Mini Grocery Haul, Today's Meals, and a Picture

I'll start today off with a mini grocery haul.

Spring Greens
Roasted Red Peppers
Light Ricotta
Asparagus
Lemon
Whole Wheat Roti wrappers

I have big plans for the small amount of items in this haul. I love love love asparagus! It is in season right now and it is less expensive than it usually is. So yummy! I'm also going to make my own roasted red pepper hummus, my own rotis, and probably some lasagne with the ricotta. Small haul with big, yummy plans!

I decided to do what a lot of other bloggers do and photographed everything I ate today. For some reason it is very interesting to see what other people eat. It's very nosy and intrusive and I like it! I really enjoy the small details in people's lives. However, I really like Leah's idea of limiting food blogging to one day though. I just can't remember to take a photo of what I eat everyday- kudos to those of you who do- I love you for it!

Breakfast

granola, vanilla yogurt, half a banana

Vitamins

Women's Multi-Vitamin

Omega 3

Calcium Magnesium

Vitamin C

Echinacea

Lunch

Tortilla Pizza with Cheddar and Ricotta

Mandarin Orange

Sorry, this picture won't rotate.

Snack

123 Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Almonds

Dinner

Cheesy Tuna Casserole

A square of Dark Chocolate

Something is wonky. Can't rotate this picture either! Sorry.

After Work Out Snacks

Generic BBQ Pop Chips

2 Dessert Bars (I mistakenly thought the serving was 2, not one. Why put 2 in a package if the serving is only one?)

Pomegranate Lavender Green Tea

For my workout tonight, I warmed up on the elliptical for 10 minutes, ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes, did 30 on the arc trainer, did 15 minutes of circuits and finished off with 5 of rowing. It was a long session, but I felt good after it.

Lastly, I thought I would post a photo that my Mister took of me a couple of weeks ago. I think you can actually sorta tell that I have lost 15 lbs in this photo. What do you think?

 

I know I have a coat on, but I think even with the coat, My face looks slimmer and my neck a lot more svelte too. 

Tomorrow is W.I. and I'm not feeling like I will hit my 199.9 goal. I've been doing really good with the eating, but also been feeling really tired and sleeping too much. 

See you tomorrow!

First Outdoor Run

I was feeling lazy today and recovering from my overnight shifts. I slept until noon and was feeling a bit down about something that happened at work. I watched some tv but didn't really feel like eating. Had a couple egg whites and that is all. I didn't want to fight traffic to get to the gym.

Then, I saw this on the weather website...

I finally felt like it was warm enough to take my workout outside. So, I strapped on the runners, put on a few layers and headed outside for a run!

Here is my route!

The purple is a warm up/cool down and the red is the running route. 

The whole route is 5K. But the running part is about 2.66 miles or 4.26K. The running route took me about 38 minutes. However, I did not run the whole time. Running outside is much more difficult than on the treadmill. On the treadmill, I know how fast I can go. There are no hills on the treadmill (unless I want there to be hills). There is also no sheet on ice, puddles, or sinking mud in the gym.

I was also wearing too many accessories. I wore a hat (we call them toques in Canada), a scarf, and gloves. I ended up stashing them behind a fence about half way. Then picked them up on the way back. Much better!

It was nice to run outside. The weather was gorgeous and the route was nice- along the river, past an old church, through 2 historic sites. The breeze felt amazing on my skin and dodging ice sheets was like a game. Hop, dodge, skip, steady... run!

So, it was a difficult run. I probably walked 30% of it. The time is close to what I am doing on the treadmill, but I feel like I was going faster than I usually do inside. 

I haven't run for a week and it is crazy how quickly your stamina decreases. I think the next time I run the route, I will attempt to run the whole thing no matter how slow I have to go.

Weekly Review

Another week, another Sunday blog post.

I am writing this week’s weekly review from work. It is 4:16am and there is a white, vanilla slab cake beckoning to me from the kitchen. The cake is huge and so sweet. I had more than I should have, but still not over my calories for the day. Thank goodness! However, I think I had too much cake and now my tummy is funny.

Cake = Evil

This week I suffered through overnight shifts. I don’t mind them really, but feel very unmotivated when I wake up at 2pm. I hit the gym only once this week but it was a great workout- I talked earlier this week about running a 12 minute mile on the treadmill. I also did the arc trainer and some strength. Since I wasn’t feeling the gym this week, I really utilized my elliptical doing (3) 30 minute sessions. I also logged 4 and a half hour of walking time.

I seem to be saying this every week but, I want to run outside so badly! However, I do not have the gear and the weather is not very nice in Canada at this time of year. It is warming up, but it still very cold! There is also a lot of ice on the sidewalks and trails.

Eating went well this week. So far I am over my calories 1/6 days with Sunday left to track. I picked up a few new low-cal cookbooks from the library and thought it might be fun to try something new- so heads up for that!

Weigh-in did not reach this week’s goal, but the day before W.I. the scale was saying 202.8 lbs. It is only a matter of time.

As for "Blogging for a Cause- Japan"- I gained 2 new followers this week, that means I will be donating $12 to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Relief Fund. It's not much, but every little bit counts at this point!

This Week’s Goals:

1. Try a new low-cal recipe
2. Nose to the grindstone week for exercise- get to the gym for 3 workouts and keep up with the elliptical
3. Hit 199.9 lbs on the scale at some point this week- Friday or before. Lofty dream? I hope not!

Happy Week Ahead To You ALL!

A Closer Look at...

...Sleep!

Catching a Few Zzzz's. Cat Nap. Beauty Rest. Shut Eye. Hitting the Hay. Whatever you call it, wherever you do it- it's good for the weight loss process!

Recent medical studies show that sleep loss can increase hunger and affect your body’s metabolism in a way that makes weight loss more difficult.

How Sleep Loss Affects Weight Loss

1. Hormone function affects the way fat cells respond to the food we eat. Cortisol is a hormone that is commonly released in response to physical or emotional stress. When we are deprived of sleep, cortisol is released at an increased level and makes us feel hungry even if we are full. As a result, people who continue to lose sleep on a regular basis will tend to experience hunger even when they have had an adequate amount of food.
2. Sleep loss results in less deep sleep, the kind that restores our energy levels. Losing deep sleep hours decreases growth hormone levels. Growth hormone is a protein that helps regulate the body’s proportions of fat and muscle in adults. With less growth hormone, we reduce the ability to lose fat and grow muscle.
3. With a loss of sleep, your body may not be able to metabolize carbohydrates as well, which leads to an increased storage of fats and higher levels of blood sugar. Excess blood sugar can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that the body has trouble disposing of glucose in the liver and other tissues. It is a trigger for serious health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes.
4. A lack of sleep goes hand in hand with a lack of energy – not a new concept, but perhaps you’ve grown used to your daily levels of energy and don’t notice that you could gain more. Not only do we accomplish less with less sleep, we also don’t burn as many calories. The body’s reaction is to hoard calories as fat, making our weight loss goals more difficult than they need to be.

Sleep is starting to sound pretty important now, isn’t it?


(Source: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=129 )

Weigh-In #10

Weight: 203.6 lbs
Body Fat %: 40.3
Hydration %: 43.5

Difference: -1.6 from last week
                 -.1% Body Fat from last week

Total: -14.8 lbs
          - < 1.2% body fat

Getting closer to that magic number! I think I will be able to do it, just got to work a little harder and eat a little better. I've almost lost all the weight I gained in my bad week. Or I have lost it all and this blasted "lady bloat" is hiding that fact because yesterday I weighed in at 202.8! That made me happy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Non Scale Victory

I have great news!

I was at the gym this evening and I began a new running routine. I want to work on running faster- I'm running between 4.8 mph and 5 mph. My goal right now is to run a 10 minute mile. I know that goal is far off right now, but I am trying to develop a plan to get me there.

So, I decided to just run a mile today and see how far off I am.

I had a great 1 mile run. It felt so much different to just run for the sake of running and not worry about sticking to a schedule for a strict amount of time. I had my music playing and I was just running! I felt amazing.

I had no idea what time my mile would be- I did it in 12 minutes. Not bad, not super fast, but that's why I am training for speed. I'm happy I can run a mile+  because a few months ago I couldn't. I'm also excited because I am starting to really enjoy it. Today showed me how invigorating this exercise can be. It's very naked. Just you and the road/trail. Can't wait to take these legs outside!

Hungry Girl Recipe Review - Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients: 

4 cups Fat-Free Broth (Chicken or Vegetable)
(1) 15 oz can pure pumpkin
(1) 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned sweet corn kernels
3/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Optional Toppings: shredded, low-fat cheddar cheese, fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions

Directions: 

Spray medium pot with non-stick spray and bring to medium heat on the stove. Place garlic in the pot. Stir & cook for 1 minutes. Add broth and spices, and bring to a simmer.

Add pumpkin and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings

Per Serving (1 cup): 177 calories, 1g fat, 991mg sodium, 35 carbs, 8.5g fiber, 8g sugar, 9g protein


My Thoughts: 

This recipe seems really strange- like a mish mash of weirdness and you wouldn't think that pumpkin would go with salsa in a soup. I actually saw this displayed on the TV show "The Doctors". It looked interesting to say the least.

I decided to try it out!

Hungry Girl's pumpkin recipes do not sit well in my books thus far... well, this one has redeemed HG and Pumpkin! This soup is actually quite tasty! I am impressed. It is also very filling with all the fiber. One cup is plenty since it is so thick. I have been eating this with a sandwich or a side of veggies. It is perfectly filling for lunches. You can't even taste the pumpkin.

If I could change one thing, I may put less salsa in next time. I used Hot salsa, so I may try a more mild one in hopes that would tone down the dip-like taste.

I will definitely be making this one again!

Rating:

/ 5

Blogging for a Cause- Japan

Candian Red Cross Japan Relief

I have decided to take some action and do at least a small something to help out in this time of devastation.

This week, I will donate $1 for every "Forgive & Forget the Fat" follower this blog has by Sunday to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Relief Fund. So far, we are at total of $10. Hopefully we can pump it up a bit! 

Tell your friends to stop by, have a read, and follow! Japan is in need and we are all in a position where we can do one small thing to help. Here's me doing my part! 

Thanks for supporting me in my endeavor!

Weekly Review

Another week has come and gone in my diet blogging world.

How did I do this week? Much better than I had been doing! Or so I think anyway.

I cooled the eating out this week. I ate at a restaurant on Saturday, but made a decent choice- a grilled chicken burger with fries, which I did not finish.

I was under my calorie count 5/7 days this week. Which is good for me seeing as how I have been doing lately.

I finished the Couch to 5K program this week. It was a rough time. My hip and knee were aching from the long run. I'm still not hitting 5K, but I'm coming close- just over 4K. I'm really looking forward to taking my workout outside. Running on the treadmill is very tedious at the moment- especially when you are on there for so long!

I continued with my strength training this week an tossed in a little extra cardio too.

This best part of working out this week was that my Mister agreed to come to the gym with me one day. He started the Couch to 10K program and did really well. However, he was pretty spent after that. I convinced him to try the rowing machines though and we played the fishing game together, sort of in a race. After that we did circuits and he was too tired to do the arc trainer after all that. Haha. He said he couldn't keep up to me.

The thing that is bugging me the most this week is rubber boots! I need a pair. But, every pair I find and try are made for women with chicken legs! I have strong legs. I was/am an athlete. My calves have a lot of muscle. The ladies boot industry needs to take these facts into consideration.

This week I am working overnight shifts. They are difficult for me because when I get bored I wander to the fridge- and we have a full fat stocked kitchen. I will have to exercise some willpower.

My goals this week are:
-stay within calorie count for 6/7 days
-develop new running program
-get below 203 lbs

Have an awesome week everyone! Looking forward to catching up on your post soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Weigh-In #9

Weight: 205 lbs
Body Fat %: 40.4
Hydration %: 43.5

Difference: +2 lbs from last week
                 +.1% Body Fat from last week

Total Loss: -13.4 lbs

Boooo. I told you I didn't like what the scale said on Monday morning. But, on Monday it said 207.4! I have a feeling that a lot of the 2 lbs is superficial- bloating or too much sodium since I have already gone down 2.4 lbs since Monday.

It has to be expected. I will just have to work a little harder to get to my under 200 goal by April 1.

Hungry Girl Recipe Review - Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

Ingredients:
15 oz. Canned Pure Pumpkin
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F

Mix the 2 ingredients together. Don't add anything else. The mixture will be thick.

Place batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with baking cups.

Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Per Serving: 181 Calories, 3.5g Fat, 357mg Sodium, 37g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 20g Sugar, 2g Protein

My Thoughts:

I was drawn to this recipe because it was only 2 ingredients. I thought, "wow, how simple". I've tried recipes before where eggs or oil are swapped out for other low-cal ingredients like applesauce. Those recipes turned out great and you would never know that they are low-cal.

I saw Hungry Girl make these on her television show and she seemed to enjoy them. Quick, easy, yummy?

Think again...

"Yum Yum"? I'm confused. These are some of the worst muffins I have ever eaten. They are very dense and artificial tasting. They also leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth. I thought the pumpkin would lend an interesting flavour to the treat, but instead it has totally turned me off any swaps that include pumpkin.

Since the recipe is so thick and dense, the muffins do not settle and puff up like actual muffins. They stay in whatever shape they happen to be in when you plop them into the pan.

My advice to you is to skip this recipe. It is a loser in my books. However, I did find a use for it that wasn't awful.

I made banana soft-serve, sprinkled on some ground "Yum Yum" with a drizzle of caramel. Not terrible. The banana masks the flavour of the muffin.

Rating:

out of 5

Recognizing Relapse

I work in a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility. I get to witness a lot of people going through withdrawal, making changes in their lives and trying to change their lives for the better. I also get to witness a lot of people relapse and return to their drug of choice. Before this happens, there is always warning signs that someone may relapse in the future.

I began to think about relapse as it pertains to me and my lifestyle.

This past week has been a very emotionally difficult one for me. My diet was all out of whack and I hardly exercised. Despite a decent weigh-in and loss on Friday, I continued the cycle of bad choices into the weekend. I ate out, skipped workouts, made excuses. "I've lost 15 lbs, I deserve nachos" is what I said to myself and to anyone with a question in their voice. 

I spent what felt like days lying face down on my bed, unable to pry myself up and off to make it to the gym.  I became depressed and felt stuck in a rut.

However, I noticed something about my behaviour this past week. My weight hit 203 lbs and I began to slack just like I always have in the past. I get so close to a great milestone and I falter. I relapsed- making excuses and bad choices and using my drug of choice again- food. I reverted to my old ways of eating whatever I wanted, not exercising and giving into cravings. I was me 6 months ago.

I am happy that I am now able to recognize my relapse. Before, I would have just continued on thinking that the 15 lbs would stay away no matter what I ate or did. I would ignore the scale because I know that it would say something that I wouldn't like. But today, I told myself that the past week was not consistent with the person I want to be. I stepped on the scale and confirmed that I didn't like what it said.

But, instead of just giving up and throwing it all out the window... I'm getting back on the wagon!

Weekly Review

Well, better late than never, right?

This week was an emotionally difficult one for me. I had to deal with some relationship and employment issues. I find it difficult to be the positive, proactive one all the time. Sometimes life just gets to you and all you want to do is lay in bed and watch bad reality television in your pyjamas (or is that just me?). I talked about this stuff earlier in the week, so I won't go over it again.

Needless to say, I was rather unproductive this week.

I went to the gym twice. Once, I worked out for 90 minutes and the other for 50 minutes. Did some walking around town and a few games of bowling. Not too active this week. I did complete Week 9- installment 1 of Couch to 5K which is running for 30 minutes. I took (2) 1 minutes breaks though. This week I was thinking about my old fastball days. My Mister has agreed to act as catcher for me so I can practice pitching and maybe I will think about joining a fun league this summer.

Food was not good this week. I ate out a few times with my mother who was in town this week and with my Mister twice. I also had 2 light beers while bowling. I know I seem to say this every week, but it is time to tighten the belt on the eating. But, I have grown tired of counting calories. I find it so tedious. However, I do not want to pay the money for weight watchers to learn the point system, etc. But I feel like WW points would be easier, faster, more convenient for me.

This week, I discovered the most amazing treat to curb your craving for sweets- Popsicles, Creamsicles, and Revellos. They come is "LIGHT" versions and vary from 15-110 calories. I bought a couple of boxes for my freezer and have been munching on them all week! YUM.

The goals this week are:
1) No eating out- home made meals only!
2) Complete Week 9 of C5K (2 more installments)
3) A loss on the scale, no matter how small

Lastly, I want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to Dawn and MallWalker for awarding me the Versatile Blogger Award. It really made my week in a week where I was feeling quite low.

I'm feeling great now though! Have a great week all!

Weigh-In #8

Weight: 203 lbs
Body Fat %: 40.3
Hydration%: 43.5

Difference: -1.8 lbs from last week
                 -0.4% body fat from last week

Total Loss: 15.4 lbs

EDIT: Adding Measurements
Bicep: 13.25" (-0.25)
Bust: 36.5" (-0.75)
Hips: 43.25" (-1)
Waist: 42.25" (-2.25)
Thigh: 24" (-1.5)

-5.75" since Feb.11, 2011

-11.75" since January 14, 2011

It seems as though there has been a sudden change in my weigh loss saga. All of a sudden, I am actually losing weight. I bust through the mini-plateau that I was enduring and now... I am back in the game.

I started thinking about what I have been doing differently since breaking the plateau. To be honest, I have cooled it on the exercise. I was going to the gym consistently nearly everyday or doing something else strenuous or very active if I didn't go.  Now, I am sticking with the Couch to 5K program,strength training, and some cardio sprinkled about as well as walking most places I go in town.

As for food, I'm not perfect. But a big part of breaking the plateau was trying to be. I got strict with my diet for at least 5/7 days with the other 2 days getting a couple treats at work- but nothing crazy! I also started consciously drinking more water throughout the day.

I think another part of why I wasn't losing weight was a combination of diet and exercise. I may have been exercising too much and eating too little and my body freaked out and started holding onto the fat.

Who knows! But I am super happy with the way things are going. At this rate, I will be under 200 lbs before April rolls around. This is so exciting! I don't remember the last time I was under 200. Aaaaannnndd..... I have been 203 lbs before, but this is usually the point where the scale starts to go back up for me. This time it isn't going back up!

This is the last time I will be 203 lbs. I will never be this weight again because a healthy person doesn't weigh 203 lbs. I am a healthy person and I will never be this weight again!

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Closer Look at...

Fiber!

Ok, not that kind... the Dietary type. The kind you eat!

What is it?

Fiber is the part of plant-based foods that our bodies can't digest. It passes through our digestive tract without providing nutrition or calories.

What else does it do?

Fiber helps to keep our bowel movements regular and ward off certain diseases. Fiber also helps transport cholesterol out of our body, reducing our risk for heart disease.

Why is fiber important for weight loss?

Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer.

What foods have fiber?

Meat and dairy products contain no fiber, and refined grains have had most of their fiber removed. To increase your intake of fiber, eat more whole and natural foods, and fewer processed foods. Some good examples of fiber-rich foods include:

• Legumes (lentils, dry beans and peas)
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Brown rice
• Whole grains (wheat, oats, barley)

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Do you know how much fiber you are recommended to get everyday? For women under 50 years of age it is 25 grams. That seems like a lot, right? Well... Let's take a look at a typical day.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal = 3 grams
1/2 cup of raspberries on top = 3.5 grams

Mid-Morning Snack:
Banana = 3 grams

Lunch:
Salad = 4 grams

Afternoon Snack:
An apple and a dozen almonds = 5.5 grams

Dinner:
A grilled chicken breast, baked potato with a side of broccoli = 10grams

For a grand total of 29 grams of Fiber! That's more than we need!
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Adding more fiber to your diet will likely help you lose weight and improve your health, but do it gradually. Rapid increases in consumption of fiber may result in gas or diarrhea.  Also, be sure to drink plenty of fluids when adding fiber to your diet. While fiber is normally helpful to your digestive system, without adequate fluids it can cause constipation instead of helping to eliminate it.

It's a win-win. You get fiber and water. Both of which are great for weight loss! So, if you are stuck in a rut or on a plateau- pick up a pear which has a whopping 5.5 grams  and wash 'er down with a tall drink of water. The wet kind- not the handsome man type....

(Source: http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_fiber.php)

Emotional Eating

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right? You try to stay positive or brush it off, but the terribleness of the day just lingers and by the time you enter your home you are nearly in tears from, what you think is, the worst day ever.

I had one of these days yesterday. Hence, no posts or comments for my fellow bloggers yesterday.

Yesterday didn't have some type of life altering event. No one died. I'm still healthy. No accidents or fires. It was just one of those days where I let my mind wander a bit too far and let little annoyances and inconveniences take hold of me as a result. I've been dealing with some personal issues inside myself that are not related to weight loss as well as issues with family/friends. I haven't come to any conclusions on how to deal with the situations that I am in and it is making me very upset in the last few days.

Then, to top it all off, I worked alone yesterday and it was so busy I almost could not handle it. It was go-go-go for hours and I couldn't even leave my station to pee or get water. The customers at my workplace are nasty things- that doesn't help the day go by fast either. Not to mention that I am trying to quit this job, but can't find a new one.

So, I was feeling down when I left and started on the 30 minute walk to the bus stop- an annoyance. No buses. I would have to wait for nearly 40 minutes for a bus to get semi-close to my destination- which was the gym. I kept hemming and hawwing about going to the gym since I felt so down. I wasn't sure if I was up for a run since I hadn't eaten since lunch time and wasn't sure if I would have the energy. I hopped on a bus that I had never taken before in hopes it would take me close and I could warm up (it was -15C) in the meantime. It took me about half way, then I walked another 10 minutes or more and waited for another bus. Finally got on the right one and got off at the gym.

I figured if I ran or if I just did some cardio, it would pull me out of my mood. I laced up and started on the treadmill for my 30 minute run. After a 5 minute warm up and then running for about 8 minutes, I got a side stitch that was very painful. I had to stop. I went on to walking on an incline and did some strength training. But, I was just not into it. I could tell. I left after about 50 minutes not feeling any better.

When I feel down, I usually eat something that is bad for me. I've been resisting the urge in the last few days, but yesterday was so terrible in my own mind. I ate pizza, some chips, and a Reese egg. Not that it made me feel any better, it just took my mind off the happenings of the day. Exercise didn't help. I had no one to talk to. But, of course, as always, food was there to soothe me.

Emotional eating- it is a HUGE issue for me. I've been doing better in the amounts of food I eat when I feel emotional. I've even cut down on the amount of times it happens. But, it still happens and that is what upsets me the most. If I want to be a healthy person, I need to figure out how to deal with my emotions in a healthy way.

Do I feel like I've failed? Not completely. I haven't failed because I have not yet succeeded. To me, success means letting go of these old destructive habits and forming new, healthy ones. Yesterday is a reminder that I am still new to this and that there is a long road ahead. I need to be more aware of my moods and find new coping mechanisms to replace food. In my mind I know all this, putting everything into action is the hard part.

Weekly Review

I had a pretty great week all around- exercise, food, a loss on the scale.

I headed to the gym this week to finish up Week 8 of Couch to 5K. Week 8 is running for 28 minutes, no walking. I tackled the second installment of Week 8 on Monday after work. I started off strong at 5.0 and lasted for about 13 minutes. However, it was all down hill from there. I continued at a reduced speed of around 4.8 but ended up giving up with 5 minutes to go of the 28. I felt so defeated. I did it once, why not this time? Did I start off too fast? Was it because my knee was bothering me? Am I just too tired after a full work day? I went home and decided to try again on Wednesday. I entered the gym feeling very intimidated, but when I stepped on the treadmill I followed through undefeated! I went the full 28 minutes running between 4.9 and 5.2 with a sprint to the finish line at 5.5 for a full minute. I was on top of the world! I decided to redo the installment that I couldn't finish earlier in the week. I was overjoyed when I kicked its butt again!

I also managed to do some at home elliptical this week like I promised myself last week. Also did some snowshoeing, ice skating, and walking.

I'm happy to report that my food was much better this week. Lots of fresh fruit, salads, and soups. However, I had an intense craving for either pizza or a burger tonight. I was so close to ordering in, but I didn't. I made myself an imitation- a pita pizza. Basically, a pita with sauce, cheese, ham, and mushrooms all cooked up in oven. It was delicious and really hit the spot that was longing to be filled with pizza. I am happy I didn't give in this time around.

This week, I will be completing or being close to completing the last week of Couch to 5K. Week 9 involves running for 30 minutes straight. It's only an extra 2 minutes from last week, but I could really feel the pain at minute 26. Still intimidated.

Hope everyone has a productive week!

Weigh-In #7

Weight: 204.8
Body Fat: 40.7
Hydration: 43.3

Difference: -3 lbs from last week
                 -0.1% Body Fat from last week

TOTAL LOSS: 13.6 lbs

What?!!? That is crazy! 3 Pounds!?!? You can imagine my shock when I stepped on the scale and saw this number. I stepped on several times and it kept coming up the same. I feel like my scale was acting wonky this morning, so I'm not sure if I trust it since that seems like a huge loss for the amount of exercise I did this week. But, I am happy for now!

My goal for March is to get under 200 lbs. On the first April weigh-in (April 1), I want to weigh 199.9 or less. I haven't been under 200 lbs in several years. It is always the point where I give up or start eating crap again and stop exercising. Not this time! :)

I'm losing an average of 1 lbs per week- sometimes I lose more (see above). I want to stay around 1-2 per week to avoid a lot of lose skin and stretch marks. Is anyone having issues with these? What are you doing to avoid them?

Hope you all have a great weekend! I may be able to post something this weekend, if I have time. But, if not, I will leave you with some sweet words of wisdom.

Forgive. Forget.

I've been wanting to do a post about the meaning of my blog name ever since I began writing here. This morning, I read a blog post by Dawn who did the same and encouraged us all to state the personal meaning of our blog alter egos.

Forgive and Forget the Fat is about a few different things...

Forgive.

I am overweight. Hell, the BMI tells me I am obese. I didn't get here overnight. I didn't eat a pint of ice cream and a pizza and gain 70 lbs. I made a long series of small, bad choices that got me to where I am today. I grew up with food issues and low self-esteem. I ate to self-medicate. I ate to feel good or when I was sad or angry or when I felt bad about myself. I made a conscious choice to stop moving my body and became stationary for many years. I gained. I gained. I gained and tried not to think about it.

Now, I am taking charge of my life. I am changing my ways. I am making better choices. But most of all, I am forgiving myself for gaining the weight over the past few years. I am forgiving myself for the terrible choices I made that put me in this situation that I don't enjoy being in. It happened, it's done. I'm not happy about being overweight, but I will get through it and I am on the course to change. I can't change the past, but I can change the future.

Forget.

The weight is on my face, belly, arms, and everywhere else you can think of. It seems like it would be hard to forget the fat when it is all I can see. But, forget means something different. Forget means forgetting my old way of life, forgetting my old self. I'm forgetting how to soothe and comfort myself with food. I'm forgetting that self-conscious person I used to be. Forgetting the stationary person who sat around and watched television all day and ate whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

I'm forgiving and forgetting my old self, moving forward and never looking back.

Hope that made sense to everyone and maybe even helped someone along in their journey!

Applebee's Under 550 Calories Menu

A few weeks ago, Mister and I decided that we wanted to go out to dinner. After some back and forth, I suggested Applebee's and told him about the new low calorie menu that I had see advertised on commercials. He agreed, since he is watching his calories too.

I have never been to Applebee's before and he seemed surprised. We walked in and were told that it would be a 20-30 minute wait for a table, so we reluctantly sat at the bar to be served quicker- or so we thought. We took our menus and immediately looked at the Under 550 Calorie Menu. There is a good selection with quite a bit of variety. The calories range from as low as 261 for a salad all the way up to 541 for a steak.

I decided on the Teriyaki Shrimp Pasta which sits at 364 calories and Mister decided upon the Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobello for 478 calories.

 

This next part has little to do with the actual menu but.... It took the food nearly an hour to arrive! It was bordering on totally ridiculous. However, the restaurant was busy, but the dishes are not very complex to put together.

When the food finally came, the portion sizes seemed decent. They were actual portion sizes, not those overly HUGE and MASSIVE portions where you eat for 20 minutes and it looks like you haven't even made a dent in the dish. For mine, there was a good cup of spaghetti topped with broccoli, snow peas and carrots. There was shrimp on top which was rubbery due to being overcooked. The taste was a bit bland however overly seasoned with cilantro- not my favorite herb.

The Grilled Dijon Chicken looked great. It was smothered with cheese and topped with red peppers and mushrooms. It was also accompanied by baby red potatoes, broccoli and carrots. Even though the chicken looked delicious, it was burnt to a crisp. It was almost inedible. Mister is one to clean his plate and he didn't finish the chicken- SHOCKER. Complaining didn't get him anywhere. They offered a free dessert to 2 people who just ordered off the low calorie menu. That is just silly. We declined. They ended up taking 15% off the burnt entree (not enough in my opinion).

All in all, the Under 550 Menu is in theory a good idea. However, I'm not sure how much I trust the cooks who make 1200 calorie burgers all day to make a delicious low cal meal that is edible. You never really know what is going on in the kitchen. They could be slathering butter on your steak and you think it is delicious because it is only 500 calories for the whole meal!

The menu is rather new as well. The cooks may not yet be used to the new menu items and they may not get ordered a lot for them to practice. If you are going to try this menu, then I suggest you wait a little while until the cooks familiarize themselves with the new items and the menu becomes more popular.

One plus to our visit was that you get a few new ideas of what to make for yourself at home. Low fat food doesn't have to be bland or only be salad. It can be steak and chicken with some cheese or pasta! I will be using the menu as inspiration at home.

Eat at your own risk!

OVERALL RATING: 

out of 5     


(This is my new rating system- Cherries!)

Body Fat Equations

Last week, I decided to find out what the difference is between losing body fat and losing weight. I've heard about this often and after my last weigh-in of gaining 0.4 lbs, but losing 0.2% body fat, I was intrigued to say the least.

I found this website- Heath Check Systems, which presents a lot of very interesting information including equations to find out what your lean muscle mass and pounds of body fat you have. The most interesting part was where they talk about your weight loss goals being realistic and giving you the equations to figure it out as well as a handy dandy chart.

Let's take a look at the numbers of my last weigh-in...

Weight: 207.8

Body Fat: 40.8%

Initial body fat: 207.8 lbs x 0.408 fat = 84.78 lbs of fat (yikes!)

Lean body mass: 207.8 total - 84.78 fat = 123.02 lbs (bones, organs, muscle and all else)

I was thinking that I needed to lose 100 lbs to be a normal weight for my height- that would make me about 118 lbs. As you can see, all the important stuff in my body weighs 123 lbs and by the chart, a woman shouldn't go below 10% of essential body fat. The lowest I can weigh is...

123.02 lean body mass x 1.10 = 135.32 lbs lowest possible weight I can be

However, 10% body fat is like an Olympic Athlete body. I don't need that. I would be happy with 20-25%. 

123.02 x 1.2 or x 1.25 = 147.62 lbs - 153.78 lbs (Goal Weight)

My temporary goal weight was around 150 lbs, it seems like I was right on with my estimate. But before I started to lose a couple years ago, I thought I needed to lose 100 lbs. Knowing that I need to lose about half that is very encouraging and my temporary goal is now my ultimate goal!

I did a few different calculations than the webpage to make it easier and more clear. I'm not sure if the equations given are totally accurate or not, but it seems to make sense.

If anyone knows anything about calculating ideal weight or body fat % I would love to hear it!