Fall For Fitness

My company is launching a fitness challenge - Fall For Fitness. Over the next 12 weeks employees across the states will join teams and compete for most weight lost, most steps walked and most exercise minutes.

I created a team, the Lake Center Loser Corps, to get people from my building to encourage each other and compete against all the other teams in this challenge. The website we're using will have a calorie tracker and allow us to enter our daily activity. Every 2 weeks is a round; round 1 starts on Monday, September 13th and ends Sunday, September 26th.

My goal for this challenge is to walk more (yay free pedometer from the company!), exercise every night after my daughter goes to bed (well, except Sunday night cuz that's just insane after Bible study ends at 10:00 PM), and lose 1-2 pounds per week. If I keep it up (which I should, since I'm the team leader), I should lose 12 pounds (if I lose 1 lb/week) to 24 pounds (2 lbs/week), giving me the chance to lose up to almost 50% of the amount I need to lose to be at my recommended weight.

So my real goals are to lose 2-4 pounds, exercise 360 minutes and walk 70,000 steps per round. That sounds sooo big! But breaking it down by day, that's 1/4 lb, 30 minutes of exercise (taking out Sundays) and 5000 steps.

My average # of steps this week has been around 5500 - 6000, so that shouldn't be too hard to do. 30 minutes of exercise hasn't happened every day, but I'll do my best to either force myself to do it each night or add extra time on some days to make up for the days I can't. If I do this, plus watch what I eat, which I've been doing (cereal with non-fat milk each morning, Eating Right lunches and mostly-healthy dinners at home), then I should have no problem losing .25 pounds a day. Thank goodness for my Wii, with the Wii Fit Plus, Dance Dance Revolution, and Sports Resort software to keep me from getting too bored with my workout routine. Plus, I use the Wii Fit Plus software to weigh myself each day, so tracking that will be a breeze, and motivation to step up my game if I stop losing weight or gain.

So, here goes. I look forward to updating here with my progress; I probably won't do it daily, but update weekly and include my team's progress and standing in the competition each round.

Welcome back!

It’s been a long time since I brought my walking shoes to work. I started my whole “healthy kick” last summer when my company had a health fair where I learned that my health was very poor: high cholesterol, high BMI and my body fat percentage was high. Being young, I wanted to change that. I started walking on my breaks at work and quit smoking cold-turkey. I lost almost 15 pounds and dropped 2 pants sizes.

I stopped walking on my breaks when work got busy and I felt guilty leaving my desk to walk instead of helping my team with their urgent problems. By the time our busy season was done, I had lost my motivation and gained back most of my weight.

I’m not sure what’s sparked my interest again; maybe it’s the summer weather or the memories of being proud of myself for losing the weight. Or maybe I just want to feel some sort of “ha ha” moment that I’m doing better in almost every aspect of my life than my ex-husband is doing in his. I’m trying not to be bitter or “holier-than-thou,” but as a single parent, it’s hard to feel like I’m doing the right things all the time and that I’m actually moving ahead in life. I’m very independent and I want to be able to prove to myself and to the world that I can take care of myself and my daughter all by myself.

I picked up smoking again, and I’m sure one of these days I’ll quit again. Honestly, I enjoy it. I smoke about 7-8 cigarettes a day, less on the weekends when I’m spending more time with my daughter and my family. But I’m sure that as I walk more and lose more weight, I’ll smoke less and less.

I’m not sure I’m going to post weekly pictures. Maybe monthly? I haven’t decided. Now that I’ve had a major (7 months) setback, I’m a bit embarrassed that I don’t look much different than when I started last September.

So here’s to my health! And yours, too! If there’s anyone else out there struggling to lose weight and/or have a more healthy life, I’d love to hear from you! And, of course, comments and encouragement are always welcome! I’ve got my Champion Stride Fitness Athletic shoes, KT Tape* for my shin splints, and my MapMyRide** app on my iPhone. Let me know if you’ve found something that you have to have when you’re walking/exercising.

Time to go walk!

End-of-day Recap:
Breakfast: 1 large hard-boiled egg.
10 minute walk
Morning snack: Eating Right* Oats & Peanut Butter bar
Lunch: Eating Right Sweet & Sour Chicken
16 minute walk
Afternoon snack: Yoplait Light* Pineapple Upside-Down Cake yogurt.
22 minutes on the Wii Fit
Dinner: whole grain pasta shells with meatballs and Alfredo sauce, green grapes, light soy milk.
Dessert: Happy Corn (puffed corn)

My morning walk just plain stunk. Either I didn’t apply my KT Tape properly, or I’ve got the worst case of shin splints ever. The only way to walk without hurting was to put the ball of my foot down first, then my heel. I cut my walk short due to the pain and the fact that I had to use the ladies room. I’m hoping my next walk (hopefully at lunch) will be easier.

I didn’t get to walk at lunch, but I did walk during my second break. It went a lot better than my first walk, but I was slower than I used to be last fall. And my calves were killing me; not sure if that’s due to being out of shape, having been at Disneyland most of Saturday, getting used to my new shoes, or all of the above. But I did finish my normal route. Feels like victory to me.

I plan on using my Wii Fit for a bit tonight to stretch my muscles. And I hope I remember to weigh myself in the morning so that I can set a 30-day weight-loss goal (nothing crazy, probably 5 pounds to start).
 
-Disclosure-
*I was not provided Champion shoes, KT Tape, Eating Right products or Yoplait yogurt for free. However, if the folks at these companies would like to send me some products, that’d be all right by me.
**I was not provided the MapMyRide app for free – well, ok, I got it for free on the AppStore, but that’s because EVERYONE can get it for free.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'm so proud of myself for working out again today. I didn't burn as many calories as yesterday, but I did spend more time on the Wii Fit. Since my abs hurt from Hula Hooping, I focused more on balance, agility and stamina. I've also started to measure my waist, since the Wii Fit Plus software keeps a record of that, too! And even though I'm weighing myself every morning, I know not to get too hung up on my weight day-to-day and just make sure I'm progressing each week.

I love that my sister and others are getting motivated to lose weight by reading this blog, as simple as it may be. I would like to ask that you visit my sister's site and give her some extra motivation. As anyone who's ever gone on a diet or lifestyle change knows, it's very hard to find motivation and keep your eye on it. Please offer my sister some encouragement as she is still starting on her workout plan.

Thanks!

Day 64 - October 30, 2009

So...I didn't work out last night. But...

I lost 2 pounds this week!

Woohoo! I'm so glad, considering I've had 2 days of no exercise, and had pizza for dinner two nights this week.

This weekend ought to be interesting when it comes to my diet: I have a birthday party tonight (one of my friends, not my kid's), so there will be lots of food and drink not conducive to a diet. Saturday morning I have a "work day" for the local theater that's putting on the production that my daughter is in, Saturday night is Halloween, so it'll be lots of candy in my face and snack foods at a party I'll be attending. Then, of course, there's Sunday, which is always crazy.

8:45 AM hard boiled egg

9:30 AM raisin bagel with light cream cheese

10:30 AM "fun size" bag of M&Ms

11:15 AM slice of pepperoni pizza, small cup of diet coke

1:20 PM Eating Right roasted turkey with carrots and cornbread stuffing

8:45 PM random party food: pizza, cheese, devilled eggs, pepperoni, alcohol, candy

Day 57 - October 23, 2009

1.5 pounds lost this week!

All I can say is I'm very glad I changed the 1lb wrist weights to 5lb ankle weights. With only 10 exercises this past week (instead of 15), I don't think I would have lost as much as I did. I do know that my hot dog/pasta salad/cheese/pasta intake this week didn't help either. I know that it is very hard (and not cheap) to eat healthy all the time. This weekend could prove to be difficult to watch what I eat; I've got a demonstration for my second job and we're making wontons (steamed, at least, and not fried) and a chocolate and banana trifle. I'll have to make sure to pack an egg and apple to make sure I don't gorge myself on the yummy food.

I should be able to get all three of my workouts in today at work; I don't have anything on my schedule that should/could affect my day.

9:00 AM large hard boiled egg
11:00 AM Yoplait light strawberry yogurt
12:30 PM Eating Right spaghetti with meat sauce

6:45 PM edamame and philadelphia roll and miso soup (sushi!)

15 minutes on the elliptical with varying speeds and intensities - walked backwards during high intensity level

I didn't get any more workouts in today; left work early to be with my daughter. And knowing myself, won't get much in this weekend, either.

Day 50 - October 16, 2009

2 pounds lost this week!

I can't believe I actually lost 2 pounds this week; I've just not felt like I've done enough to warrant a loss.

I had set a small goal of losing 10 pounds in 30 days, starting on 9/21. With that date getting ever nearer, I don't think I'll hit it; I've got another 3.5 to go. I shouldn't be too hard on myself, considering I lost 4 days of activity when I was sick. I won't get as much exercise today, either, since I've got a funeral to attend. But tomorrow I have a church event that will include a walk as a group, so maybe that will make up for today's loss.

I'm going to check in with my challenge buddy today to see how much she's lost this week. I think each Friday I'll put the score:

This week:

Me: 2 pounds lost

CB: ??

Total (since start of challenge):

Me: 2 pounds

CB: ??

2:00 PM Chipotle Carnitas Bowl

7:00 PM Pork roast, salad, rice, stuffed mushroom, bread, milk

9:45 PM slice of Chocolate Lover's cake

Late "breakfast" and no walking today; I attended a funeral of a co-worker in the late morning.

Day 36 - October 2, 2009

Whoamygosh! 3 pounds lost this week!

I can't believe it! The only other time I lost 3 pounds was my very first week, and I had decided that 1/2 a pound of that was water weight! I think my weight-loss this week was from being very good with what I ate last weekend; I was camping with my folks, so I packed my cottage cheese and yogurt and fruit and hard-boiled egg and oatmeal, etc.

This weekend should be okay, too, though I am going to Disneyland with friends on Saturday; Disneyland is a hard place for me to watch my diet because I love their food, but it's really not all that good for you (my favorite is the Countdown Chicken Fusilli, but it's sooo much food). But tonight will be hard: we're going to my favorite Chinese restaurant. Can we say overload on sauce and fried things!?!

As weird as it sounds, I'm actually looking forward to my picture-posting day in 3 weeks. Seeing the difference from Day 1 to Day 28, I can't WAIT to see Day 56!

I added an extra "step" to my walks: walking on the concrete parking bumpers. I can get two steps on each one, so I'm going up and down (steps), plus it's adding balance.

And, I can now tighten my belt to the next notch. Woohoo!

8:50 AM 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
12:45 PM Lean Cuisine Fettucini Alfredo
4:00 PM Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
8:00 PM broccoli beef, almond chicken, crystal shrimp, garlic chicken, steamed rice, green tea

14 minute walk at 3.5mph
14 minute walk at 3.5mph
14 minute walk at 3.4mph

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 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 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 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 4 - August 31, 2009

I plan on walking this evening after work. Hopefully I'll have a walking buddy to join me and my slow-paced 5yo.

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

12:30 PM 1/3 of a Chipotle carnitas bowl from last night

7:30 PM 1/2 a place of lettuce w/ bleu cheese dressing, spaghetti w/ EVOO and meatballs

In General: 70oz of water

30 minutes on the elliptical machine upstairs. A bit uncomfortable for my knees, and after 10 minutes, my toes were tingling, like how they feel when they've been "asleep." I noticed my glutes were working; wonder how sore they'll be tomorrow.

As I finish writing this at 12:23 AM Tuesday morning, my knees are hurting. I won't give up on the elliptical right away, but I don't think I'll use it more than twice a week to determine if will continue to make my knees hurt. I think it's just the position of the foot pads; too wide for my normal stance, and not adjustable to fix it.

Day 2 - August 29, 2009

11:10 AM Woke up with a very sore lower back. Possibly from yesterday's morning Yoga, possibly from carrying my 40lb child on my shoulders and hip. Either way, it's comfortable if I'm sitting, but walking probably looks funny to everyone else.

Lots of laundry and unpacking of new kitchen stuff, so I'll have to figure out what to do for exercise. This heatwave is making it really difficult to do anything remotely active. Does lifting full laundry baskets up the stairs count? I'll figure out something.

11:20 AM Bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats w/ 2% milk

1:00 PM 16 oz of orange juice

4:15 PM a few tortilla chips with homemade guacamole

6:30 PM Whole grain pasta with a homemade tomato and mushroom "sauce" (more like a pico de gallo)

Over the course of 3 hours, two frozen margaritas

In General:8 8oz glasses of water

No exercise today; lower back muscles sore and my left ankle was feeling the damage from carrying my daughter the night before.

Hi, my name is Michelle, and I'm overweight

I am 26 years old and have a 5-year-old daughter. I have put on 40 pounds in the last 4 years. My BMI puts me in the "Obese" category. At a "Health Fair' at my company, I was told my body fat was at 40%. I don't exercise daily, if even weekly. I love starchy foods. I smoke about 12 cigarettes a day. Time for a change.

Health experts recommend losing no more than 1-2 pounds a week when engaged in a weight loss program. If I were to start losing 2 pounds a week now, I could be down to my suggested weight by mid-January. If I lose only 1 pound a week, it'll be the beginning of June.

My gym membership ends in early January. At home I have access to an elliptical machine, yoga DVDs, a bicycle, an exercise ball and "boot camp" DVDs. At work there is a small workout room with two treadmills, three stationary bicycles and a 4-piece weight system. There are also lunch-time yoga sessions in my building on Thursdays.

So why don't I work out? My daily schedule is as follows: 6:30 AM, the alarm starts to go off. At 7:00 AM I finally get out of bed. I have to have my daughter to school before 8:00 AM. I get to work at 8:30 AM. I take a half-hour lunch break so I can leave at 5:00 PM. I get home at 5:45 PM - 6:00 PM depending on traffic. Dinner needs to be ready before 7:30PM so that my daughter can be in bed by 8:30 PM. I'm in bed usually around 11:00 PM.

So, there are a few holes in my schedule where I could work out:

• I could get up earlier, but I've not been an early riser since 6:45 AM choir in high school. To workout and be showered and ready to leave the house by 7:50 AM, I'd have to get out of bed by 6:30 AM, which means setting my alarm for 6:00 AM (I know myself, and it can take up to 30 minutes to really wake up and be functional). It's doable, but would take a lot of work and determination on my part.
• I could exercise when I get home from work. But I like sitting with my daughter, going over her day at school and helping her with her homework (if any). Plus, there's always someone else home (see my other blog about my daughter's after-school care) and I feel self-conscious when I work out to a DVD in the living room, so I'd have to use the elliptical upstairs or go for a walk or bike ride.
• I could exercise after I put my daughter to bed, but the above-mentioned problem of working out to a DVD in the living room is still a problem, plus now it's dark outside, so I can't ride my bike or walk alone safely. Which leaves the elliptical.

I could mix it up: Monday, Wednesday and Friday I exercise after work, Tuesday and Thursday I get up early to exercise.

Of course there'll be days when I'll have to change the schedule, when I have after-work obligations or I'm up late the night before for legitimate reasons (my second job, dates with my boyfriend, etc.).

But I think I could make it work by changing up what I do each day and not force myself to get up early every morning, or say, "Sorry, Friend, but I can't come out tonight because I didn't exercise this morning, so I need to do it tonight."

As for the smoking, I'll be cutting waaay back. As of right now, I smoke 6 cigarettes at work. My employer is initiating a "Tobacco-Free" environment on September 1, which means no tobacco or e-cigarettes on company property, including the parking lot. If I can switch to using my e-cigarette when I drive, I might be able to cut out real cigarettes altogether, and maybe even stop using the e-cigarette eventually. I've been smoking for a total of 8 years, with a few breaks in between, like when I was pregnant with my daughter and when I had surgery. It won't be easy, but I can do it.

Eating healthier...now that will be a real challenge. I love pasta in all forms, and I love going to Chipotle; I go every Wednesday as a "treat" for making it through half the week at work. I also go to Pat & Oscar's with my cousin a couple times a month. I'm not a huge salad person, so it'll be better for me to completely avoid fast food/casual dining restaurants for a while so I can resist the temptation of getting that huge burrito or bowl of pasta with soup and 3 breadsticks. I do have Costco's version of Slim-Fast shakes for breakfast every morning, and sometimes for lunch too, but usually I take leftovers from home. I eat at my desk, then usually go out for a smoke. Since my employer is prohibiting that, I can take walks around the buildings during my short breaks and lunch. Meals at home will be a challenge, too. My whole family loves carbs, though some are better at portion control than I am. I read somewhere that if you downsize your dinner plate to a salad/dessert plate, you won't eat as much. I might have to give that a try. I don't usually worry about dessert, meaning that I don't usually have one. I've found that if I have dessert an hour or two after dinner, then I wake up hungry, literally feeling like my stomach is empty. My guess is that feeling happens while I'm sleeping and "goes numb" before I wake up on nights that I don't have dessert.

My basal metabolic rate (BMR) is 1637 calories; meaning that's how many calories I need to function properly. According to various online calculators, just being at my desk at work burns 600 - 700 calories. To lose one pound of fat, I have to burn 3500 calories over and above what I'm already doing (which is nothing). So to lose 2 pounds a week, I need to burn 1000 extra calories a day. Walking 45 minutes a day will burn about 274 calories. So if I already burn 600 calories a day just from working and add my walking, then I'm burning a minimum of 874 calories in one day (clearly I burn more than that just to keep my body working). The calculators say to add your BMR to the number of calories your activity burns: 2511. As long as I eat fewer calories than this number, I'll lose weight. What's scary is clearly I wasn't eating less than this, which is why I've been at this weight for so long. Keeping track of my calories will be hard, since not all of my meals will come pre-packaged with the nutritional info printed on the outside. But if I can keep my breakfast and lunch to less than 600 calories, then as long as I have a decently portioned meal at dinner, I should lose some weight.

So, my challenge to myself: Lose at least 40 pounds before my birthday in early April (factoring in that I will probably have a few weeks where I won't lose anything). I will hold myself accountable by updating this blog and my exercise and weight-loss trackers regularly; I anticipate blogging and recording my exercise daily, and updating my weight-loss once a week. I think I'll use the "post" section of the blog to record my food intake and how my body is feeling. I'll also post pictures of myself once a month, to see if I'm the only one seeing a difference, but also to see the changes in my body. I'll post a picture of my body as it is now after I get home.

Comments, tips and encouragement are always welcome. Please, nothing destructive, as I know that won't help my self-esteem or motivation. If anyone would like to be my workout buddy, I'd love it!