Day 34 - September 30, 2009

Not very hungry today: I didn't eat "breakfast" today until 10:40 AM, and I only ate because I knew I should

10:40 AM fat-free cottage cheese
12:45 PM Lean Cuisine Linguine Carbonara
4:20 PM 3/4 cup fresh pineapple
7:30 PM whole wheat blend spaghetti with sauce, meatballs and mushrooms, lettuce with tomatoes and lite balsamic vinaigrette dressing, fat-free skim milk

In general: 60oz of water

14 minute walk at 3.4mph
14 minute walk at 3.4mph
14 minute walk at 3.4mph (wow, consistent!)

I'm going to have to either get my pants taken in or go shopping; I'm tired of pulling them up to my waist while I'm walking. It slows me down!

Day 33 - September 29, 2009

9:00 AM Quaker Instant Low Sugar oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice
11:30 AM 3/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks
12:30 PM Lean Cuisine spaghetti with meatballs
3:30 PM Dannon Light & Fit strawberry yogurt

8:00 PM Roasted chicken thigh and leg, 1 3/4 cup church potatoes (I couldn't resist, they're just so yummy!)

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph

Only 2 walks today. :( Taking a late lunch screwed up my schedule

Day 32 - September 28, 2009

8:50 AM Quaker Instant Oatmeal Low Sugar Cinnamon & Spice
12:20 PM Lean Cuisine cheese ravioli
4:30 PM large hard boiled egg
6:20 PM 5pcs Philadelphia roll, 1.5 cups of edamame, 1 cup miso soup

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.4mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph

Day 31 - September 27, 2009

Even less activity is expected for today: going to be at church for 6 hours after a 1.5 hour drive home from Encinitas.

10:30 AM 3 egg omelet with 1/3 sausage, 1/3 Roma tomato, 1/3 cup of shredded cheese; 10oz of fat free skim milk
5:45 PM Spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs
8:30 PM light popcorn (equivelant of 1 Weight Watchers point)
10:05 PM 1 Swiss roll (chocolate dessert thing)

In general: 60oz of water

Day 30 - September 26, 2009

I am hoping to get some walking in today, but my exercise will probably only consist of playing in the ocean and teaching my kid to boogie board.

10:55 AM Quaker Instant Oatmeal Low Sugar apples & cinnamon
12:20 PM large hard boiled egg
1:30 PM 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese
5:30 PM 1oz dry roasted peanuts
6:20 PM 4 avocado slices, 3 chicken drumsticks, 2 tiny chicken drumsticks, 1/2 cup macaroni salad, 2 watermelon slices
8:50 PM Dannon Light & Fit strawberry yogurt

In general: 30oz of water

16 minutes of walking at 3.7mph (1 mile)
Lots more walking from campsite to campsite, one trip carrying a 40lb 5-year-old AND a collapsible chair

Day 29 - September 25, 2009

2.5 POUNDS LOST THIS WEEK!

I did it again! Another 2.5 pounds! That makes four weeks in a row of consistent weight loss. I'm going to assume, then, that my of the 3 pounds lost after the first week, only 1/2 pound was water weight. Woohoo! This means I've lost a total of 10.5 pounds in 4 weeks! In theory (which is unlikely to happen, because I know how weight loss works), that means I could be down to my healthy weight by Christmas! My guess is, I'm going to hit my goal weight somewhere between mid-January and mid-February.

Wow, I'm just so pleased. Even though my mph has dropped a bit during my walks (by tenths of a point), I'm still clearly making progress! I think that means I can put off buying that weight vest a little bit longer. And I've not used my e-cigarette in a week! No smoking of any kind at all! Yay!

I'm officially "overweight" now; 1/2 a pound ago I was "obese." And I've lost 23% of my weight loss goal (10.5lbs out of 45lbs)!

I’ve been using an application on my iPhone to track my exercise (calories burned) and diet (calories, fat, protein, & carbs consumed) called Daily Burn. I’m using the free version, which basically does what I want; the “Pro” version tracks other things too: cholesterol, iron, etc. The application then syncs to a web account on http://www.dailyburn.com/ so I can see it on a bigger screen (and see more stats, too.) Well, Daily Burn just made my life a little bit easier. They have a new app (for $2.99) that scans barcodes! So instead of having to search for my food in their database (which can take awhile, depending on how many versions of blueberry yogurt Dannon makes, etc.), I just hold the barcode near the camera lens on my iPhone and it automatically scans it and searches for me! Then it syncs with my application and web account. Awesome! Now, of course, it won’t scan everything; my hard-boiled egg doesn’t come with a barcode, but really, if I got upset about that, I’d need my mental status “scanned.”

9:05 AM Quaker Low Sugar Instant Oatmeal maple brown sugar (I can tell there’s sugar missing; tasted like regular non-flavored oatmeal)
10:50 AM large hard-boiled egg
12:20 PM Lean Cuisine cheese ravioli (scanned with my iPhone, of course)
3:15 PM Dannon Light & Fit blueberry yogurt
4:20 PM 3/4 cup pineapple chunks
6:30 PM leftover McD's salad and 1 microwaved chicken breast (I know, sounds weird, but it's actually very juicy)
7:15 PM small bottled Starbucks mocha frappucino (so I could get cash back at Arco)

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph

I'm not sure I'll be able to post this weekend: lots going on. But I'll do my best

Day 28 - September 24, 2009

Today's my picture day! I can't wait to get home tonight and have my mom take my picture! Knowing how much I've lost (come back tomorrow to see this week's weigh-in), there's bound to be noticeable changes. I'll post the new picture on this post tonight around 10-ish and also put it next to my picture from 8/27 on my main page so I can compare the two.

9:30 AM Quaker instant oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice12:10 PM Lean Cuisine fettuccini alfredo
1:05 PM 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
3:15 PM Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
4:15 PM 1/2 Granny Smith apple
7:25 PM 1 1/2 grilled chicken breast from McD's
9:50 PM 1/2 grilled chicken breast & Caesar salad w/ ranch dressing from McD's, fat free skim milk

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.3mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.2mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.2mph

<---- See how my shorts are a bit lower than my belly button? That's because they don't stay up anymore! What a fabulous problem to have!

Day 27 - September 23, 2009

I'm so excited to post my 4-week picture tomorrow night! I am starting to see the weight loss now; I think my stomach looks smoother, and I'm fairly certain I've lost weight in my legs, judging by how my freshly-washed jeans fit the other day!

8:55 AM Kashi instant oatmeal, Maple Golden Brown
10:40 AM large hard-boiled eggs
12:15 PM Lean Cuisine Spaghetti with Meatballs
2:40 PM Dannon Light & Fit strawberry yogurt
4:20 PM fresh pineapple (yum!)
7:30 PM roasted chicken breast, salad, mini-wontons, fat free skim milk

In general: 60oz of water

14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.3mph
15 minutes of walking at 3.3mph - my left ankle started giving me trouble during my last walk. I hope it gives that up by tomorrow.

So, just in case anyone wants to know about the pineapple:

I have a Pampered Chef Pineapple Wedger. I bought my pineapple for $2.99 at Vons. When I cut the pineapple, I got about 5 or 6 cups of pineapple chunks. I split the pineapple into 5 resealable baggies and squeezed all the air out. If I'd bought the store-brand can of pineapple chunks, I'd have paid about the same price as my pineapple, but nothing beats fresh pineapple. Plus, the rind is now composting (is that a word) out in my backyard.

Day 26 - September 22, 2009

Today I'm officially the same weight I was 5 1/2 years ago: when I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter. The strange thing is, I'm excited to weigh this "little."

8:55 AM Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Cinnamon & Spice
11:00 AM Dannon Light & Fit blueberry yogurt
12:40 PM Lean Cuisine Linguine Carbonara
1:20 PM 1/2 Granny Smith apple
4:15 PM 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
8:00 PM lots of salad (lettuce, tomatoes, pears, light balsamic vinaigrette dressing), 1 roasted chicken breast w/o skin, 1/2 cup of instant mashed potatoes with 1/2tsp margarine, 11oz of fat free skim milk

In general: 50oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.3mph

Day 25 - September 21, 2009

Today's walks ought to be interesting: I remembered my shoes, but not my socks. Ouch! And gross!

9:00 AM Golden Maple Heart Healthy instant oatmeal
10:35 AM large hard-boiled egg
12:25 PM Chicken Fettuccini (Lean Cuisine)
1:15 PM 6oz of fresh pineapple chunks (as in I bought the pineapple and cut it up myself)
3:40 PM Quaker Chewy oatmeal raisin granola bar
4:25 PM Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
7:25 PM 7oz Atlantic salmon and 3/4 cup tortellini, 8oz of fat free skim milk

In general: 30oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.7mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.3mph

I definitely need to remember my socks tomorrow; I felt like I needed a pedicure after each walk! My poor feet!

I wonder if I'll have the guts to walk tomorrow: my company is expecting protectors outside and I have never had to go through a crowd of protestors before. Maybe I'll just tune totally out into my headphones and just be "that crazy walking lady."

OMG, all this food and I'm STILL under my calories for the day! Woohoo!

Day 24 - September 20, 2009

I think Sundays will be easier than Saturdays when it comes to controlling my food. I'm in charge of my breakfast and lunch, and dinner is shared with kids and youth.

8:30 AM 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats with 1/2 cup 2% milk

11:30 AM salad (lettuce with tomatoes, pears and balsamic vinagrette dressing)

6:00 PM salad (lettuce & tomatoes), spaghetti and marinara sauce with Italian sausage

8:30 PM 1 bag of Healthy Pop popcorn (100 calories)

In general: 30oz of water

Day 23 - September 19, 2009

You can walk anywhere! My daughter and I walked from the parking structure to Disneyland and back (with some walking to attractions in between)!

11 minutes of walking at 3mph
15 minutes of walking at 2.8mph
Miscellaneous walking around Disneyland for 2.5 hours

10:20 AM large banana



11:00 AM 6oz of red grapes

1:30 PM 10.5oz of fat free skim milk, 1.6oz of baby carrots, 2oz of apple slices, 6oz of rotelle with pesto-cream sauce

4:00 PM 8oz pork chop

8:00 Unidentified Greek food - basically consider my diet thrown out the window for the night

In general: 90oz of water

Today is the 3rd day in a row that I've not used my ecigarette, mostly just because I forget, but also because I don't feel like I need or want it. Yay!

Day 22 - September 18, 2009

2.5 POUNDS LOST THIS WEEK!

I can't believe I lost the same amount as last week! I was certain I'd only lose a pound after missing 3 walks and not eating the healthiest food a couple of times. That's 8 pounds lost so far! I'm so excited, and now even more excited to not only weigh-in again next week but to take a picture! I can't believe next Friday will be 4 weeks!

9:50 AM Golden Maple-flavored oatmeal (1 packet)

1:00 PM 1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1:50 PM 1 Bartlett pear

8:00PM Salad (lettuce, tomato and pear) with light balsamic dressing, grilled pork chop, church potatoes

10:00 Chocolate cake (shared with my daughter)

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.7mph
14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph

I am finally noticing some changes in my body. My jeans are fitting much more loosely (sorry for the grammar?), but I can't yet tighten my belt. But it does feel nice to feel the legs and backside section of my pants bagging a bit. ;)

Day 21 - September 17, 2009

My knee is feeling much better today; not sure what caused it to hurt in the first place (other than just being a bad knee). Strange that it hurt after almost 3 weeks of walking, instead of the first week. And I never did take anything for it, plus I stood in heels last night for about 3 hours. Who knows, I'm just happy I'm not in pain and I can walk again today.

I'm not sure what I'm going to be having for dinner tonight; I'm going to be at my church from 6:00 until 9:00. Maybe I'll grab a salad-shaker-thing from McD's between meetings (do they still make those?).

10:00 AM Golden Maple-flavored oatmeal (1 packet)

12:40 PM 1/2 cup of 2% cottage cheese

1:40 PM 1 Bartlett pear

6:50 PM McDonald's Premium Caeser Salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing

9:50 PM 3oz of rotisserie chicken w/o skin

In general: 60oz of water

13 minutes of walking at 3.6mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.4mph
13 minutes of walking at 3.5mph

Total 39 minutes of walking at average 3.5mph

Had a GREAT walk this morning! I walked .1mph faster than usual and neither of my knees hurt AT ALL!

I'm kinda anxious about my weigh-in tomorrow. I think I may have lost a pound, if that. I've had chili and hot dogs for dinner one day, only walked once one day, only walked twice another day, had crispy (aka fried) eggplant with other creamy stuff...*sigh* really gotta get my walk on this afternoon and be very careful with dinner tonight.

I ended up not using my ecigarette at all today! I just forgot about it on my way to work and didn't feel the need for it on my way to church from work, or on my way home from church. Yay!

Day 20 - September 16, 2009

It's interesting how motivation works for me: if things are going well, I'm more motivated to keep going. But if things don't turn out the way I'd hoped or planned, then instead of trying harder, I want to give up.

Motivation is low today: I didn't lose any weight yesterday to today. I'm sure that sounds normal, but I weigh myself every day to make sure I'm not gaining weight, and today I weigh the same as yesterday. And since I've started my diet and exercise, I've lost weight every day, if only just a half of a pound each day. So, yeah, I'm bummed today, especially when yesterday I finally ate all that I'm supposed to, whereas all the other days I've been way under my caloric guidelines. Maybe all the calculators in the world are wrong, and I'm not supposed to eat more than 1400 calories a day. That just seems very low to start with.

Or maybe I just need to up my exercise. Maybe walking 3.5mph for almost 45 minutes a day isn't enough.

Or it could just be a day where I didn't lose anything and I'll lose some today. Whatever the cause for my lack of loss of weight, I'll have to work hard today to keep going.

9:00 AM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

12:00 PM 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1:00 PM 1 Bartlett pear

6:20 PM Spicy Yellow Fin Tuna with crispy eggplant, chili aioli and sweet soy glaze (5 pieces)

In general: 15oz of water

Just before my first walk of the day, my right knee started hurting, like it needs to pop, but could also go out on me. Just walking around my building, I feel the need to favor it. With the lack of weight loss yesterday, I will be crushed if I can't walk for my exercise today.

14 minutes of walking at 3.4mph

Walking my usual route didn't hurt my knee as much as walking in my building does. Strange. And it really hurts when I'm sitting at my desk and it's bent at almost a 90 degree angle, but it also hurts if I keep it straight. Hmmm... I may not get to walk at lunch: I have a business and personal errand to run.

I did not take my usual walk this afternoon. My right knee is still bothering me, and for some really stupid reason, I don't have any acetaminophen on me. I don't want to injure it, so I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the day. Amazing how my energy level/emotions drop when I'm not able to walk as much as I'm now accustomed to. Guessing I'm not going to see a big weight drop either this week. I've also not had a lot of water to drink. Not feeling thirsty, but I'll make sure to reach my 60oz goal before I turn in for the night.

Day 19 - September 15, 2009

The energy that comes from exercise has finally arrived. The last few days I've woken up before my alarm sounds, though I've stayed in bed, reluctant to give up my comfy spot. But since it's been persistant, I might actually start to get up on time!

It's been two weeks since I quit smoking. I still use my ecigarette in the car, but not as much. For example, I used it yesterday on my way to work, but didn't use it at all the rest of the day. My sense of smell is getting better: when I got out of the elevator on my floor at work today, I could smell that someone had made instant ramen (which of course I soooo wish I could have right now).

8:45 AM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

11:51 AM 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 Bartlett pear

8:00 PM 1 slice of sourdough bread, grilled. 2 all-beef hotdogs, 2/3 cup of chili, 1/8 cup of shredded cheese

In general: 70oz of water

13 sit-ups (from laying flat to touching toes)

42 minutes of walking

Day 18 - September 14, 2009

The weather today should be perfect for walking; not to hot, not too humid. I'm anxious to get walking again after this weekend.

I did 10 sit-ups (not crunches) this morning; man I'm out of shape. I think I'll add 10 sit-ups to my morning and night routine to add some extra exercise to my day; I know that as I lose weight, walking 45 minutes a day won't do as much for me.

9:00 AM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

1:00 PM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

6:00 whole plate of spinach salad with hardboiled eggs and light ranch dressing. Homemade pasta, cheese, spinach and ground beef casserole. Chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar

In general: 70oz of water

Today, during my lunch walk, I jogged a bit. Mostly walked, but jogged a few times for about 20 seconds each time. I hope my knees won't hurt too bad tomorrow, I'd like to see if I can get them to let me jog more often, but I'll have to remember to take my chondroitin glucosamine pills every day. Maybe I'll set an alarm like my folks suggested, although it'll probably have to be a nighttime routine, since my mornings vary and I'd really not like to be reminded at 6:45 AM on Sunday to take my pills.

30 sit-ups (from laying flat on the floor to touching toes): 10 in the morning, 20 at night
39 minutes of walking

Day 17 - September 13, 2009

Minimal activity today: lots of church events. But I should be able to watch what I eat for the most part. Looking forward to walking tomorrow!

7:30 AM 1 cup cheerios with 1/2 cup of 2% milk

12:45 PM 3 eggs, scrambled

6:00 PM salad w/ tsp of ranch dressing, baked potato with 1oz each of chili, cheese and sour cream. Vanilla and caramel ice cream drumstick

9:30 PM 4 sugar-free vanilla wafers

In general: 100oz of water

Day 16 - September 12, 2009

I'm kinda bummed that I only got two walks in yesterday. And I'm not sure how much exercise I'll get in today, so I'll have to be extra watchful of what I eat this weekeknd. However, I have this great momentum and motivation going because of the progress I'm seeing. 5.5lbs and dropping!

11:45 AM 1 cup of cheerios with 1/2 cup of 2% milk

3:00 PM 3 eggs, scrambled

8:30 PM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

In general: 70oz of water

Day 15 - September 11, 2009

2.5 POUNDS LOST THIS WEEK!

After not-so-healthy food choices last weekend and going over a bit on my carbs limit, I'm so excited to see this big of a drop! That means I've lost a total of 5.5 pounds! My BMI has gone down 3.1% and my body fat % has gone down 3.7%!

Today I'll only get 2 walks in at work since I have to leave early. Perhaps I can do a bit of yoga this evening if time allows. Or, maybe head to Disneyland and carry my daughter on my shoulders for 10 minutes or so; go from 1lb wrist weights to 40lb shoulder weight!

I am so excited to keep up with this diet and exercise. 5.5lbs in 2 weeks is sooo the motivation and progress I needed to push forward and really do this for myself.

Thank you everyone who's been encouraging me to keep going; your motivation helps me and I think helps motivate others, too. I'm actually kinda excited to take more pictures of myself in 2 weeks! Is that crazy?

8:45 AM Kirkland Signature weight loss shake

12:30 PM Healthy Choice turkey breast with gravy and traditional dressing, corn, peas, carrots and cherry oatmeal crisp

7:40 PM Healthy Choice chicken Alfredo florentine with spinach and tomatoes over whole grain penne

11:50 PM 5 Starburst candies

In general: 60oz of water

Note to self: jeans + 70 degree weather + walking 3.5mph = too much sweat!

Day 14 - September 10, 2009

I can't wait to weigh in tomorrow! My pants seem looser when I'm walking than they did last week. Maybe that means some smaller-clothes shopping is on the horizon?

9:30 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

12:25 PM Healthy Choice Portabella Spinach Parmesan

8:00 PM leftover orecchiete with marinara sauce, 16oz of 2% milk

9:30 PM 2oz of shrimp

In general: 67oz of water

I got 42 minutes and 2.3 miles of walking in today. My second walk took much longer than the other two because my left knee started to protest about 1/4 of the way in. I slowed it down by 1mph but kept going. It didn't hurt much on my third walk.

Tomorrow I expect to get 2 good walks in, because I have to take my daughter to an appointment in the afternoon. I might be able to do some yoga when we get home; we'll see how my energy level is and what time we get back.

Day 13 - September 9, 2009

It's such an exciting feeling to see the scale numbers change each day, even if by a half pound. I may have to buy my own scale this weekend, however; my folks will be back from their vacation and I have been using the scale in their bedroom.

I haven't noticed any soreness from using the wrist weights yesterday; not sure if that's good because that means I didn't injure myself, or if that's bad because that means it's not making any difference. Maybe I'm not supposed to feel anything, it's just supposed to add a bit of weight to aid in calorie burning? I guess I'll know near the end of the week when I officially weigh myself for my weekly weigh-in. When I checked the scale last Friday, I'd lost 3 pounds in my first week. Seeing my weight loss so far this week, I'm going to say that at least 1 pound of last week's 3 pound drop was due to water loss from drinking 60oz a day and moving around more. Of course, the smaller drop I'm seeing this week could be from my horrible food choices over the holiday weekend. I'll have to be more careful this weekend.

8:45 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

12:50 PM Healthy Choice Sweet Asian Potstickers (btw, OMG, YUM!!!)

7:00 PM Olive Garden's minestrone soup and orecchiette with marinara sauce

10:00 PM handful of cashews

In general: 80oz of water

I'm so excited to have been able to walk three times at work so far this week. I hope to do that again tomorrow. And folks at work are giving ne thumbs up when I walk past. Awesome!

Day 12 - September 8, 2009

Today marks one week of no smoking for me. And during this 3-day weekend, I only used my e-cigarette for one day. I think that would be because I didn't do a lot of driving. I mostly want to smoke when I'm driving, so I do anticipate wanting to use it this week to and from work.

I bought wrist weights (1lb each) this weekend and plan on trying them out this week on my walks. I've read mixed reviews on whether or not they do any good or harm. I don't plan on wearing them all day, just during my walks.

I didn't do very well with my nutrition this weekend, so I'm glad I bought frozen diet meals to have for lunches.

9:15 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

12:30 PM Healthy Choice Chicken Parmigiana w/ broccoli and caramel apple crisp

In general: 60ozof water

7:30 PM Leftover whole wheat linguini with meat sauce, handful of cashews

8:30 PM Air-popped popcorn with 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 quick shakes of salt

YES!!! I walked my usual route today during my morning break wearing my new wrist weights. I walked .81 miles in 13 minutes 39 seconds! That's 3.5mph and 1 minute 21 seconds less than my usual time! Yay! And the front of my lower legs didn't hurt until I was already halfway through my walk. Awesome!

So far I've lost 2% of my body fat and dropped .6 points on my BMI! Not "Biggest Loser" quality, but I don't get to exercise all day. I am averaging 30-45 minutes of walking 5 days a week. Plus, I've got a small-term goal of losing 10 pounds in 30 days, set on mapmyride.com. I've already completed 35% of my goal in 10 days!

Day 11 - September 7, 2009

I have no official plans for today except going to lunch with my boyfriend and my daughter. We might go to Disneyland later, we might not; it's Labor Day, so it's bound to be crowded.

I downloaded an app for my iPhone that shows me the best options for "good for you" food nearby. So if I'm at a restaurant, it'll show me what I should get and how many calories/fat/carbs it has. I'm not quite sure it's totally accurate: it says that the healthiest thing at 7-Eleven is a jelly donut... maybe they just mean out of the 7-Eleven branded food, cuz I'm pretty sure the bananas at the checkout counter are healthier than the donuts...I hope.

I also want to go to a store to see if I can find wrist/ankle weights to wear when I'm walking; up the challenge a bit since I seem to be plateau-ing on my time/speed (no running, since my knees aren't able to handle it).

1:30 PM Minestrone soup & whole wheat linguini with meat sauce

5:45 PM Otter Pop

8:00 PM 3 small slices of sausage and olive pizza

11:00 PM 2 scoops of mango sorbet

The only exercise I did today was setting up and taking down my daughter's bounce house. However, I did get wrist weights (1lb each) today, so I'm looking forward to using them on my walks this week.

Day 10 - September 6, 2009

Was sooo relaxed yesterday, I didn't think about blogging. Sorry.

Yesterday was a do-nothing strenuous day. Having had an exhausting day on Saturday, we skipped church (which was an hour earlier than usual) and breakfast and just waited to meet up with the kids from church at the local "other mouse" pizza and games place. Then we went to the annual International Street Fair and walked around it for a couple of hours. The day was topped off with vegging on the couch, enjoying the A/C.

12:00 PM Salad: romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cubed ham, devilled eggs, black olives, bleu cheese dressing. Got 2 servings, as it was all-you-can-eat and I was considering this my breakfast and lunch.

4:00 PM Frozen fruit bar; banana flavor (with pieces of banana)

8:00 PM Macaroni & cheese

10:00 PM 1 slice of Tropical Torte with Fresh Pineapple

In general: 60oz of water

No exercise except for walking around the street fair at maybe 1.5 mph. My calves are a bit sore from walking 2 hours that slowly in a crowd wearing flip flops.

Day 9 - September 5, 2009

My arms are a bit sore from yesterday's walks; awesome! Today may be a bit of a challenge; I'm going to my boyfriend's mom's house for a bbq and hanging out. There may be alcohol, which I know can be bad for a diet, and the main meal will probably consist of hot dogs and hamburgers. I'll just have to be cautious and eat just a little bit at a time. The only exercise I'll probably get is helping my daughter swim in the pool at the bbq.

7:30 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

10:25 AM 4 Cheez-Its

11:30 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

7:30 PM-ish Hamburger with light amount of ketchup and mayo, one slice of cheese. Tuna salad, beans.

8:00 PM-ish 1 slice of Tropical Torte with Fresh Pineapple and a scoop of a chocolate cake, chocolate pudding trifle

In general: 50oz of water

Oh, and today is Day 5 of no smoking!

Did not get any exercise today, unless holding and feeding a 5-month-old counts.

Yeah, didn't think so.

Day 8 - September 4, 2009

3 POUNDS!!! I'VE LOST 3 POUNDS IN ONE WEEK!!

I've lost 2.2% of my body fat, and dropped my BMI by 1.9%

I've been exercising every day, watching what I eat (for the most part) and drinking lots of water. No pills, no killing myself at the gym, just being normal (well, as normal as you can be when changing your habits). I can't believe I lost this much already.

I'm sure part of this is water-weight, but I don't care. This is enough motivation to keep me going! As weird as it sounds, I'm kinda looking forward to taking another picture of myself in 3 weeks. I'm not sure how much noticeable difference there will be from one month, but that's why I'm posting them; so I can see the difference, even if it's just a little bit.

Thank you everyone for cheering me on, apparently it's working!

Today when I walk, I'm going to see if I can work on my arms at the same time. In my old dance classes, as part of the warm-ups we'd hold our arms straight out to our sides and move them in small circles. I remember my shoulders burning after doing that for awhile. I'm going to try to remember to do that today on my walk. I've got a great starter-playlist for my walks, but I'm definitely going to have to add some more so I don't get bored of the songs. My current playlist:

Mercy - Duffy
It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
When I Grow Up (Ronnie Maze Club Mix) - Fringe
Shiny Disco Balls - Jessica Eve
I Like to Move It - Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman
Come to Me - Koop feat. Yukimi Nagano
Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille
Swamp Thing - The Grid
Heatwave - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Bewitched (Workout Mix) - Power Music

8:30 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

12:30 PM Jamba Juice regular-sized Strawberry Nirvana smoothie

4:30 PM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake


7:30 PM Three cheese pasta w/ chicken, carrots, corn and broccoli


11:00 PM 2 glasses of sparkling apple cider

In general: 60oz water - a strange side-note. I am trying to keep up my 60oz of water a day, but it's hard when I feel like I'm having to use the restroom every hour or so. And, I never need to "go" until I drink water. If I drink 20oz, then "go," and then don't drink anymore for a half-hour, the minute after I take a sip of water, I have to "go" again. I don't get it.

I walked my usual route today during my morning break: I beat my normal time by 30 seconds! And I'm not sweating as much! And the fronts of my lower legs don't hurt as much. I alternated between circling my hands and holding them straight out and then putting them over my head (picture the guy that directs planes into the airport). I'm going to do that again during my other walks today and see how my arms feel tomorrow. Hopefully they'll hurt! :)

Day 7 - September 3, 2009

Tomorrow will mark one week of my journey. I can't wait to weigh myself tomorrow morning and post the results! (I've been weighing myself each morning, and it's exciting to see some change) I'm not sure what today will bring in the way of exercise; I don't know if my boss will be back in the office today, or if I will have the office to myself. I have to run a work-related errand today, so I think I'll head to a nearby grocery store to grab a Lean Cuisine or something similar for lunch. I'll be heading to Disneyland after work to join my daughter and some friends who will have been there all afternoon to celebrate a friend's birthday, so I'll have to be very dilligent in what I eat tonight.

It's only been 2 days since I smoked my last cigarette, but already I've noticed one new side effect: I can tell who's a smoker and who's not by their smell. I never really smelled cigarette on someone else because I smelled like it too. I got close to someone yesterday who had smoked earlier and I immediately smelled the smoke on them. And the fact that smelling it on them didn't make me want one for myself is a good thing! Yay!

10:30 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

1:00 PM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

4:15 PM 1 cup of brown sugar oatmeal

7:00 PM Spaghetti with meatballs and a glass of 2% milk

9:00 PM very mini blueberry muffin

11:00 PM last slice of Tropical Torte with Fresh Pineapple. (I'm gonna have to make that again. Perfect for potlucks)

In General: 50oz of water

1 walk during my morning and afternoon break; spent my lunch hour at Radio Shack picking up a case and SD card for my new camera. I didn't end up going to Disneyland, so we had dinner at home.

Day 6 - September 2, 2009

I'm going to have a rooftop dance party!

Well, not really. But I am going to dance today. Not on a roof, but on the top level of our parking structure which is always empty. When I lived in Oceanside, I used to go line dancing at a club on the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton every Tuesday and Thursday. Every time I found a new song I could dance to, I would buy the track. I eventually put together an album, and I just remembered that I still have that album on my iPhone. Hooray!

So today instead of walking on my breaks, I'm going to dance. I'm not worried about looking like a fool; I love to dance and I'll probably get so wrapped up in it that I wouldn't notice if anyone was looking.

9:00 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake for breakfast

1:00 PM Small salad of Romaine lettuce and bleu cheese dressing on the side

7:15 PM Slice of Tropical Torte with Fresh Pineapple (under 350 calories)

8:30 PM One piece of garlic pull-apart bread

9:30 PM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake

11:00 PM Slice of Tropical Torte with Fresh Pineapple

In General: 80 oz of water

Wow, I miss dancing! I can't remember the last time I went to the DD at Camp Pendleton; I'm rusty! I went to a club in Fullerton once (can't remember the name) and it was packed. I'll have to try it again so I can remember the dance moves. The shoes I've got at the office for walking aren't the best for dancing, but then neither is the parking structure concrete. But I got a good 15 minutes in during my first break. Sweating like crazy, though, because of this wonderful weather, plus I'm wearing black pants today. I'll have to make sure I keep hydrated.

I might be able to sneak in a different workout today; I'm supposed to organize the storeroom that my department uses for plan materials. Lots of boxes and bending and lifting. Will probably work up another sweat and get to claim it all as weight lifting. :)

I did not get to dance or walk during my lunch. I spent part of it eating, and the rest of it venting and crying to a friend about my boss and job. If my boss stays in the office for the rest of the day, I won't feel comfortable leaving my cubicle, let alone the building, to take my break; she's watching my every move, trying to find a mistake. Right now all I can think about is going out and buying a pack of cigarettes; stress is definitely a trigger for my urge to smoke. And there's nothing more stressful than my boss. I've got to find a way to suppress the anger I feel every time my boss is here or sends me an e-mail or calls me on the phone or talks behind my back at a meeting I can't attend because she holds it after my normal working hours and she won't approve overtime.

I did get to walk during my second break, but only for 10 minutes since I didn't want to send my boss over the edge. I used my iMapMyRide but it somehow stopped recording near the beginning of my walk, so only 30 seconds of data was collected; I discarded it.

Today was a weird day for dinner; I had a party at my house for my second job (think demonstration involving kitchen products). I always forget to eat right before people arrive, so I end up eating a little bit of what I cook, then have something healthy-ish later on. The end of today concludes my second day of not smoking. I am still using my ecigarette and nicotine gum when needed, but I still feel the urge to smoke when stressed. I can't wait for that feeling to go away.

Day 5 - September 1, 2009

Did not do Yoga this morning; today is the first day my company will not allow smoking on company premises. Since I usually smoke during my break and lunch, I'm going to walk around the building instead. If I walk both breaks and part of my lunch, I should get at least 30 minutes or more. Last night I smoked what I hope will be my last cigarette. Since I can't smoke at work, I'm going to try going back to my e-cigarette in the car and at night. It'll make it much easier to exercise, and of course, make me healthier.

I still have a little bit of knee tenderness this morning, and my lower back is sore if I don't sit nice and straight. I'm actually looking forward to my walks at work today; I have an app on my iPhone called iMapMyRide that will track how long, fast and far I've walked. I'm hoping to post the results on here. And some extra motivation: my cousin is motivated by my determination, and her motivation motivates me to work out each day! It's awesome how infectious the desire to exercise can be! Now, if only I can keep this motivation going; it's only been 5 days.

On the drive to work, I noticed that the front of my right thigh is a bit sore, more noticeably when I moved my foot from the gas pedal to the brake. My left thigh is also sore. And while I'm enjoying the benefits my skin is getting from drinking all this water, I'm visiting the ladies room a lot more often. Just about every 1 1/2 hours I have to "go." Kind of annoying, and I'm hoping that will go away eventually.

9:00 AM "Kirkland Signature" weight loss shake for breakfast

12:53 PM Remainder of Chipotle leftovers

7:00 PM Garlic Chicken Pasta with carrots, corn and broccoli

In General: 90 oz of water

The problem with ecigarettes is they need power. I think the heat affected the battery on mine today; I only got to use it twice before it died on me. So, at 10:20 PM, I'm using 2mg Nicorette to keep this craving at bay; I'm used to having 2 cigarettes right after I tuck my daughter in bed.

Walked three times at work today. I've been using the iMapMyRide app on my iPhone; seems to work well. Now I just need to create a playlist on my iTunes so I can keep up the right pace. Take a look at the map below to see an example of where I walk.