Week Two

Well, I have finished week two. Why does it feel like I've been doing this forever and ever?

Anyway, I am down another 2 pounds, so that is a total of 7 lbs in 2 weeks. I wish it were more, but I know that it is really good.

I have been doing Phase I of the South Beach diet. I have completed my two weeks. This week is going to be really hard for me. We have a 4th of July cookout to attend on Thursday. That involves me making a three-layer red, white and blue cake. And this is not to mention all the other goodies that will probably be there. I am going to try to watch myself, but it's a holiday. I am not going to deprive myself completely. I think that would be kind of self-destructing. To top it all off, my oldest daughter's 7th birthday is on Saturday. That involves me making a three-layer M&M rainbow cake for her. All this cake. In my face. It's going to be hard. I hope I can practice some type of self-restraint.

I am still plugging along with working out. I only worked out two days last week because the oldest got a slight cold and I wanted to keep her out of the pool because she had a swim meet on Saturday and I needed to make sure she was well. So, I skipped my Wednesday and Thursday workouts. I am back on the wagon today, though. I did my strength workout during her swim practice and then I did my cardio. I had a casear salad for lunch and a protein shake for breakfast. I would be lying if I said I weren't tired of protein shakes and salads. Bleh. There is a such thing as too much of a good thing.

Starting Weight: 195 lbs.

Current Weight: 188 lbs.

Short Term Goal: 170 lbs.

Long Term Goal: 145 lbs.

Week One in the Bag

I think this past week has been successful, overall. I went to the gym Mon-Thurs last week and I watched what I ate. Low carb. Mostly Phase One of the South Beach Diet. I've been eating lots of salads w/ various proteins in it, tuna fish stuffed in cucumbers and the like. I am trying to stay away from red meat as much as possible, limiting myself to maybe one serving a week. So, lots of chicken. I wish I could eat some fish. I love fish, but I am the only person in my house who does. I may have to find some way around this that does not involve me being a short order cook.

One of the things that I really find hard is breakfast. On Monday and Wednesday mornings my oldest daughter has swim practice at 8am, which means we have to be out of bed by 7. We barely get up and get out of the door on time, let alone making breakfast. So, I decided that I'd maybe try out some protein powder mixed with lactose-free milk for breakfast. We went to the Vitamin Shoppe and asked for recommendations. The guy there said he uses Dyamatize Iso-100 and recommended it. So, we got a barrel (yes, it comes in these huge plastic barrel-looking containers) of the "Gourmet Vanilla" flavor. While I don't find anything gourmet about it, it does taste rather decent. If  I am sleepy enough I can trick my brain into thinking it's a milkshake for breakfast. We got Blender Bottles (highly recommend these things) and whip up a protein shake in the morning as we run out the door. It seems to do the trick. I don't get hungry until lunch time and it holds me through my morning workout, which I do after swim practice. Now...hopefully over the next week we will see if it aids in weight loss.

Speaking of weight loss, I am down five pounds since starting last Monday. I would say that's not bad at all. Of course, my husband loves to rub in my face that he is not exercising and has lost 15 lbs, but whatever. I am finding this challenging to do between swim practice at o'dark:30 and having to drag the girls to the Y on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can fin, but I figure that come September, when they go back to school, that it will seem like a breeze after toting them around all summer. I feel bad that I drag them to the Y four days a week, but two of those days we are there for swim practice anyway and the two days that I fin I take them swimming outside after my class is over, which they really enjoy.

Progress is being made and that's the important part, I guess.

Starting Weight: 195 lbs.

Current Weight: 190 lbs.

Short Term Goal: 170 lbs.

Long Term Goal: 145 lbs.

This.Is.It

I can't take it anymore. I haven't even set up this blog with fancy pictures and everything yet, but I have to post. I am sick and tired of being fat. I was a svelt size 5 before having my kids. I was the most fit I had ever been in my life right before I got pregnant with my oldest who is turning 7 in a couple of weeks. I have a blog dedicated to nothing but my kids, and I figure it is time to have a blog dedicated to ME! So, I am hoping by writing out things that I will be held more accountable.

Starting tomorrow, I will be embarking on Phase I of the South Beach Diet. I have used this diet in the past to get from 180 all the way down to 118 at my lowest (which, by the way, was too skinny on me at 5'6" and I had to purposefully gain back up to 130 pounds). Right now I am seriously creeping up to 200 lbs. It is embarassing and I feel physically horrible. I go to the gym, but I guess I can't counteract all the crap that I ingest. I need to find my way back to health and fitness. I don't think I will ever be a size 5, or even 130 lbs, again, but I am hoping that I can take off some of this weight and make myself feel better again.

Stay tuned. I will post pictures along my journey and hopefully not only make myself better, but maybe give someone else the motivation they need to start their own path to weight loss.

Now....to make this blog a little more pretty :)