Progress this Spring?

Ahhh. I just got back from my morning walk with the little one. Nothing like the quiet sounds of a Sunday morning....finally! Beats Saturday's walk which was filled with...

WRRRRRRRRRRRRINNG leaf blowers, Pit Bulls BARKING, lawnmowers CHUGGING and construction workers POUNDING out new homes.

What happened to birds singing? Sometimes I wonder how freaken far I have to move into the boonies to have a bit of peace. Jeremiah Johnson far?

Anyway.....

To date I have lost 10 pounds. Yeah, yeah...anemic I know, but it is fat and 17% of my goal, the equivalent of 40 sticks of butter...that has to amount to something right? I like to think of fat loss using visual aids... I highly recommend it.

This week for the first time I actually did all the things on my diet to do list, which I, of course, have tweaked a bit since we last talked abut my progress. I went to the gym and lifted weights three days this week, walked 5 miles, and stayed on my eating plan Monday to Thursday. You know what? I feel really really good. It might be the food I am eating now that makes me feel that way, or the way I can feel my body after a work-out for days after, who knows, but already I can see changes in the mirror. Real or imaginary, the big change in the mirror is how I see myself I suppose. I am fat, but I don't see that anymore, I am beginning to just see me on a regular basis...and I actually like me.

I think that is progress.

OK, so what have I been doing  exactly?

I am eating 1800 calories 4 days a week. I divide each day into three meals and three snacks, and I make the meals progressively larger each time. For example;

Breakfast - 300 calories (my heart healthy pumpkin oatmeal concoction)
snack - 200 cal. ( my patented purple power smoothie)
Lunch - 400 cal. (turkey on whole wheat and 1 oz Lays chips)
snack - 200 cal. (another purple power smoothie)
Dinner - 500 cal. (whole wheat pasta with olive oil, basil, tomatoes and fontina cheese)
snack - 200 cal. (popcorn and pretzels)

Of course I eat other things, this is just a typical day, and I will be posting more about my choices soon. I try to do this 4 days a week, more if I can, but at least 4. On the weekend I just try to use a bit of self-control and common sense, which is a lot harder than you would think. I am not always successful either.  I like to weigh myself on Friday just to remind me of what I have lost, helps to keep the binges in check. I have not had the urge to binge in a long time.

When I go to the gym I have a routine I like to do that takes me 30 minutes. I get on the elliptical for 5 minutes to warm up and get my heart rate up to 120. Then I hit the weights, doing a circuit of 12 exercises,  12-15 reps each. I try to make the weight lifting circuit shorter each time. When I started it took me 25 minutes, now I am down to 15. After the weights I get back on the elliptical for another 10, trying to keep my heart rate below 150 as to avoid heart attacks!

When I walk, I push the baby or walk the dog, trying to get a mile in under 20 minutes. Seems slow, but I found out that the slower you walk, the more calories you burn...weird huh?

There are a lot of things I am not doing. I am still not drinking enough tea and drinking too much coffee. I am still not getting enough sleep. I am still not blogging enough...but hey, I have to leave something to work on right?

Comments

[The Therapist]

The weekends are really hard. I snack sometimes without realizing I am doing it!

[Margaret]

But it is such great progress--and the key thing is that you feel REALLY good and you like yourself. YAY!!

[Denise]

Wow, you are making really good progress - congrats and keep up the good work!

[Deirdre]

I am curious about two things; pumpkin oatmeal and the caloric progression. Could you tell me about those?

[FB]

Deirdre,

Pumpkin is a SuperFood, so I try to eat as much as possible without making a fattening pie. I just put a dollop on my oatmeal, it is actually quite good. Look for the full recipe on my next post?

As far as the caloric progression, breakfast is 300, lunch is 400 and dinner is 500. Most health nuts tell you to do the opposite, but I am most hungry at night, and found that this is just easier in a normal lifestyle.

[Deirdre]

I love pumpkin. I make pumpkin custard. It's basically pie without the crust. Just bake in a baking dish. I use nonfat evaporated milk and either substitute sweetener or cut the sugar in half (or both, I find sweetener is awefully sweet). It's got calcium, fiber, protein, and betacarotene.
Pumpkin would probably be good in whole grain pancakes, too.

[Faith]

Good job! I used to find the weekends hard with so much time and greater food options, but since my crazy college schedule often has me hitting the art studio on weekends AND there is no food available I am finding that I eat less on the weekends.

[Michelle]

Well, they say that coffee is a good source of antioxidants, and that caffeine burns calories, so perhaps it is not such a bad thing.

Congrats on the ten pounds!

[Kathy J]

I hope you keep this blog going. It's witty and entertaining. And I hope you do well well on your weight loss journey.