Weight Loss Journey Week 2

Well I've walked another 18 miles since I posted last week!  That doesn't even include the distances from walking the dog every morning (all the stops to sniff  don't make for aerobic activity).  The scale only shows me down a pound this morning.  I am choosing to see the glass half full though:  I've lost 1 1/2 inches around my gut and I can tell I have a lot more stamina this week.  I made it through 50 minutes of karate class before I felt fatigued--it's that last ten minutes of jumping kicks that wore me out.

Good Things--I've been keeping up with the exercise.  Whenever I feel like "Oh I'll just take one day off" I pull out my goals sheet and read how I want a good self image when I take Schnickelfritz to the water park this summer or that I want to lower my blood pressure at my annual  check up in April.  Those are real deadlines coming up and I can't get this opportunity to exercise back if I choose to skip it now.   I was especially please with myself for getting in my three miles on Thursday.  That's the day we have Homeschool co-op and were away from home from 10 am till 5 pm, fix and eat dinner and then head back out the door at 6:30 for Upwards basketball.  I could have rationalized that we barely have time to get through our normal schoolwork before we have to leave.  That would have been the easy route and the easy route is what got me in this predicament in the first place.  Instead, I outlined the things Fritz could accomplish on his own (read the Bible, do a sheet of Math, read his Science book) and went to my room with my Walk Away the Pounds DVD.  I was still available if he needed me, but I was not going to let the excuses win.

Things That Need Improvement:  I honestly thought that it was just a lack of activity that was keeping me from losing weight but I've added an hour of aerobic exercise six days a week now.  I feel I need to turn my attention to food.  I haven't changed my diet or prepared separate meals for myself yet because I didn't think intake was my problem.  This week I'm going to keep track of what goes in my mouth and see if if all the gains I've had in exercise are being washed out by snacking and unhealthy food choices-particularly carbs.  When I was pregnant, I developed gestational diabetes that had to be controlled through diet and exercise  (this is when I first started using the Walk Away the Pounds DVDs so if I could do it nine months pregnant, any one can).   I met with a dietitian and had to limit my carbs to 15-30g for breakfast and 45-60g for lunch and dinner with a 15g snack in between meals.   I gained 26 pounds during my pregnancy but was back at my pre-pregnancy weight the week my son was born.  So I know this system works for me.


For Your Information:  Last week I shared some news about water and I think I'll make an informational section part of my weekly post.  Knowledge is Power!  This week I'm including a list of activities and how many calories a  person can expect to lose in an hour. I chose the things that we like to do around our house. Okay, not the sky diving--I just couldn't believe you expend calories falling from the sky.  I figure any weight I'd lose from skydiving would be of the liquid kind if you get my drift.  You can see the complete chart with 250 activities here.

Activity, Exercise or Sport (1 hour)	130 lb	155 lb	180 lb	205 lb
Cycling, <10 mph, leisure bicycling	236	281	327	372
Cycling, 10-11.9 mph, light	354	422	490	558
Aerobics, general	384	457	531	605
Basketball game, competitive	472	563	654	745
Playing basketball, non game	354	422	490	558
Bowling	177	211	245	279
Football or baseball, playing catch	148	176	204	233
Martial arts, tae kwan do	590	704	817	931
Orienteering	531	633	735	838
Jumping rope, moderate	590	704	817	931
Jumping rope, slow	472	563	654	745
Roller skating	413	493	572	651
Sky diving	177	211	245	279
Playing soccer	413	493	572	651
Trampoline	207	246	286	326
Backpacking, Hiking with pack	413	493	572	651
Walk/run, playing with children, moderate	236	281	327	372
Walk/run, playing with children, vigorous	295	352	409	465
Hiking, cross country	354	422	490	558
Bird watching	148	176	204	233
Children's games, hopscotch, dodgeball	295	352	409	465

Weight Loss Journey Week 1

A week ago I shared my goal/desire to lose weight starting on my birthday.  Week One: I lost 3 pounds.   Not a lot by Biggest Loser standards, but I'm not living on a ranch exercising 7 hours a day.. I'll take it.  

Good Things:  I walked 2 miles every day mostly with my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs.  Rather than just sitting and talking at home school gym or Upwards basketball practice, I walked around the second story track at a 4 MPH clip.  Karate class started this week and let me tell you that's a calorie burn.  I participated in the first hour of class and when my stamina improves I may join my son in the second hour advanced class.  I know my limits though, last year I tried to do two hours but my legs were too tired.  I fell on a traveling jump kick and hyper extended my knee.

A few weeks ago I told my husband I could eat a chocolate chip cookie the size of my head.  He didn't forget so one of my birthday presents was just that.  I broke the cookie into pieces, shared some and saved some.  I didn't deny myself entirely because that's the quickest route to self pity and falling off the diet wagon.

Things that Need Improvement:  I need to drink more water.  Drinking water can help suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake. A twelve-week study at Virginia Tech revealed that dieters consuming two cups of water before meals lost five pounds more than those who did not drink additional water. Drinking ice-cold water rather than water at room temperature can also increase your calorie burn. Researchers estimate that consuming four to eight cups of ice-cold water a day can burn between 50 and 100 calories, according to Prevention.com.Of course I recognize that weight loss is a multifaceted journey.  It's not just the will power to say no to snarfing down cookies, the motivation to get off the couch, or the gathering of knowledge.  I'm sure in the coming weeks I'll face emotional and perhaps spiritual battles.  To help me stay the course, I'm turning to one of my favorite authors and speakers--the late Zig Ziglar.  In his book, See You at the Top I learned four characteristics of goals.

1. They must be big: In order for goals to be effective they need to be big.  It takes a big goal to create the excitement necessary for accomplishment.  There's no excitement in mediocrity.

2. They must be long range:  Without long-range goals, you are likely to be overcome by short-range frustrations or obstacles.

3. They must be daily:  If you don't have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.  Dreamers are fine, provided they build a foundation under their dreams by working daily towards realizing them.

4. They must be specific:  It doesn't matter how much power, brilliance, or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target and hold it there, you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.  The hunter who brings back the birds doesn't shoot at the covey, he selects one quail as a specific target.

I also learned that less than 3%  of Americans write down their goal.  I received a free copy of the Performance Planner when I ordered Zig Ziglar's How to Stay Motivated set.  (I listen while I walk).  So now I've written down my weight loss goal, the benefits of reaching the goal, major obstacles, skills or knowledge needed to reach the goal, individuals & groups to work with to reach the goal, and my plan of action.  The only thing missing is the completion date--and that's coming!  You can find an article by Zig Ziglar on Goal Setting and a link to your own worksheet download by clicking here.