Starting Stats…

“Never too late, never too bad,

never too old, never too sick

to start from scratch once again.”

 

~ Bikram Choudhury

 

 

So as I mentioned earlier in the week I felt it was time to get serious about my weight loss and fitness. In a lot of ways this is frustrating because I definitely un-did a lot of pretty much all of the good I did last year. After thinking a lot about the how, why, and when did I let this happen? and After a lot of long chats with the hubs I finally feel ready to get this done. While I won’t get my starting weight until I go to the Weight Watchers center in the morning deep down I know I am pretty much starting from scratch.

The hubs took my starting measurements tonight and we carefully measured my

• Waist
  
• Hips
  
• Upper Arms
  
• Bust
  
• Thigh
  
• Neck
  

I plan to do a monthly update at the end of each month showing monthly losses and total losses in inches. This monthly update will also feature something that kind of terrifies me, progress photos. I am choosing to do 1 face shot, 1 street clothes shot, and 2 gym clothes shots (front and side) each month so I can accurately document the progress. I am not too proud to admit I cried after taking my first set of photos tonight. The hubs and online pal Julia were huge pillars of support and helped me get my brave pants on so I would have the guts to post them. So with no further ado…..

Progress Pictures- Month 0 STARTING PHOTOS

So there you have it. It’s out there. You know it’s funny (and by funny I mean terrible) how I have started to view my issue with weight. I almost feel like it is my terrible secret burden. It’s not like other people can’t see this already (at least those with the gift of sight) but putting it all out there in photos this way makes me feel so exposed as if I have been keeping this a secret somehow. At least now, maybe for the first time, I am being brutally honest with myself (and with all of you). The next 12 months will be a true testament to my will and drive. The time has come to emerge something better. That is my motto and my project for this year.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my journey in 2011!

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The Cost of Eating Healthy

We all know the potential costs of being unhealthy; visits to the doctor, obesity, high cholesterol etc so choosing healthy foods seems like a no brainer. However, let me paint a picture for you of my night at the grocery store. A woman who was sporting a cart overflowing with pop tarts, hot dogs, white bread, chips, pasta, etc literally paid half of what I paid for an equally ample cart full of produce, organic yogurt, brown rice, lean meats, etc. This never seems quite fair to me. It feels almost like being punished for making healthy choices. I try not to think that way, because it is extremely negative and counterproductive.  However, after shelling out quite a bit of cash for our grocery run I started thinking What is a reasonable grocery budget for a healthy diet?

The hubs and I are not excessive wine drinkers nor do we pick up random non-food items such as Tupperware, cosmetics, etc while at the store.  For example our cart tonight consisted of….

Lots of fruits and veggies

juice, milk, hummus, yogurt, applesauce

Plenty of salad staples and extras (craisins, nuts, dressing, etc)

cran bran muffin tops, frozen veggies/fruits, organic meals on the go

lean turkey, steak (for spinach salads), and lean chicken breasts

Reduced fat feta, cheddar, and plenty of breakfast items

A couple of "extras" like organic arugula, fresh baked bread, and apple jacks (dont judge)

Overall, we purchased whole foods and meal making options.  I would estimate 60% of the items were organic.  Two week’s worth of groceries for two people cost approximately 160.00. At first this caused me to panic a little. I wondered if we were being too indulgent or excessive. However when the hubs broke it down we are coming in under 100.00 per week for food and approximately 40.00 per person per week. You can easily drop 40.00 on a (just semi-nice) meal out so I am choosing to look at this as a positive thing we are doing for our bodies.

Ultimately, you cannot put a price on being good to yourself and your body. However, those grocery bills do hurt the wallet a bit.  Did you notice an increase in your grocery bill when you began eating healthier?

 

And what did I end up making with all of these fab ingredients? A small (ie less caloric) version of my favorite sandwich. Perfection!!

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Paninis and Theft on a Friday

Isn’t there just something about a Friday? Even when I have a full day at the office like I did today there is still just something magical in the air when Friday comes around. It is like some collective consciousness of freedom and fun is just all around you. This Friday, like so many before it, definitely did not disappoint (well for the most part).

I started off my Friday super excited with my newly cut and colored hair. I saw my hair guru Caleb Thursday night at Anthony and Company in Lynchburg and he did a great job touching up my “Killers” hair cut. I also decided to wear the cute Elle cream t-shirt I picked up at Kohls a few weeks ago. I paired it with black pants, gold Jessica Simpson flats, and a lavender COACH bag. I also grabbed my second biggest pair of gold sunglasses to complete the look.

I completely forgot my breakfast this morning and I was stuck at the office all morning with no way to run out and grab a meal/snack. I thought that eating something was better than nothing so after inspecting my options (cookies, chips, Doritos..you get the idea) I settled on a bag of Sun Chips. Not the best breakfast obviously. But, there was some whole grain and fiber involved and only 3 grams of sugar. So I counted my 210 calories (or 4 points) and went on with my day.

The office was really quiet today. I think a lot of people are using flextime or vacation days to get a head start on the weekend. (Smart move!) But a quiet day also means a day of getting things done. I have to earn my keep after all!! 😉

I did manage to sneak in some hubs time during my lunch break. We headed over to The Depot Grill for an early (and quick) lunch. I decided on an awesome grilled summer veggie sandwich. There was a spinach and artichoke base topped with grilled onoins, squash, carrots and peppers, then topped with havarti dill cheese and sprouts. YUM! I made it about 1/2 way through my plate but it was so good.  We also sat outside which was SO incredibly nice in this weather.

After wrapping up my day at the office I headed over to the groomer to drop off my first “born” Carrie for a cut and bath. She needed it. BADLY! Isn’t she cute so fresh and so clean sporting her most prissy puppy pose??

The hubs and I decided on a quiet date night since things have been so hectic lately. The most recent annoyance being someone opening our fenced in yard, breaking into our shed, and stealing the hub’s custom mountain bike. We live in a good area so we are pretty upset about this.  After calling the police and our insurance company we went to Panera to grab a quick dinner. I had a ½ size serving of soup and a 1/2 size bacon turkey bravo.

I am extra excited for a girls’ day out tomorrow! Stop by to see the adventures of two grown women drooling over Eclipse (and some food and shopping fabulousness too!) It is Running In Pink Project Eclipse Additon!

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Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Crappy Food

Today was just filled with unhealthy temptations. I was in a huge hurry this morning and had to resist the temptation to stop and pick up a little microwave meal since fast food is a huge no-no on the challenge. Luckily I took the few extra minutes to toast up an Ezekiel English muffin and try out my new peanut butter. The peanut butter is super sweet and might work better in oatmeal or a smoothie but I LOVED the taste.

I also grabbed a banana and a V8 fusion (which are ½ off at our Kroger this week. Score!)

My workday got off to a hectic start and I was out the door for appointments before I could even check my messages. This happens sometimes and unfortunately I forgot to pack a snack (usually fruit, nuts, or a bar of some kind) just incase I got hungry. I did of course. Luckily my water and general business got me back to the office where I was about an hour and ½ late of my “normal” lunchtime. I was so glad to put my little salad together.

I warmed the chicken a little and mixed everything up so all of the veggies were coated. Yum!

In the midst of this I notice our break room table is covered in doughnuts, bread, cookies, and homemade candy. It looked like a temptation on “The Biggest Loser”. I am not kidding.  I didn’t touch it and I am proud to say a work pal who just started Weight Watchers didn’t touch it either. I told her that people leave goodies in there all the time and you kind of just have to ignore it. Don’t get me wrong- I won’t ignore all treats. If it were baklava, a cupcake, or monkey bread I would probably partake. The key is planning I think. You can plan to work a treat in here and there. The whole reason they are “treats” is because they are not supposed to be eaten everyday.  I also think that when you are actively trying to lose weight you have to prioritize. A plain-jane doughnut really is not worth the calories while a piece of fresh chocolate mousse might be. I saw this truck driving home and it made me think. If you were going to consume the extra calories would you rather it be a candy bar you grabbed at the gas station on whim or some yummy desert that you planned for calorie wise and can eat from a pretty dish while watching reruns of Sex and The City?

-It says: Slow Down Decadence Cant Be Rushed-

My day stayed just as busy at it started and mid-afternoon I had a rolo (I know random) and the Luna Bar that I bought during my workday travels this week. This flavor was so sweet I almost felt like I was eating a cookie. I cannot sing the praises of the CLIFF bar people enough. I have yet to try a flavor that I didn’t like. I am also a LARA bar fan. What is your favorite protein/snack type bar?

Since I am flexing out of work tomorrow (meaning I have already worked a full work week) I have big plans for a long and challenging workout so I used tonight as my “rest” night. I settled in to watch the NFL draft and I had a crazy craving for chicken wings and fries. I am going to fight that urge until at least football season so instead I made a honey mustard sauce with 1/4 cup mustard, 1/4 cup honey, and some lemon juice. I salt and peppered some boneless skinless chicken breasts and poured 1/2 the sauce down over them, baked them at 350 degrees for 20 min, flipped them, poured on the rest of the sauce and baked for another ten minutes. Add to that a side of sweet potato fries (the chipolte spicy version) and I was in heaven. Maybe not the most balanced meal but it killed the craving while being low calorie.

I am getting geared up for my early weekend. Besides tomorrow’s “go big” workout I have a day of light shopping planned while I wait for Bryan to get home.  After that Bry and I have plans to catch a movie and buy all of the supplies and goodies for our BBQ Saturday night with Bryan’s family.  I am looking forward to making some modified BBQ foods for myself while everyone else has some cook-out favorites.  What is your favorite cookout food?

Have a Happy and Healthy Thursday!

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