September 20, 2011

Diet, Exercise, and What I Eat

*First things first, I am no dietician, trainer, health & fitness extraordinaire.  These are simply things that worked for me and kept me going.*

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I want to share some of my weight loss journey with you.  I've  updated you on my progress but now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel I thought I'd share the secret to my success thus far.
I've gotten lots of questions about what, exactly, I eat.  How do I stay under my calories? And do I exercise?  So I wanted to let you in on some of my tips and tricks.
First of all what I eat on a daily basis will most likely bore you.  It's like rinse and repeat, minus dinner.  I'm using MyFitnessPal and right now I am allotted 1200 calories a day until I get to my goal weight.
For breakfast I usually have my cream and coffee coffee with cream {45 calories} and a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt {50-60 calories}.  Now this week I have been enjoying some yummy pumpkin butter on a 100 calorie sandwich thin so that's about 145 calories but oh so worth it. 
Lunch is a Weight Watchers string cheese {50 calories}, Jell-O pudding {60 calories} or Jell-O {10 calories} and a Healthy Choice frozen meal {between 210-270 calories}.  Sometimes I'll throw in a snack like a pear or pluot but usually that's it till dinner. 
Dinner is homemade throughout the week, this is the only time I get variety in my meals.  I usually make something from Kraft.  You can search their site and find low calorie recipes and all that we've tried are really good.  Now that Pinterest has entered my life we have been trying a lot of the recipes on there, most are not low calorie though.  If we do something like tacos I'll still eat everything in a bowl instead of in a shell to save calories.  Jimmy has school two nights a week and those nights I ALWAYS eat pizza.  I found Digorno sells 200 calorie portion pizza and there's 2 in a box so I'll eat both of them and still only be at 400 calories for dinner.  Oh and I always measure everything out, everything.  Some nights I'll have enough calories left for some wine or a Punkin beer even!
As far as working out goes, unless I go over my calories I don't work out.  That's probably bad and I really should work out more but the truth of the matter is I don't if I'm under or at my calories for the day.  So far it seems to be working for me so why mess with a good thing, right?  When I do work out it's either walking on the treadmill or doing Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga.  I don't like running, I really don't like getting sweaty so these exercises work for me.  I can tell that my body needs a little push right now so I'll probably up the workouts to a few times a week to "shock" it and get off these last 10 pounds.
Now that I'm starting to get near my goal I can feel myself giving in a little here and there.  I was sticking to my 1200 calorie diet 7 days a week but now I'm starting to relax a bit on the weekends and indulge a little more.  I really need to get back to the strict schedule until I'm at my goal, I'm not there YET. 
So far I've lost about 60 lbs since Kendall was born with 40 of it being since I started using MyFitnessPal in March.  At the time it felt like there was no end in sight but looking back it has happened pretty quickly.  I know these last 10 are going to be the hardest, they always are, but I'm determined to get there.
 If you need something to say "if she can do it, I can do it" it's this picture from last September.
Yep, that's me.  Awful, right?  Like I don't even remember that girl.  The funny thing is, when we left the house that day, I felt good.  I remember asking J if I looked alright and he told me I looked "GREAT".  Bless his heart.  I had no idea how big I was until that weight left.  Good riddance!
There is no after or in progress picture this time.  I'm just going to save that "WOW" factor for the end, when I reach my goal. So wish me luck. 
If you have any additional questions PLEASE email me.  If you need me to go into more detail about any of this I'd be glad to. 

13 comments:

  1. From pictures you've posted over the past few months, you look fabulous. Way to go. It's not easy, it really isn't. I've tried so many times before getting pregnant (cat's not completely out of the bag yet) but I'm just crossing my fingers that I stick to 15-25 pound gain and can't wait to get back to WW or calorie counting in May. I really wish I would have lost some weight first and I tried, but didn't succeed. So, be very proud of yourself.

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  2. I've learned to modify a lot of recipes to make them healthier and less caloric. There are some simple substitutions and omissions that don't change the taste so much it's noticeable.

    And feel free to mindfully indulge. It keeps you sane and accountable.

    Congrats on the progress!

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  3. I need your motivation! I talked myself out of going to the gym yesterday. The first day I was going to go in like a month. Can I fly you out here to be my personal coach?

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  4. I am soooo proud of you! You rock the skinny girl!!

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  5. Work it girl!!! Thanks for sharing and you've done a great job shedding the weight!!

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  6. Congratulations on your weight loss! It's NOT easy to do! I have been on weight watchers since February and I have totally been slacking now that I am 10-15 lbs from my goal! Have you every tried skinnytaste.com for dinner recipes? They are great, and my husband never knows that they are "diet" meals :)

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  7. So happy for you and so glad you have done something you have been able to stick with. A lot of people try to do something ridiculously impossible and then fall off the wagon so quickly. Sounds like you have found a good balance and are pretty comfortable doing what you're doing! And from pics I have seen, you look great!

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  8. you are doing awesome girl! I do saw my "before" picture and thought I look great! Funny how that works.

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  9. I seriously need to be motivated like you! You look awesome now...ya know, judging from your OOTD pics:) I use MyFitnessPal too but can't stick to using it. You may have just motivated me!

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  10. You look fabulous mama! So impressed by you! I love your dedication!

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  11. It was because all the progress I saw you making using MyFitnessPal that I joined too. It is so easy to do.
    And now thanks to you I'm already down 11 pounds. Yay!
    Thank you!

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  12. Good job on losing the 60lbs :) I also lost 60lbs last year (sept 2010-June 2011) after the birth of my 3rd son. When I look back now it raced by but it was a weekly slower process at the time. I too used my iPhone to eat calorie controlled (1200 too) but I walked (and subsequently learnt to run via C25K). Sounds like you are on a similar path!

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  13. I am so glad that I stumbled upon your blog via pinterest! I started my weight loss at 240. Yesterday was my 5 month mark since I started and I have lost 50 pounds! I use MFP every day. I cannot wait to read some more of your blog! You are an inspiration!

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