My Update

I am only 6lbs away from my goal at this point.  I am not sure how much I have lost since my last post but I have lost a total of 19 lbs.  I was supposed to measure myself this past weekend but because of my monthly visitor and that same darn water weight that Jennie complained about, I decide I would wait one more week.  I will post an update on my measurements later.  The measurements really help me and I have decided to go with them more than I do my scale for the simple reason that my weight WILL change if I drink a soda instead of water or have a full bladder or even if I am somewhat dehydrated.  The scale fluctuates so much and I got tired of letting the scale tell me how to feel about myself.  I feel good.  My resting heart rate has decreased.  My ability to lift patients at work has improved.  My clothes that I recently bought are already even more loose than they were when I purchased them.  And I can even tell a difference in my body when I look in the mirror.  That's huge for me.  I see myself every day and I know that if I can even tell, then a difference is being made.  Like I have said before.....I am in this for the long haul.  I would like to see that certain # on the scale but I also want to see muscle definition in my legs, arms and stomach.  It's gonna take a while.  My gym membership is paid for the whole year.  I hope to see the biggest change by the time I renew my membership for 2013!

I gained weight!! Too many chocolate bunnies, maybe? No worries though. Today is Monday and I am back on the wagon. Worked out really hard last week and going to do it again this week. I forgot to add that my % Body fat went down 3 percentage points and my BMI went down to 24.3......my goal is 22. The normal range for me is 19 to 24.9. I will record my measurements again around April 27th.

Late Post

Well, I only lost 1 lb. in 2 weeks. The first of those 2 weeks shouldn't count anyway. You all know what I am talking about. I was just happy to not have had a net gain that week. I ate whatever I was craving and even with my mood swings I never did seem to care that I wasn't eating the way that I should. But the next week I was fine and able to eat the way I should. I have introduced carbs back into my diet, slowly. It is nice to add a piece of whole wheat toast to my morning breakfast and some fruit with my cottage cheese in the evening.

I am at the point that I am not so concerned with my weight on the scales. I am feeling great in my clothes and compared my measurements with one month ago I have lost two inches in my waist, one inch in my hips, 3/4 of an inch in my thighs, one inch in my arms and 3/4 of an inch in my calfs.

I have quite a way to go but remain determined. I really do want to make exercise part of my life again and continue to eat better that I once was. I have a long-term goal and will try to be patient with myself and my body. Because I have already been reminded that when I am face to face with a chocolate bunny......the bunny wins every time!!

South Beach Week 2

Weight loss= 1.4 lbs.

Two weeks on Phase 1 and I wanted to be disappointed at the weight loss. It has taken me 2 weeks to break the habit of looking at the scale to judge my results but I am still motivated because my clothes really fit me differently. I put on a pair of work-out pants yesterday and Jeff said "Wow, your legs are definitely thinner" and yes the legs of the pants used to be tighter than they were yesterday. And a pair of Jeans I haven't worn all winter because they were so tight......I wore them comfortably last night.

When I started with my first free training session at my gym, they measured me. I wanted to go 4 weeks before I measured to compare but I am so excited I am going to do it this Monday (the 3 week mark) instead.

I didn't make my goal of going to the gym 4 times this week. I worked out only 3 times but this week it was twice with weights and once on the treadmill. It has been a busy week. I will keep it a goal for this week to go 4 times.

Let's keep it goin' girls!!
~Tara

First 6 day Results

I have been doing South Beach for 6 full days. I have been addicted to weighing myself daily, so waiting 6 days is in itself an accomplishment for me. I have lost 3.4 lbs. I am happy with the weight loss but I would also like to add that yesterday I wore a pair of shorts that about a month ago I couldn't even get over my hips. And also yesterday I was rubbing my arm while I was driving because it was itching and I felt some definition in my triceps muscle! That has not happened in YEARS! I have only exercised 3 times this week......2 days on the treadmill and one day with weights. So next week I have to do better with my goal being 4 days: 2 on treadmill and 2 with weights.

I won't even try to write down the food I ate for the week because I actually eat a good bit of food but the choices are very healthy. For example: Breakfast I eat two eggs scrambled with ham, cheese and chives (omelet style but scrambled instead) with 1 cup of Almond milk and 6oz. of veg juice. Morning snack cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and celery with hummus Lunch I will have something like grilled flank steak cut into strips on bed of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, blue cheese and 2 Tbsp of low sugar Italian dressing. Afternoon snack a small handful of almonds with low fat cheese stick Dinner Last night I had 2 thin sliced grilled and seasoned chicken breasts with mock mashed potatoes and green beans. And I will use the leftover chicken for large salad for lunch today. Night snack plain Greek yogurt with homemade granola and two packets of splenda. All Day lots and lots of water!!!

I am starting my weekend off with positive results and I am motivated to keep on going!

~Tara

OKay, Here We go!

I confess......I am a yo-yo dieter. Ever since my first child was born I have used Weight Watchers as my "go-to diet". Over the past few years though WW has not seemed to work for me but I was not ready to do anything else, until now! I started the South Beach diet this past Sunday. I only had one day of cravings that I had to hurdle. But I did it and I survived. I joined a gym near where I work and have been exercising regularly for a little more than a month now. The weight just wasn't moving anywhere and I knew it was my metabolism. The new way of eating as jump started my metabolism big time! For the first time I actually get feelings of hunger. And by the time I feel hungry it is time for a snack anyway. And by snack I mean vegetables with guacamole or hummus or a small handful of almonds and a low fat cheese stick.

I have learned a lot too by just a few (free) personal training sessions. For example, on the scale my body weight is not quite in the "over weight" category but my BMI was wayyyy off. So that was explained to me that my body fat percentage was higher than my muscle mass and that I needed to build more muscle. And when you build more muscle your body naturally burns more calories, even at rest. I also learned what my target heart rate is for optimal fat-burn during exercise. I was going over that target range on a regular basis which is more of a cardio workout/marathon training heart rate. So, now on the treadmill I increase the elevation at which I am walking instead of the pace at which I am walking. Does that make sense?

Anyway, last but not least, I have found that with the South Beach suggestions I can pretty much buy my groceries without even going down the isles. It's pretty cool. I cook way more than I would like to but I meal plan early, even my snacks. And sometimes have to pre-cook a few things the day before.

My goal: I want to improve my over-all health. I want to fit into a certain size of clothing. I want to look younger than I am when I am 53 and RETIRED! I want to make life changes that I can stick to and that are good for me.

Thanks Jennie. I needed an outlet. I am trying to only weigh myself only once a week and I'm not due until Sunday. Then I shall see how much weight I have lost in one week.

~Tara