it when I have a good cash week (babysitting/pay days). We'll see.

Anyways, I feel like I repeat myself in this blog constantly. I will try to spice things up. Hence, the quotes the past 2 posts.

Can I tell you a fear? Next weekend starts camping season and I know that I gain weight eating constantly when camping. This is going to the be the biggest challenge for me. I can see myself eating 75 s'mores in one sitting. Well, not that many. My biggest thing will be planning. I am doing really well planning out my meals. Wish me luck.

Tonight I rejected my Skinny Cow ice cream again. I am full from my shake (mango, pineapple, Trop50, Vanilla PP)..yum. My family is on a nightly brownie kick apparently. The brownie mixes were on sale for $0.75 this week and I guess we need to stock up in case there's some sort of brownie shortage (haha). There is a whole fresh pan of brownies with (gross) chocolate frosting on them. I am less tempted because of the frosting because I hate chocolate frosting. They don't even appeal to me. What is wrong with me?!

Lastly, I want to let you all know that there will probably be before/during pictures soon. Ang, Nick, and I took pictures around Christmas time of front and side views, and I want to wear the same outfit and do it again. I will post these pictures when I get around to it, hopefully by the beginning of next week.

I want to thank everyone for reading this blog! You keep me going!

You Don't Drown by Falling in the Water. You Drown by Staying There

I worked for a few hours this morning, and was exhausted after. I ended up napping for 2 hours, and it was amazing. I never nap anymore, I should do this more often.

I gave in to the brownies today. 8 points worth. Ouch...won't do that again. They weren't worth it at all and did not taste like I expected. I'm still so over sweets..why?! I didn't even want a Skinny Cow tonight and I ALWAYS want those. Did I loose my sweet tooth? Is this possible?

I just realized that I used an extra point today..because I am in a new "decade," I lose a point! I now get 21 per day. On a good note, I was jogging at my class tonight and I realized that my pants were too loose! I need smaller workout pants because I hate when they are loose and I'm constantly tugging on them. I'm hoping to go down a size in jeans soon.

I'm trying not to focus on the journey ahead of me because I don't want it to become overwhelming. I take it a day at a time, a meal at a time, a workout at a time. Just focusing on the near future is really helping me continue my journey to my long term goals.

I found a fitting quote today.

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." ~Unknown

I just like it a lot. I'm not staying in the water anymore. I'm doing this and I remind myself everyday that I am well into my journey and there is no turning back. So motivated right now..if it wasn't 10 at night and dark, I would be jogging around my sub.

Aspartame-Free

I'm going completely aspartame free. I have already cut out anything and everything "sugar-free," but I am reading the labels extremely carefully. No Splenda (sucralose) or aspartame. I bought a bunch of Diet A&W on sale a few weeks ago and I'm really regretting it. That's my last thing to kick w/aspartame in it. No more sugar-free jello, pudding, drinks, etc. Nothing. I'm just going to bring the pop camping next weekend and hope everyone else drinks it.

Ang and I were in Kroger the other day looking for a pomegranate mix of some sort to make and found that EVERY Crystal Light pack had aspartame in it. I used to use the On-The-Go packs. It was such a bummer that I never knew this.

I was in my WW meeting and the people were raving about sugar-free this and Splenda that. Do they know the studies on this crap?! One time awhile ago, Ang and I were at Beaumont and some lady next to us started talking about her daughter and aspartame. She said that her heart was racing, and all these other symptoms, but when she gave up things with aspartame and sucralose in it, these symptoms stopped.

It's a hard thing to do. Yes, things sugar-free are less in calories, but is this worth it? More and more I'm starting to think not. Saving calories means nothing when the stuff you are taking in is terrible for you. Ang has long been telling me I shouldn't have this stuff, and ever since I have made this commitment to become healthier, I have regretted not listening earlier. I have been aspartame-free for 4 days now.

Goodbye, Aspartame!

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm

10 Pounds..See Ya!

There it is! The 10 pound ribbon that I got during the meeting today. It's such a huge accomplishment. The last time I did WW (like 3 years ago), I never got past like 8 pounds. I did it! This has motivated me to make a tentative non-food rewards list.

[x] 10 pounds- New Shoes (Lacoste..ordered them and I can't wait!)
[ ]15 pounds- Hair
[ ]20 pounds- Massage and Mani/Pedi (any clean salons out there?)
[ ]25 pounds- New Bike
[ ]30 pounds (goal)- Weekend Trip? Mackinac? Chicago?

I just made an amazing smoothie. 1/2 cup frozen mangoes, 1/2c. frozen pineapples, 10 ounces Trop 50, and 1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Protein Powder. Yum! Worth a try.

My dad is baking brownies right now..it's 4 points for 1/20..hardly worth it. I think I have the willpower to pass at this point. I haven't had a craving for sweets this week. Odd?

Whey Protein

Yesterday, I went to Whole Foods to get the protein that was recommended to me. I'm going to try it tonight (and have Mark try it with me, too!). It smells like cake batter so hopefully it tastes like it, too. It was sort of expensive ($22.99), but I wanted to get it anyway and compare it with the 365 brand when it's back in stock (it was all out--good sign?).

I also bought bags of 365 brand frozen mangoes, pineapples, and mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) for my smoothies. 365 has a great Asian Stir-fry mix. They also have an awesome mix of peppers (red, yellow, green) that they call "stoplight peppers." It was $2.39 for the bag, which is amazing because they have all three colors in them. The red and yellow peppers are always more expensive than the green ones, so I find myself buying only green because I can't ever justify spending more on the other colors. This morning I put 1/2c. frozen peppers with egg beaters and low-fat cheese. It was GREAT!

Did I mention I splurged and treated myself to cucumber/avocado/asparagus sushi? $5.39..ouch! I made myself an Excel spreadsheet of my earnings/savings, so I am really watching my purchases. My goal is to save more than I have already been.

I have been sick the past few days. I think it's just allergies. I can't taste anything.

Anyways, today's goal is to be outside a lot. Ang and I are probably going to go for a bike ride at Stoney. I'm not sure if anyone even reads this blog, but at least I'll be able to look back on it and see my journey.

Boot Camp

This morning, my legs are so sore from boot camp! I actually was surprised by myself last night. The trainer makes us run 2 laps around the indoor track to warm-up. I was in the lead the whole time. I really like it. It's only a half hour and I think that I might sign up for the hour long one next session.

On a different note, I got an 86% on my Calculus final! I missed only 7 questions..woot woot! I have some free time now because I have no classes. More free time to workout! Finally!

Off Track

Well, I am off track and struggling to get back on. Friday I ate within my points, Saturday I used almost all of my weeklies, Sunday I used the rest and then some (yikesss!), and Monday I ate a giant piece of pineapple upside down cake at about 11:30 at night. Tuesday I was back on track, and today I am doing well thus far. I just need to get it together!!

Yesterday I had a great workout. I did an hour of yoga, then a half hour of cardio. Tonight I start boot camp, tomorrow I'm hoping to get into Strike, and Saturday I'm doing a bosu class. Pretty decent workout week if all goes well.

I have decided to weigh in on Saturday just to give me an extra few days. I will be going to the 7 a.m. meeting since it's the only one that works with my schedule.

In other news, I have a calculus final tomorrow. Normally, I would eat junk and stress about it, but I'm not and I don't even miss it. Stress is something that I don't want/need, so I refuse to have it today.

Meijer!

I didn't gain/lose anything, but I'm okay with that. I talked to the WW lady today and she said that my pattern is lose a lot, lose nothing, lose a lot, lose nothing...so next week..lose a lot!!

I went grocery shopping after work today. Meijer is on my way home and I love Meijer, especially the one at 26/Van Dyke because I used to work there and it's newer than the one on Hall/Hayes. Anywho, I had a $6 in coupons and only bought sale items...my receipt said that I saved $25 and some change! Yeah! I might not make a lot of money, but I spend it and save it wisely.

I have been on WW exactly one month today! These first 30 days have left me a little more confident, but overall more prepared to keep moving along on this journey. It's the best feeling when people begin to notice what you are working for. It seems like this week was the week that people have started noticing!

Side note: I'm wondering if I should re-name my journal? It's been 30 days, and I am a better me. I will try to think of a new blog title. Suggestions are welcome.

Yoga.

I'm nervous about weigh-in Thursday. I was on track today, I did 30 minutes of cardio and an hour of yoga. I'm getting into this yoga thing. I have been pushing myself harder each time and trying to stay in the poses. I have never liked it, but I am glad that I gave it a second chance.
Tomorrow I'm going to get some cardio in after work. I'm excited to spend a little bit of time with Mark tomorrow night! :)

Weekend..

I am so stressed out, and my eating has really suffered because of it.

Yesterday, my uncle ended up in the hospital with a serious injury. We were there the entire day and I ate junk. A Starbucks frapp, Odwalla bar, piece of cheese pizza, bagel, cream cheese, pop. It was just a stressful situation and when I get worried, I eat. This is a bad habit that I need to break.

Tomorrow I have a calculus test. I'm so stressed over that because if I blow this test, then my grade will suffer a lot. I ate a lot of junk today again because I have been CRAVING it. Anything sweet, anything! After tomorrow, I will only have 1 exam left before summer..I really really really need it. I weigh in Thursday and I already expect a gain. I will be back on track tomorrow.

I have scheduled a session of yoga tomorrow right after my test. It is very needed and I just want to melt into my yoga mat. I'm also going camping this weekend and I start boot camp Monday. I have a lot to look forward too, I just have to get through this test tomorrow! Keep moving forward...

Boot Camp!!

I just signed up for boot camp at the Macomb Rec center! I can't wait! It ended up being only $5 per session. Hopefully I can see some results and go on to the longer/harder bootcamp they offer. We shall see! It starts Monday, May 10th.

Strike!

This morning, I decided to do Strike (kickboxing with weighted gloves and a strike bar). I loved the teacher, she was extremely motivating and really pushed me to "get it." I burned almost 650 calories in an hour, which earned me 6 activity points today!! I am so energized right now!

I really need to get to Sears today to replace the battery in my heart rate monitor and strap. It has read "low battery" for a few weeks now, and I know that the battery is almost done for. I heard Sears replaces it because it's hard to do on your own.

Today, I am making those mini pizzas again per Mark's request! Can't wait.